Fusing Wire Into Glass.

Q: My wife and I make fused dichroic glass earrings in our kiln. We have seen some work by other artists where they have apparently fused some refractory wire into the glass, which is then simply looped to form the earring. This material looks like a gold and/or platinum alloy, and it obviously has the right properties for the application.

A: * Looks good on the final product. * Highly ductile. * Does not oxidize or melt in the kiln at around 1500 F. * Coefficient of expansion is compatible with the glass. * Looks as if it does not "wet" when the glass is liquid. The question is, what is this magical metal? Anyone who can let us in on the secret, please respond via email. You can try using precious metals such as "pure" sterling or gold. There are also some high temperature wires avaialble through glass suppliers that can be fused into the glass to allow the finished product to be used as a button. I've used copper and sterling silver in my fused glass creations. I've used them both as a hanging loop for pendants, and completely covered by another layer of transparent glass for a decorative effect. I use a wire brush with my 'Dremel Moto' tool to shine the metal back up after fusing. Fine silver works the best - doesn't oxidize, etc.... I've also used nichrome wire (sometimes called "high temperature stamen wire" by catalog companies). It ends up a gunmetal color. I've used paperclips too (ran out of nichrome). I'm not sure what type of metal it is.

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