kiln formed bracelet -fire polishing

Carol Ann · Post by **Carol Ann** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:10 pm

I make kiln formed bracelets on a mandrel. After it was formed, I had to grind it down and refire it because the opening was too small. It is possible to fire polish it at this point? How?
Thanks for any help.
Carol Ann

Dolores · Post by **Dolores** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 1:43 pm

Carol,

What a timely question. I just pulled a bracelet out of the kiln yesterday with the same problem (actually, I managed to slip it on my wrist and then had to run my arm under cold water to remove the bracelet). I thought of grinding the tips down a bit and then coating them with Back Magic which cures at 950 degrees (low enough to keep the bracelet from deforming). Any other suggestions out there from those of you who conquered this same situation?

DOLORES

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 1:47 pm

Dolores wrote:Carol,

What a timely question. I just pulled a bracelet out of the kiln yesterday with the same problem (actually, I managed to slip it on my wrist and then had to run my arm under cold water to remove the bracelet). I thought of grinding the tips down a bit and then coating them with Back Magic which cures at 950 degrees (low enough to keep the bracelet from deforming). Any other suggestions out there from those of you who conquered this same situation?

DOLORES

cold water? did your wrist shrink using cold water? i would have expected hot water to expand the glass instead, or liberal use of a stick of butter (and then liberal use of the dog).

jim simmons · Post by **jim simmons** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 2:32 pm

charlie wrote:
Dolores wrote:Carol,

What a timely question. I just pulled a bracelet out of the kiln yesterday with the same problem (actually, I managed to slip it on my wrist and then had to run my arm under cold water to remove the bracelet). I thought of grinding the tips down a bit and then coating them with Back Magic which cures at 950 degrees (low enough to keep the bracelet from deforming). Any other suggestions out there from those of you who conquered this same situation?

DOLORES
cold water? did your wrist shrink using cold water? i would have expected hot water to expand the glass instead, or liberal use of a stick of butter (and then liberal use of the dog).

I think what happened, was that the glass shrunk and this made the opening between the ends larger.

Jim

dasi11 · Post by **dasi11** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:01 pm

Ever see that Steinfeld episode where someone walks in on George and he just got out of a cold pool? Then he is all upset about looking small from the cold water? Maybe that happened to your arm? Anyway, just rambling......

Karen Laing · Post by **Karen Laing** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 4:43 pm

One of the things I do is to then put the bracelet back in the kiln and heat it up slowly and with the graphite tongs inside the bracelet make the opening bigger. This normally occurs at around 1100-1200 depending on the thickness of the bracelet.

If you make a thicker bracelet you need to make it longer than normal in order to have the proper opening.

I don't fire polish again after having slumped on the bracelet mandrel.
I have though when unhappy with a cane pulled bracelet, put it back in the kiln and when it was soft flattened it out with my graphite tongs (not an easy feet) and then full fused it. Cold polished it, and fused it onto a piece of thin black. Now I have a bracelet I adore and have many comments about it.

You could potentially do that with the ones above and re-fuse onto another layer.

Hope this makes sense and helps!!

Dolores · Post by **Dolores** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 5:52 pm

Cold water shrinks your skin. Anyway, it's a great trick if you have a big wristed client try one on at a show. My business manager/husband thinks that I should leave them as is and make them buy it if it won't come off, but I reminded him that a lawsuit would probably result,

yikes! Me thinks I need to pad my mandrels a tad more in the future, ha! At the very least I'll make darn sure that I label the bracelets "small" or "large".

Carol Ann · Post by **Carol Ann** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 7:54 pm

Thanks to all. My problem is I have already cut it and now have a rough edge on the open ends. (compounded by the fact that it is special order and the last of my supply of the prerequisit glass!!)

What is Black Magic? Never heard of it and could not find on the web. Who makes it? Also Karen's idea of refiring to open them up is quite helpful. Wish I had thought of it before I cut the ends. I assume you put it on the mandrel with the opening up?

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 8:05 pm

Back magic is a low-fire overspray that will gloss up your glass, but won't smooth it out.

You can try sitting the bracelet on its side and going to 1275Â° or so, but unless you have a relatively smooth surface to start, you'll have to throw in some luck to get the glass to smooth out without getting hot enough that the bracelet loses its shape.

Tony

Karen Laing · Post by **Karen Laing** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:43 pm

Good idea to label them. I have a problem with small wrists so have a harder time making larger ones.

The padding as well is good. One bracelet I made that I had cut too short I also put on the small bracelet mandrel with fibre paper to make it larger and it worked. Fits me, but few others. It also is one I happen to really like (sometimes it is hard letting go of them).

Dolores · Post by **Dolores** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 2:58 am

Carol Ann,

Back magic is available at Fushion HQ (link at the top of this webpage). Black magic is something you resort to when you have an annoying client

. Just kidding! Be sure to let us all know how your bracelet turns out.

DOLORES