Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Window beads- after

I finally finished grinding and polishing the windows in these beads!  Two days ago I started them, but before I finished, the bolt that holds the wheels flew off the grinder and I couldn't find it.  That caused a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot.  I ended up buying 3 different kinds of bolts and tried them out today.  Only one worked, so I was glad I had bought a selection.  All six beads look good.  I never know how the inside will look until I polish the windows, and sometimes  I scrap a bead. 
This is my grinder/polisher.  It is an odd conglomeration of things I already had except for the wheels, which I had to buy.  There are six of them, I think, from coarse to super fine. There is no splash guard, so I hold a plastic strip in front of me, but I still get soaked by the time I am done.

These are the beads after using 3 wheels on them, with 3 more to go.  The final polish makes the glass so clear you can read the writing on a light bulb in the reflection on the window.  I really like the contrast between the rough reduction frit and the smooth window.

1 comment:

  1. I love your window beads! So happy to see how beautiful they are after such a messy process... Glad you found a bolt that works! I hate how frustrating it is not to have everything you need to get work done when you actually have the time to do it...

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