Glass Rondel

Rondels are mouth-blown pieces of art glass that have been spun into circular shapes, often irregular.  These little works of art make great accents for window panels, suncatchers, or can be used as wind chimes. Each hand crafted rondel is approximately 3¾" in diameter. Sizes will vary slightly due to their hand made nature. Supplies are limited so order early for the best selection.

New Rondels have arrived!  This batch offers a few new colors to choose from as well as a clear!
	# R-ORA	Orange Rondel	# R-ORA    $ 9.49 Quantity
	# R-RED	Red Rondel	# R-RED    $ 9.49 Quantity
	# R-YEL	Yellow Rondel	# R-YEL    $ 9.49 Quantity
	# R-CLR	Clear Rondel	Temp Out
	# R-PUR	Light Purple Rondel	# R-PUR    $ 5.99 Quantity
	# R-OLI	Olive Green Rondel	# R-OLI    $ 7.29 Quantity
	# R-AMB	Light Amber Rondel	# R-AMB    $ 5.99 Quantity
What is the difference between a blown rondel and spun rondels? At first look, they appear very similar. A blown rondel is as it sounds, glass is gathered and blown into a bubble. That bubble is then pierced and opened into the flat shape then broken off leaving a thicker portion at the center called a punty.  A Spun rondel is always made from colored glass, unless it is supposed to be clear, and is shaped from a gather of glass then formed with a “footing” tool to the correct size. Spun rondels also have a punty, are thicker than blown rondels
	# R-335-2	Cobalt Blue Rondel	# R-335-2    $ 4.75 Quantity
	# R-335-3	Cobalt Blue Spun Rondel  These have a spun spiral effect in them.	# R-335-3    $ 4.75 Quantity
	# R-403-2	Amethyst Rondel	# R-403-2    $ 4.75 Quantity
	# R-500	Orange Rondel	# R-500    $ 7.75 Quantity
	# R-500-1	Orange/Red Rondel	# R-500-1    $ 7.75 Quantity

How Rondels are Made

Genuine rondels are made in approximately 2 1/2" to 4 3/4" in size. Variations in diameter of +/- 3/16" are inevitable because of the individual handmade production. The thickness will also vary within one piece. The heavier center, call the "navel" (which at times may be sharp) is approximately 3/16" thick with the surrounding glass approx. 1/8" in thickness.

To create a rondel, molten glass is taken from a furnace with a blowpipe. The amount of the glass gather determines the eventual size in the rondel. The molten glass is blown out into a small bubble. The circumference of the bubble is the second important factor determining the final size to be produced. The production of a uniform, high quality rondel depends on the skill and experience of the "rondel master".

The small, still hot, ball of glass will now be attached to a pontil rod and broken from the blowpipe, causing the characteristic "navel". After reheating, the glass is opened with a pair of shears. Using a special technique, the rondel master then folds the edges, lending strength to the rondel, making it more workable. By spinning the glass, a small, round rondel is formed. After reaching the desired size, the rondel is tapped off the pontil rod and slowly cooled in an annealing oven.

Example of Project using Rondels