I get lots of questions about how to make fused glass. So I said I would write a short blurb, I am going to start with my textured pieces as they seem to really amaze people.
The first thing I do is to cut the dichroic glass into random shapes and sizes. I always cut double what I think I will need. I also cut the pieces for the base glass. Once everything is done, this includes any grinding that needs to be done I load up the kiln and take it up to a fire polish. This will be any where from 1300 to 1400 bependaning of the types and thickness of the glass. This step can take anywhere from five to seven hours depending on the program I am using. I then have to let the kiln cool down so the the glass will anneal properly. This simply means to cool down. This is usually done overnight. I then start building each piece. I use very tiny dabs of fusers glue to hold the pieces for the first layer together, then I very carefully add the second layer. At this stage less is more. I then take my small manual kiln to a tack fuse stage. This is again about 1300 degrees, I use the manual kiln for this stage because I have more control, but that means I have to babysit the kiln. As it is smaller it also heats up and cools down faster. Then after everything has cooled for about eight hours it all comes out and gets cleaned and then I add more dichroic glass and tack fuse again. When I say I am tack fussing glass it means I am melting the glass to a high enough heat to glue everything together but not melt it into one solid piece. Hopefully when this stage is finished I am ready to attach the bail, but sometimes I have to take the glass to the grinder or add more dichroic and this means another trip into the kiln. This process more than any other I do with glass is a "Hurry up and Wait" but I love it. Every piece is so different. Even if I cut all the same pieces it will change in different way when it s in the kiln. I hope somebody enjoyed reading this. If you have any more questions about fusing glass, just ask. It is my passion (besides my husband) and I love to talk about it. Jo
thanks, The first kiln I bought is called a table top, because it sits on a table! Everything is manual and it is six inches on the inside. The first time I used I knew I was going to ge bigger very soon, and they are not cheap. My wonderful husband got a bonus and told me to buy a bigger kiln. I did, but it sat in our dinning room for a month while he spent the rest of his bonus fixing up my studio. The hardest part of the big kiln was I had to program it, and you all know how I am about anything that even mentions computer word's. But I did it and I am still hooked. This one is the biggest I can have without going 220 and hardwireing it in. So until we retire (again) this will be it, although hubby keeps saying I need another so I can keep up with myself. Jo
Sure Dale I will do that, dichroic glass actually comes from NASA, at least that is where it was thought up. It is what stops the shuttle burning up. Very scientific, but I do have the info and will post it. Jo
Wow - I'm kind of a science / sci-fi freak - when I was little, I had maps of the moon over my bed, while my friends had singers and actors! lol
I would love to see that thing up close. I did see it fly over our house one night, since we moved to TX - at least I hope that's what it was. lol Joan
You did wonderful! Those are gorgeous pieces! I know how much kilns cost because I thought about buying one years ago. My daughters and I like to work with ceramics and clay. It is rare to find a ceramic shop anymore. And some of the clay can be baked in the oven now. But it just isn't the same. One of these days..... I just keep telling myself that. Karen
There is a clay cafe near us. You can go in and paint the plates etc and they will fire it for you. I buy a lot of my plate molds there, they are cheaper than buying them from a glass supply source. They are the same thing. ( I do have a great mold maker her who is wonderful to work with) But there are very few glass stores, one stained glass store that sells fusing supplies and the clay store sells some glass but it is 96 and I use 90. Other than that I would have to drive to Maryland, So I end up buying everything thought the internet. A basic table top kiln starts at $300 for a good one and just go up and up from there. Not a cheap hobby and not for someone who like to change there hobby every few months. I bought a huge box of glass from someone locally who got into fusing and then as fast as she got all her supplies she was "into" something else. I paid about $15 for a couple of hundred $ worth of glass, but it is mixed and not marked so I can only do something that takes one piece of glass. Not the bargain I thought it was. Jo
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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