More on Cabochons

Early in the year - I picked up this tool from CGBead Rollers. They had a booth, and I had an opportunity to buy some tools in person, which is fun, because you buy things you would never buy online.

 In particular - they told me that it was an experimental item, a special request, and given that I don't see it on the website, if you want one too - you are also going to have to request one.

Anyway - as I mentioned a couple of days ago - I have been making cabochons, but keeping the back flat and stable is always the challenge. This - I thought to myself - could solve that little problem.

 It has 3 slots, to accommodate the size of mandrel or punty that you are using.

But having used the Jelveh Cabochon maker - I suddenly had an idea. Why not use a marble mold to shape the FRONT of the cabochon (I had been using gravity, surface tension, the natural flow of the glass to make my dome shape) and use this for the back.

So with the marble mold (or in this case - a round bead mold) flat on the table, I  pointed my molten gather of glass down into the cavity that best fit the glass I had melted, and rotating it a little and keeping it centred, pressed down the back with the slotted marver.

 As you can see in this re-enactment - it worked pretty good!

I'm quite excited about these - because these are a much deeper dome - I just find the more rounded shape more beautiful.

 And the size is still manageable for normal people who haven't yet come to believe that 40 pound jewelry is desirable. And of course - this works with any cavity type mold that you have. It's the same idea as a bead press, but the orientation is different, and the emphasis is on the flat back instead of the bead shape.

So woohoo! Inspired by the cabochon tool - but off in a new direction! Tres kewel!