Pattern Bar

My first attempt at pattern bars with color was actually scrounging to find scrapes of glass I didn't have plans for that would be color-compatible......learned a lot and would do a lot differently the next time.

Below you will see two slices of a green/blue/yellow pattern bar embedded in clear glass. The process for creating these pieces reminds me of the process used to turn Fimo Clay into beads and repeating-pattern jewelry.  At the beginning of the assembly process, the clay is  tremendously more maleable and getting rounded corners and circles is very easy. 

In addition to the assemble process being very similar, the next steps are also.  With clay, the artist makes a cane, or long roll of a planned color pattern.  Continuing to roll the "cane," compresses the pattern, but if done correctly, maintains the integrity of the image.

When making a long "roll" using glass, the diameter create is the diameter that remains - compression does not significantly reduce the image size.  Glass is not maleable when cold.  It is possible to purchase  15"- 16" long "stringers" of glass in .5 mm, 1mm, and 2mm diameters and "rods" in 3mm and 5mm diameters.  If these are aligned, like spagetti, then fused, they become a glass cane.   Sheet glass and frit can also be combined to form canes.  All glass canes have to be dammed with fired to hold their diameter.

Using the cane patterns means cutting slices from the large cane just as you would slice a refridgerator cookie roll for baking, or slice sausage to create patties.

As you can imagine, cutting the clay canes takes less pressure and a sharp blade to retain the pattern of each slice.  Cutting slices of the glass cane requires a wet saw.

Above are two of the slices from a larger "cane" that was about 5 inches long.  In theory
 this cane would have produced 20 slices (remember, glass always wants to be 1/4" in thickness.)