The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Smashed Glass Earrings: Sample Set

    The POC earrings had a pair of 1.5 mm acrylic disks epoxied around the glass fragment, with the “gold” ring captured in a rebate around the rims. That process was both tedious and messy, so I tried laser-engraving a deeper rebate into a 3 mm sheet, then epoxying the fragment and the ring in place:

    Earrings - epoxy curing
    Earrings – epoxy curing

    They’re stuck to a strip of Kapton tape to keep the epoxy off the bottom surface of the glass, while aligning it with the surrounding disk.

    Peeling the protective film / plastic off reveals the acrylic disk:

    Earrings - 25 20 16 12 mm first look
    Earrings – 25 20 16 12 mm first look

    They all required more effort to remove the epoxy remaining around the ring, but it worked out better than I expected.

    A lighter background shows off their internal structure:

    Earrings - 25 20 16 12 mm set
    Earrings – 25 20 16 12 mm set

    A closer look at the pairs:

    • Earrings - 25 mm pair
    • Earrings - 20 mm pair
    • Earrings - 16 mm pair
    • Earrings - 12 mm pair

    As always, glooping clear epoxy around the edges fills many of the internal cracks and reduces the glittery aspect of all those glass-to-air-to-glass interfaces, but I don’t see another good way to keep the fragments under control.

    The results may not be up to a “fine jewelry” standard, whatever that may be, but a slipcase box definitely improves the presentation:

    Earrings - presentation case
    Earrings – presentation case

    If I had the courage of my convictions, I’d go for the Mr Clean look myself, but …