Glass Bottle Stopper

That's Clever! : Episode HCLVR-146 -- More Projects »

Project by Maryjane Michaud from Worcester, Mass.

Maryjane Michaud lives in a 110-year-old three-decker home in the heart of Worcester, Mass. She has a fun and feisty personality, and has been a massage therapist for 19 years. She also finds time to create stunning glass functional items. Today she will handcraft a decorative bottle stopper using rods of colored glass and a flame-working torch. After forming a colorfully patterned ball shape from molten glass, the annealed and cooled glass will be attached to a chrome bottle stopper base.

Materials:

safety glasses
torch
annealing oven set to 1050 F
chrome bottle stopper base with screw post
3/8" stainless steel mandrel
bead release
graphite marver with handle
1" to 1-1/4" graphite marble mold
kitchen knife or straight edge
borosilicate glass in clear and a variety of colors
diamond wheel grinder or diamond hand pad
two part glass-to-metal epoxy
acetone (nail polish remover)

Steps:

1. Measure the screw post on the top of the chrome bottle stopper base to determine the correct measurement for the mandrel. The mandrel size should be the same diameter as the screw post or slightly larger. A 3/8-inch mandrel is suggested.

2. Dip the mandrel in bead release and set aside to dry.

3. Heat annealing oven for borosilicate to 1050 F.

4. Use a properly installed flame working torch and safety glasses and prepare a stringer in green. Set it aside.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

5. Preheat the dipped and dried mandrel and make three winds of glass with an 8mm clear rod approximately 3/4 inch to 1-inch distance down from the end of the mandrel. This will form a lip on the glass ball (figure A).

6. Smooth the edge of the lip with an old kitchen knife or straight edge. Endeavor to maintain a clean or straight end now means less prep work prior to adhering the finished glass ball to the chrome base.

7. Creating the glass ball: The ball can be as simple or decorative as desired. Wind the clear glass right next to the lip and build a sphere shape approximately 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter (figure B).

8. Form a symmetrical shape with a marble mold. Be sure to reheat the glass after you've used the marble mold as the graphite mold extracts heat and adds stress to the glass (figure C).

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

9. Encase the clear glass. Wind dark colored glass over the entire surface of the clear glass and melt in thoroughly. Marver into shape and reheat. Note: It's much easier to maintain a round shape as you work rather than trying to force the round shape at the end. Keep in mind that the more glass you fuse to the ball, the ball will increase in size (figure D).

10. Use the green stringer that you prepared in Step 4 and wind a continuous wavy line (snake skin design) over the surface of the ball. Heat and melt in slightly, but not all the way (figure E).

11. Place dots approximately 1/4 inch apart directly on top of the winding green pattern with a light colored or off-white glass. Melt in the dots slightly (figure F).

12. Use blue/green glass and place another layer of dots directly on top of the light colored dots and melt in slightly (figure G).

13. Finish the dot layers with clear glass dots directly on top of the blue/green dots. This clear layer of dots will magnify the underlying colors.

14. Melt in all of the dots completely until the layers are flush to the surface of the sphere. Marver with the marble mold and reheat.

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Also in this Episode

That's Clever! : Episode HCLVR-146
•	Enameled Light Switch Cover
•	Glass Bottle Stopper
•	Fiber Collage Fish
•	Metal Magnet

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