The Great Glass Pendant Challenge

Scrap Glass. With every completed project, the amount of it grows and grows. Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with ways to use it. I look at all the scrap glass we have and get a little overwhelmed. There are simply too many possibilities, so I get a small case of option paralysis.

Option paralysis: The tendency, when given unlimited choices, to make none.

So, one day I came up with an idea for how to combat this phenomenon. Thus, the Great Glass Pendant Challenge was born. The pendant challenge eliminated option paralysis and the amount of scrap glass, but it also made for a very cool and fun exercise that I think will work well in a studio atmosphere.

There are several variables that can be changed to make this fit a variety of circumstances, but the general idea is very simple to initiate.

This is how I did it.

Step 1) Get Participants
My co-workers Crista and Kristin agreed to the challenge, so we had three including myself. This exercise will work with one person or many, but the more the merrier.

Step 2) Decide on a time frame for the challenge.
I think we chose 30 minutes, but it can be any length to fit your time frame.

Step 3) Get Glass
Each person collects ten pieces of scrap glass, all varying in colors, types (stringers, noodles, rods) and sizes. We also chose one secret ingredient, a piece of Dichroic from a Jazzy Jar. You can choose more or less pieces of glass, different numbers of each type, etc. Just make sure each person gets a wide variety of colors and types. We cut many 1" x 2" clear blanks in case anyone wanted to use a blank. These blanks do not count towards the ten pieces.

Step 4) The Switcheroo
Once the glass has been chosen, set it on your work surface. Now the fun begins. Each person will not use the glass they have selected, but by the person sitting on their left. So everyone move one seat to the left. Why, you ask? Because I thought it would be fun to do it this way. Besides, this exercise is designed for you to have fun, and to get people to think a little out of the box.

Step 5) What's next
After the time is up it's likely that there will be glass left over. We moved another seat to our left and made more projects with that glass until we either ran out of glass or ideas. A time limit can also be set for this step.

So there you have it. The Great Glass Pendant Challenge. Use it as a fun night for your customers, a team building exercise for your studio employees, or for any other purpose you see fit. One thing is for sure, it will reduce the ever growing amount of scrap glass in your studio and will be a great time for all involved.

Unfortunately, all the fun photos taken during our challenge were lost when my hard drive decided to go on permanent vacation, so I don't have anything showing who made what. I have since taken individual pictures of all the pendants that were made. They can be viewed here. Enjoy!

If you have any questions I can be reached by email at warmglassguy@gmail.com

Wicked Awesome Warm Glass Weave Effect!

This is a relatively easy project to make that yields some very attractive results. I say attractive because everyone that walks past my desk picks it up and asks how it was done. If you can score glass in a semi straight line, you can make this project. First things first, I cannot take credit for coming up with this brilliant idea, the honor goes to Jim Gregory at Spectrum Glass. Now, I have a slightly different version of his project and just like most recipes, one doesn’t have to follow directions to a T to get excellent results.


Materials I used:

2 - 8” Clear Square Blanks
1 – Package of New Orleans Stripes
1 – Package of Cobalt Blue Strips
1 – Medium Moss Green Frit

(Your materials may vary. For instance, if you have enough clear scrap glass to cut 13 one inch squares, you may only need one 8” clear square blank. Also, you may want to use a different color of Stripes, border or frit.)


Step 1)

To get started, I made a border around one of the clear blanks with the Cobalt Strips.

Step 2)

I cut the Stripes into squares that are slightly larger than one inch. I use the Morton Work Surface as a guide, because the work surface grid is made up of squares that are approximately half an inch. For my 8” project, I used 25 squares for a five by five grid. If you want to make a 10” or 12” version, you may need 36, 49 or even 64 squares, for a six by six, seven by seven, or eight by eight grid.

Step 3)

Arrange the squares in the middle of the blank in a grid pattern so that every other square is turned. Make sure all the Stripes are face up or face down. There should be even space between the grid and the border all the way around.

Step 4)

I cut thirteen one inch clear squares to be placed on every other square in the grid like a checker board, starting in the corner. The clear squares are what makes this piece work. Because they are placed on every other square effectively making a third layer of glass in those spots, when full fused they will melt into the glass under them and make them bulge out. The adjacent squares will be squeezed in, completing the weave look.

Step 5)

The last step before firing is to fill the space between the grid and border with frit. This is the biggest difference between my version and the Spectrum version. For the Spectrum version you cut and place thin strips of clear glass in this space. To do that, every square has to be cut into precisely the same size to make a perfect square when the grid is assembled. Then, every clear strip has to be precisely cut to fill the space between grid and border. Using the frit allows for a margin of error and eliminates waste from having to recut squares to make them perfect. Frit is a wonderful thing!

Now, all that is left to do is full fuse this piece and slump it into your favorite mold. Enjoy!



The original version by Spectrum Glass can be found here

If you have any questions you can email me at warmglassguy@gmail.com