HWHII Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I have a project I am working on a pair of sunglasses. The frame is forged out of 1/2" x 1" and each lens is a oval shape about 3" x 9". I need to form some stained glass to the inside. I have melted marbles before but nothing this big. Has anyone done this before and can you give me some advise? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I have put glass into metal before, but not on that scale, I think you wouldhave difficulties with differential cooling and tempering the glass. If I had to do the sizes you are tackling, I would consider forging a recess around the ovals and securing a cut glass sheet to fit into the recess and gluing this into place using aquatic tank sealer or similar. Interesting project, keep us informed, and good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Wow Harold! That is so far beyond me I don't know what to think. I take it this isn't to be leaded glass? If it were it'd be pretty easy to lead it in. All I can come up with is form the lenses to fit a small recess in the frames tightly, not interference. It's got to be tight enough it can't move but not be crushed. Then heat the frame till the lenses will pass, let everything come to the same heat, temper and let cool VERY slowly. I have no idea if that'd work but one absolute must would be holding your tongue in the correct side of your mouth the whole time. Best of fortune and please keep us posted regardless of the results. Frosty The Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 My sister, Sandra Fifield does ''slumped'' stain glass pieces that would be great for lenses .............. http://macfifield.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 from what the glass blowers at the oregon state fair told me you will have problems with attaching glass as the expantion contraction rates are too different .. if it was copper you might get away with it....good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 My opinion for what it is worth would be to go with a lead cane frame inside of your steel frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_m Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I've never done any work with glass, but when I was in school my bronze casting instructor had done some cast glass pieces before. He was fully against diy glass casting/annealing, while pro diy most everything else. Said he knew someone whose home-cast piece(made of beer bottles all from the same case) shattered violently while sitting on a pedestal in an art gallery months after it was finished. Again, I've got no experience with this and can't vouch for the validity of the story, but he was never one to BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McCoy Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I do stained glass, but nothing involving melted/slumped glass on the scale you want. Find a nearby art glass studio and/or group and meet with'em and you'll find all the help you need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 having done blown glass shapes into both bronze and steel forms i can tell you that you are running the risk of having this shatter down the road from the stresses put on the glass from the steal shrinking around it just over all as they say " you could put your eye out" i think though you could slump the glass in your forge if you cut it to shape before hand and had a form to having it settle into but even then annealing glass takes far more time and temp control than dose steel if you happen to be near any place that dose medical glass or scientific glass they tend to use a Borosilicate glass and might be able to help with the project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Harold, what you want to do just ain,t for sissies, good stuff! You should try to contact John Emerling(the famed ribbon burner man) of Gearheart Ironwerke, not only is he a gifted smith and an all round nice guy he also has a good relationship with his neighbour a much tallented "glassman" and between them I'm sure a plan could be made! Good Luck on this. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 What about making it like real glasses with a split frame? Make the glass pieces, then clamp the frame down around it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 My friend Stretch uses cast and stacked glass in his sculptures, typically small brackets and silicon holds the glass in place. I would also consider concrete expansion joint filler, that stuff sticks to anything.http://stretchsculpture.com/STRETCH_Sculpture/HOME.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 Lots of good sugestions here. Thanks! I went to a stained glass studio yesterday and bought a couple of pieces to play with. The lady there was very helpful. She told me I first need to fuse two pieces together to get a thick enough piece to work with. The glass will fuse at 1600 degrees. One option which might be the easy way to go is after I fuse two pieces together is to cut them to shape and silicone them in. She has had success doing this in the past and showed me a piece she had done this way. I would like to slump it in, but on the piece I am working on will be visable from two sides. Not sure how it will work or look. We talked about taking broken pieces and melting them in side the frame but as suggested the cooling rates are so much different it might cause the glass to brake. Looks like I will just have to experiment with it. I will take some photos and if anything works I will post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 you might look into the 2part marine epoxy it comes in a black and a steel gray i have used it to attach steel and glass together with good luck and the nice thing is it looks quite a bit like metal that is what i used to hold the pieces together and some of the glass portions weigh around 20lb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 Tried some experiments with slumping glass yesterday. I was not happy with the results. Seems like when you heat the glass that I am using, directly under the flame of the forge it darkens, which I do not care for. Also controling the shrinkage of the glass is not a exact science. Looks like for the sake of getting this job done on time I will cut and silicone the pieces in. It has sparked my curiosity and am going to go down to the glass studio to watch and learn some more about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I did a piece years ago with a small piece of melted glass puddled right into the iron. Annealed both pieces for hours and on the way to a show the whole top of the glass still cracked right off. So then I experimented with plastic instead of glass. Not quite the same look but in some cases will work and takes a lot of the problems a way that you have with glass. So you can use sheet plastic, which you can still form or you can buy plastic beads that you melt into a form. Sure have a ton of colors, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 this topic has been picking at my brain and i finally remembered that there is a product for making glass beads that you use to coat the metal shaft you are forming the bead on this stuff can shrink at the similar rate to the glass and will crumble after use so you can clean it out i am thinking that if you painted a layer on to the inside of your glasses frame and then slumped the glass in when they cool the glass lenses should pop free and you can then use what ever you want to fix them in place http://www.frantzartglass.com/ has a bunch of different kinds for sale and you can get them is as little as 2oz containers on a side note as much as i hate to say it but do you have any kind of a head shop around you that makes (smoking paraphernalia) the glass they use tends to be a lamp working glass so it is much more resistant to heat shock and they might be able to point you to someone that dose custom glass work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 I did a piece years ago with a small piece of melted glass puddled right into the iron. Annealed both pieces for hours and on the way to a show the whole top of the glass still cracked right off. So then I experimented with plastic instead of glass. Not quite the same look but in some cases will work and takes a lot of the problems a way that you have with glass. So you can use sheet plastic, which you can still form or you can buy plastic beads that you melt into a form. Sure have a ton of colors, too. Randy, I have thought of using plastic. In my past I use to run a skylite shop and have lots of experiance heating and forming plastic. If the glass in the end does not work I will have to use plastic. Here in the desert the plastic will oxidize very quick. I have picked a red translucent color. Having it go foggy with plastic I would not be happy with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 this topic has been picking at my brain and i finally remembered that there is a product for making glass beads that you use to coat the metal shaft you are forming the bead on this stuff can shrink at the similar rate to the glass and will crumble after use so you can clean it out i am thinking that if you painted a layer on to the inside of your glasses frame and then slumped the glass in when they cool the glass lenses should pop free and you can then use what ever you want to fix them in place http://www.frantzartglass.com/ has a bunch of different kinds for sale and you can get them is as little as 2oz containers on a side note as much as i hate to say it but do you have any kind of a head shop around you that makes (smoking paraphernalia) the glass they use tends to be a lamp working glass so it is much more resistant to heat shock and they might be able to point you to someone that dose custom glass work Big Red, Whats a head shop? <_< :lol: Good ideas thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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