by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Bottle Glass, Inclusions and Additions
A few years ago, I ran across a reference to mica and lusters. After I finally tracked some down, I discovered one of the most versatile glass tools that I’ve ever used. I LOVE this stuff! It isn’t hard to use, but there are a few things I’ve discovered that will...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Float (Window) glass, Inclusions and Additions, Tools
Mica flakes are beautiful sparkly things, but what do you DO with them? Here’s a handy tutorial showing two different ways to use mica flakes and stencils in your fusing projects. Materials: Mica Flakes and Stencils materials Fine Mica Flakes Stencil of your choice...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Bottle Glass, Process
One of the questions I get very frequently is “How do I make holes in bottle bottoms if I don’t want to drill?” And I get it, drilling is only a tiny bit fun. So, I did some experimenting and found I could fuse loops into my bottle bottoms. While they aren’t the...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Process, Tools
Recently I started making kits that require a whole lot of drilling. And by a lot I mean several hundred holes. So, I started with one tool and finished with a different one, I thought you might be interested in which tools and why. I made a little video for you...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Bottle Glass, Process
Removing labels from bottles before fusing is always a chore! I’ve found one way to make it somewhat easier is to do the bottles in batches. Start with a bunch of bottles, this is just part of my stash: Bottles ready to be processed I prefer to cut the bottles before...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Jewelry, Tools
Cobalt bottle glass earrings These sophisticated earrings are surprisingly easy to make, and offer a wide range of possibilities for any design style. While we are using Triangle beads made with the Triangle Bead Mold kit, any larger bead would work. Materials for...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Process, Tools
Polarized Filters (or a Polariscope) can be used to detect internal stress in glass. The plastic sheets have grooves that filter the light in one direction. To use them, place one sheet on a light source, add your glass, and place the second sheet on top, with the...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Process, Tools
Kiln carving is a terrific technique that allows you to make custom designs out of fiber paper and impress them in the glass during fusing. The down side is you typically can use your fiber paper kiln carving pattern only once. However, if you kiln wash the cut...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Bottle Glass, Process
Most bottle factories mark their bottles with a series of symbols and/or numbers. These are called Punt Marks. If you have bottles with identical punt marks, it is a pretty safe bet they came from the same batch, and would therefore be compatible. Let’s have a...
by Jodi McRaney Rusho | Other Recycled Glass
These pretty lead crystal hearts are SO easy it (almost) feels like cheating. The first thing we need is a heart shaped lead crystal vase. I keep a sharp eye on thrift stores the month after the holidays, and save up whatever I find. This process works equally well on...
