Making a tiny cabochon?

[Ilona]

I wonder if i can ask some of you for some help? I have been asked to make a cabochon (very small) to be made into a ring. It will be containg cremation ashes. I don't have a cabochon manderel, but thought I could encase the ashes then slump a tiny bit in the kiln. Would this work and what setting would I need on the SC2?

[ajda]

No reason why that shouldn't work - just kiln-wash the shelf you're putting it on and remember the 6mm (1/4 inch) rule: if you take it up to full fuse temperature, glass will always try to end up at that thickness, so a thin sheet will shrink up and a large blob will spread out. A very small blob should form a nice round cab. I'm not sure off the top of my head of the temperatures you want for the various kinds of glass you might use, but you can easily find that info online.

[Shirley]

Jane Hamill makes cabs this way, usually from chunks of murrine. Might be worth asking her.

[Pat from Canvey]

I make cabs from broken beads at 785 deg C in an SC2.

[Trudi]

I make small cabs on the end of a normal mandrel.

[Ilona]

Thanks for the replys so if I ramp up to 785 how long do I hold this?

[Pat from Canvey]

Thanks for the replys so if I ramp up to 785 how long do I hold this?

I usually just change the hold annealing temperature from 520 to 785 and keep the rest of the program the same. A bit of a lazy approach but it avoids changing the rest of the program and is quick to change back again afterwards.

[Ilona]

Thanks  for your help with this.

[babyshoes]

A good tip I've seen on threads about cremation beads is to do a few test runs first using normal fire ash so you are confident about your technique when working with the real ashes.

[Ilona]

Yes, that's what I have done in the past. 

[Skyblue]

Same as Trudi , I make them on the end of a mandrel.

[chipperpottery]

I make them on the end of a mandrel.  All my Earring studs are made that way.