Sterling silver tag

[Chloe]

Can your sterling silver tag (item#44-050-11) be fused to 1480 degrees between glass?

[Polly]

Hi Chloe,
If you are planning on having the little hook hang out from between layers of glass to utilize it as a hanging device, you will face two problems.  First, the copper portion of the sterling will firescale when heated to that temperature, and cleaning it is not easy (assuming the entire piece of glass cannot go in a pickle pot for a good soak).
Second, the silver will get super soft once it is fired to that temperature, so you would need a method to reharden it (repeated hammering, perhaps with a mallet, but difficult to do near the glass).  

What you  need to avoid the firescale is fine silver (no copper).  We do sell item #87-062: Fine Silver Screw Eye that is used for ACS.  This would work, but it would still get soft upon heating.  

I heard a rumor that we are going to carry fine silver wire, which would be ideal for fashioning hooks for fusing.  I am not sure when or if this is going to be available.  Argentium silver wire is also better at resisting firescale than regular sterling silver, but the glass artist who gave me this reply for you has not personally tested it.  Kurt (metalman) has tested it with good results with ACS, which fires around 1450 degrees. (Check the ACS postings further down our forum for more information that directly relates to ACS, but might also answer the firescale question that relates to your posting.)

[Metalman]

Hi Chloe,

I would do the Argentium experiment with the glass. You  can try the tags but I think they will be too large an area between the glass.  I have successfully fused a number of inclusions into glass but there are inherent expansion /contraction problems. If your inclusion is small , you can make this work but ?!?!??!........ It can go awry for no reason that we can track down - I think size is the factor.
Fine silver works best, Argentium next then sterling - scale is a notable problem with sterling. Do you work with Art Clay Silver?
There may be some workarounds you could do with the metal clay materials.
Keep us posted.

[WillowWalker]

I have been fusing sterling silver into my glass for over three years now.  

  The first thing is that where ever the metal touches the kiln shelf it will leave "scorch marks"  You'll have to clean the shelf by removing all the old kiln wash and then put a fresh coating of kiln wash on.  So I like to wait until the shelf is ready for a new coat.  I use shelf paper which allows me to get many fireings out of my shelves.

  Secondly I found it easier to clean the firescale from the regular sterling silver intead of the argentium silver. ( I was using a wire brush on my dremel) The argentium seems to become brittle compared to the sterling also.  And yes the metal does become "dead soft".
  
  I had thought about using pickle as I learned more but was quickly disabused of that notion when I was told it will etch the glass.

A quick word about fine silver it can "stain" the surrounding glass giving it a yellow cast.  It is my understanding that Spectrum's Cystal clear fusing glass is made to prevent that.  

  I hope this helps you.

[WillowWalker]

Metalman is correct in that if it is too big it may not work.  The reason being is the COE factor, the metal isn't expanding and contracting at the same rate as the glass creating stress and instability in the glass.  The wire isn't a large enough amount to really add any stress to a small piece like in jewelry.