Drilling Sea Glass for Jewelry

Drilling glass is something I thought I would never do. Never wanted to do, never thought I could do. But after collecting a sizable amount of sea glass I decided it was probably in my best interest to learn.

I looked online and found some articles. There is a  lot of information on the Internet. However, it never hurts to get a new perspective. So, this is my take on it. I've been asked many times about drilling glass and how to go about it.

For my work, I use a drill press. I have it set up in the garage. There are other ways to drill and I wont talk about them here because I have no experience with any other way.

Please note this is not so much a tutorial but rather a brief pictorial with explanation of my experience and helpful hints for those who want to give it go or just have some curiosity of how it's done. 

Diamond Twist Drill Bits from Rio Grande

What you'll need:

Drill Press (or other means to drill)

Diamond Drill Bits

Safety Glasses

Pencil

Sea Glass

Shallow Bowl with Water

Rubber Puck

Towel

Good Lighting

I have a variety of diamond drill bits to use for my glass. The kind I use, and have had the best luck with are these diamond twist drill bits from Rio Grande. They can be purchased online through their website or catalog. Nice, high quality bits manufactured in Switzerland. I use a variety of sizes from 1.3 to 2mm.

I use a pencil to mark the glass where I am going to drill. Once the glass is underwater, your perspective will be distorted. You will need that dot to guide you. Once under water the pencil dot will be silvery shiny and easy to spot.

Safety glasses are a MUST. 

This is my set up. Messy, yeah, I know. It is a garage! 

And I share this space, so I will blame the mess on him. (evil grin)

In this photo you will see my FireStorm Drill Press by Black & Decker, a fire extinguisher (for other stuff) a small box of sea glass, some drill bit packs, a lamp, a plastic tray for water, a black rubber puck inside the tray, my glasses and a cup for filling the tray with water.

 Glass must be drilled under water to keep things cool.

The puck is great for holding the glass steady. And it's not going to hurt anything if you drill into it. I bought this years ago from http://www.metalliferous.com/ I am unsure if they are still for sale there. I've seen others use a block of wood.

 

 I position my bit so that it will come all the way to the puck. 

Place the glass and make sure it's completely submerged.

Before turning the drill press on, I will lower the shank to make sure the bit will hit my mark. If not, rearrange and move the glass till your pencil mark is directly centered with the bit.

 Every piece of glass is going to be different and you'll want to figure out the best way to hold yours. I find this method works best for me in most cases. I am able to hold the piece down and keep my figures out of harms way.

You only want to drill half way through the glass. This is a tricky part, not going too far. And it's really a matter of practice. Learning to ease off the pressure, and knowing when to stop. I have even found with a new drill bit and going super slow, I have been able to drill all the way through without having any blowout or breakage. I do no recommend it!

..........................

For best results, 

drill very slow, 

under water 

and only go half way through the glass.

Turn over.

..........

Dry your hands and glass off and hold your glass up to the light.

 

 I have a great set up here in the garage because of the large window, I get lots of natural light. I turn the glass over and hold it up to the window. I can see the hole as a black mark in the glass. Here I can mark the other side. I have found it best to find the hole this way so that your perceptive is not distorted. Mark the other side where you see the black dot with your pencil.

Again, position your glass and drill bit so they meet before turning on the machine. Once you find the pencil mark, hold the glass and turn on the machine. Again, carefully and very slowly pressing down. You'll feel it give way once it meets the hole on the other side. 

And finally holding it up to the window again I can see the hole is clean and has gone all the way through. Yeah! Success! 

I recommend beginning your practice on pieces that you don't so much care about. Maybe you'll get it on the first try and be a natural pro. Maybe not. Best to work on some ugly pieces first! 

Good luck and have fun! Let me know if you have any questions. I will answer as best I can. 

(as with all the earrings here on the EE blog, these are examples and all designs are copyright the original artists. Thank you!)  Here are some of my success stories... 

Sold

Sea Glass + Fine Silver Available@ Art and Soul Jewelry

Lucky Girl Sea Glass Earrings

 

 I don't want to use the word addicted but I don't know any other way to explain my feelings about sea glass. I have a nice stash and I can get carried away for an entire day, if time allowed. I feel time stands still when I am picking out pieces.

I lay out a towel on the floor and dump out a box (yeah, I have more than one) and put on my close-up glasses and light the lamp. Kneel down close and my heart quickens... LOVE just pawing though it. 

What is it about tiny things that get us excited? Beads, buttons, shells, beach rocks... any of it! 

I remember as a young girl one of my favorite things was the button basket. Dumping them out, picking through them and then maybe keeping just one with me. Probably to eventually loose it around the house. I was a lucky girl to live with my aunts and grandmother growing up. 

And there were lots of buttons!  

Fast forward to today... 

Now my bead obsession not only makes sense but also carries over to the sea glass. And still, I am a lucky girl. Getting to paw through it and make beautiful adornments for others and for myself if time allows. 

Thank you for allowing me to share (ramble) about one of my greatest passions. 

These earrings are a riff of a previous set I made several months back. The Peace earrings these were born from had a lot going on. This is a scaled down tiny piece of that design. 

I manged to find two sets of glass pieces that semi-matched. *And managed to drill eight holes without any breakage. Lucky again?

 Natural found sea glass, Lapis Lazuli, Czech glass and fine silver. 

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry. 

Embracing the Artist Within

Our lives are forever evolving and we are always *becoming. These last few years have been a tremendous time of change for me on many levels, professionally and personally. 

For my work and my art as well. 

As an artist who works, there is a struggle of making a living and also producing what's in  my heart. Feeding the artist within. And trust me when I say that creativity is a constant craving. 

My endeavor into ceramics feeds that artist within to a great extent. I can get lost in it for hours and not be aware of time passing at all. It is wonderful and soul feeding.

See my blog for more of an in depth look at my process.

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/blogs/news/ 

These earrings feature ceramic beads from my latest kiln batch. White stoneware clay with variegated color glazes. Hints of deep blue, and golden brown with a white matte over-coat and background. Highlighted by the texture.

Paired with natural, found sea glass that really off-sets the glaze colors. Wrapped in silver wire with Hill Tribe fine silver beads and dangle. Ear wires are hand forged sterling silver. 

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry. 

peace & blessings, 

Tide Pools Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

Tide Pools. The recent inspiration for the Earrings Everyday We're All Ears monthly challenge hosted by our talented Erin Paris-Hintz.

I happened to come across this photo the other day. Honestly I am amazed at it still. I managed to focus on the sea anemone through the water at a perfect angle to capture them so clearly.

Tide Pools, WA State Beach

I am constantly inspired by anything nautical, beach, sea creatures, watery. The colors are just fantastic! 

I heard (or read?) someone say once that Nature never lies.

When looking for color combinations you can always look to nature.

Find what colors She's put together - and be inspired!

Tide Pools, WA State

I took this photo (I can't believe it's been) almost three years ago. We took a road trip along the Pacific Coast Hwy 101 to see the sites and visit all the cool towns, beaches and see what we could see. It was a magnificent journey. One we both want to do again, one day. You cannot see all there is to see on this Hwy loop in one week. And it was great fun! 

One day.. I will go back. 

Sea Glass Ceramic Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

Sea Glass Ceramic Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/products/tide-pool-earrings-handmade-ceramic-sea-glass

 These earrings feature natural found sea glass, handmade copper rings, vintage bronze wire, and handmade ceramic beads with seashell patterns. Available at Art & Soul Jewelry.

 (Art & Soul Jewelry is closed for vacation until 7/6. Shipping will resume 7/7 upon my return. Hope you all have a save and wonderful July 4th Holiday!)

Cherry Ice Earrings By Cindys Art and Soul Jewelry

These earrings are a riff on another set I did a while back. 

Almost a year ago exactly!

My most popular and most pinned post to date! 

http://earrings-everyday.blogspot.com/2014/06/love-for-green.html

I mentioned in that post that I really loved how they came out. 

I still get inspired every time I see them.

The inspiration finally took over and this is what happened...

Cherry Ice Earrings by Cindy's Art and Soul

I've been working with ceramics for a little over a year now and I thrilled to be able to make beads again. And also to be able to make beads that I can use in my jewelry work. And maybe even to inspire others jewelry as well. I have to admit it's a real thrill for me to be able to add something to another artists creative endeavor. 

Cherry Ice Earrings by Cindy's Art and Soul Jewelry

 These earrings feature:

 

natural, found sea glass

I love how this glass still has a bit of the original pressed lines.

ceramic beads

handmade from white stoneware clay finished with a bright red glaze.

 hand forged fine silver hoops

hand stamped with tiny spiral images

and tiny micro faceted moonstones

 

Great for a pop of color this summer!

Imagine a white linen top and x-faded blue jeans. 

OR maybe 

 white cotton draw string pants - 

you know, the kind with big flowy 

(yes I made that word up) 

legs and a red tank...

 

Available at Art and Soul Jewelry

 

Peace & blessings~

 

 

Star Burst Ceramic Earrings

Floppy hat, 

long dress, 

wind in your hair...

earrings.

 Red Creek Jasper, Found Sea Glass, Hill Tribe Silver, Handmade Ceramic 

..............

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry

Rocky Coast

We took a quick trip to the coast last week to hunt for beach finds for my jewelry. I was so lucky to have the most gorgeous day possible. The sun was low in the sky and I was in heaven. 

Miss Molly helping me find shells and rocks.

My earrings and jewelry reflect my love for nature. I am especially drawn to coastal and woodland finds since that is sort of my home-base here in WA. 

These earrings feature handcrafted ceramic beads by Cindy's Art & Soul, along with found sea glass, and rustic little Czech class beads from Art-Bella Surplus on Etsy. Wrapped in fine silver wire with handcrafted sterling silver ear wires and headpins.

You can see more of my most recent trip to the coast on my personal blog here: 
http://www.cindypack.blogspot.com 

You can find these earrings and more jewelry with natural found objects at www.ArtAndSoulJewelry.com

The New Bohemian

The new bohemian.

She is wild but not reckless.

She is strong and still vulnerable.

She is grounded and still lifts others up. 

She is PEACE.

Peace Earrings #3
Moonstone, Swarovski, Found Sea Glass, Amazonite, and handmade silver charms.

You can find these and more peace earrings at:

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/
http://cindypack.blogspot.com/

Happiness and Peace to all!
Cindy

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Delicious Autumn

 “Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

[Letter to Miss Eliot, Oct. 1, 1841]” ― George Eliot

Photo By Cindy Pack - free for personal use.

.................................................................

It doesn't get any better than this.

The beauty of Autumn melts my heart. 

Motivating me to get out everyday, to the lake.

To walk. To breathe. To see. 

And I will take it all in.

Until it is no more. 

And then I will love Winter...

 Handmade ear wires, 

Czech glass from ArtBellaSurplus on Etsy, 

Handmade Fine Silver Rings, 

and Found Sea Glass. 

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry online

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/

Happy Fall! 

Cindy 

 

At The Beach Earrings

I named these At The Beach because I am (as this is being posted) at the beach! Probably the last of our 90 degree weather here in WA and we decided to go to the ocean where it's in the mid 60's. That's fine with me! I love the beach and I love camping. 

We are headed to a spot that is also near the Hoh Rainforest. I am hoping to re-charge my creative batteries and gain inspiration. I have never come home from a trip to the forest or to the ocean feeling uninspired. So, I am really looking forward to it! 

My inspiration for these? The beach of course! See my Washington State Pinterest board for more of where my inspiration comes from. 

However, I actually collected these beach glass (or sea-glass) pieces while visiting California. I have very fond memories of that vacation and still draw inspiration from it. 

The bright and shimmering Kyanite seem to fit very comfortably with the frosty white glass. Our Pacific Ocean  (like I own it?) *usually does not look *that blue. But it still reminds me of water and of the ocean, non the less. 

I've gathered my components around hand-forged, fine silver hoops and hammered dangle charms. Hand stamped with little star-fishes. Oxidized and hand polished on the high spots to show off their character. 

Available at ArtAndSoulJewelry.com 
☮ Cindy

Love for Green

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; 

but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest Hemingway

 The reason I use so much green and brown in my work... Earth. I just came to realize it. I always go back to the green. It doesn't sell well, it's not popular, but it's what I love. 

I stopped in a bead shop in Portland the other day. Not intending to SHOP but I did, shop. Found so many beautiful dirty, matte, rustic strands of really old looking new beads. I don't think these will last long for me- I have ideas for all of them already. 

My first set, a pair of earrings with African glass, Tibet agate and some California beach glass I picked up earlier this year while on vacation. 

I don't know if it's PC to like your own work, but I love how these turned out. Really love the GREEN and *Earthy brown agate together. 

 Just listed these today on my new website at www.ArtandSoulJewelry.COM 

What's your favorite color for jewelry? 

Do you pick out the outfit first or the earrings? 

☮ Cindy