42. Heat all of the glass in the glory hole for approximately 15 seconds until very hot, and then quickly take it out of glory hole and hold the punty rod upright so the glass is pointing toward the floor. Hang the punty rod from the stand and watch carefully as the glass starts to elongate (figure M). Gently blow on the glass to cool it if the piece is getting too long or too thin. It will stop moving once cooled. Remove from the stand and run the blades of the diamond shears around the thin area of the stopper to chill. Open the annealer door and knock off the stopper into the annealer. It’s best to make several stoppers as the heart shape and thickness varies (figure N). Allow the stoppers to cool for 12 hours.43. Once the perfume bottle and stoppers have cooled (the next day), select the stopper that looks best with the bottle in terms of heart shape, proportion and hole diameter (figure O). Cut off sections from the tip of the stopper with the tile nippers until it fits inside the perfume bottle without hitting the bottom. To fire, polish the cut tip; use the gas torch to slowly heat up the tip until it starts to melt (figure P). Glass should not be larger than 1/4-inch diameter when using the hand torch otherwise it may crack. Wait until the melted tip has cooled slightly before placing on the table with the tip propped up on a pencil.
44. Wet your finger with water, dip it into the grit and place the grit around the stopper where it meets the neck of the perfume bottle. Put the stopper into the bottle and start rotating the stopper. Repeat to form a tight seal between the two. To check the seal clean off the grit. Periodically, add more water and grit, as it tends to dry out. This may take some time especially if the stopper isn’t perfectly round.
45. After grinding the stopper wash off the grit and dry. Rinse the perfume bottle under a faucet of running water. Clean the inside of the bottle with a dental water jet. Hold the bottle upside down over a sink, place the tip of the water jet inside the bottle then turn on the water jet. Place the bottle upside down on paper towels to dry or blow air into it with an air hose to dry.
46. Once everything is dry, you’re ready to fill the gold heart bottle with perfume.
E-mail: betsyknotts@sbcglobal.net
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