The Delphi Blog

Did you know that Friendship Day and Sister Day are both on the first Sunday in August?

Want to do something special for a couple of those special friends or family members in your life. How about making a friendship bracelet that you and your friends will love and cherish for years to come? Each person will get the same or similar bracelet, signifying the unity of people represented. This special friendship bracelet uses fusible glass to create beautiful 'lifesaver candy' beads from glass frit.



Supplies you'll need:

System96 Medium Frit - Clear, plus any other transparent or

opaque colors you might like

Nano Beads casting mold

Here's how to make your bracelets: 1. Select a colored frit to represent each friend or family member(don't forget yourself) - the number of colors represents how many 'lifesaver beads' you'll make per color. For example, 5 people = 5colors of frit, and five bracelets will ultimately be made. 2. Prep the mold first by spraying with Boron Nitride ( see video ). 3. When using frit molds, it is very important to follow the suggested fill levels to get the best bead. With the Nano Bead Mold, use the following guide and fill level: Square Beads - 2 to 3grams of frit Round Beads - 1 to 2 grams of frit Small Cabochon - 1 gram of frit

BoronNitride Small DigitalScale - must measure in grams Soft paintbrush Bracelet, Jump Rings, Beads to decorate your bracelets.

4. Place a small plastic or paper cup(medicine cups work great) on the digital scale. Making sure you are measuring in grams and not ounces - weigh the cup itself. Write down how much the cup weighs or use the 'tare' function to zero out the weight of the cup. Fill till scale measures one gram. Use black sharpie and mark with a line around cup. Continue to fill to 2 grams, mark the cup and repeat at 3 grams.

5. Mix the frit to create the beads. Obtain some transparency with theglass beads, you'll want to mix 4 parts clear medium frit to one part colored medium frit (preferably transparent or transparent/opaque mix).Fill the cup to the appropriate level for the beads being made. Make some square and round beads from each color. Use small brush to level frit and clean up mold from loose frit.

6. Fire to the following firing below.

7. Repeat this process until you have all the beads made necessary for the bracelets

8. String glass beads with jump rings, spacers, crystals, etc. to make it personal.