Making sheet glass video

This is a short video from Jay Redington Glass showing how their glass company makes their own sheet glass.  It is pretty interesting to watch the artisan get the glass ready, roll it flat and then place it in his kiln.
Click here to view this video!

Making fused glass jewelry by Aanraku Glass Studios

Today we decided to share a link to an older thirteen page tutorial written by Aanraku Glass Studios in 2004.  It teaches glass artists how to make fused glass pieces for jewelry, such as pendants or earrings in a kiln.  The page is full of great information for anyone new to fusing, and even for artists that are experienced, but looking for a different fusing technique.

We noticed that Aanraku used a large piece of dichroic glass for this tutorial.  We advise newbies to use a MUCH SMALLER piece to practice with!  As we all know, dichroic glass is quite expensive.

Click here to read the tutorial, Aanraku Stained Glass Fusing Tutorial 

Firing your new kiln for the first time

by Glass Fusing Made Easy
http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/


On this page, we will be discussing the first firing kiln procedure. When firing a kiln you need to watch and control the temperature inside. These steps will help you achieve the desired schedules. These procedures are typically done at temperatures around 1300-1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

For a first firing, it is recommended that you fire the kiln to about 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and hold it there for about 30 minutes. For the first firing, only place the shelf and posts inside the kiln. 

There is a refractory coating that is placed on the element grooves in the firebrick lid. As the elements in the lid expand during the first firing, any loose particles or pieces inside the grooves will fall into the empty firing chamber. Once the kiln has cooled, vacuum the lid grooves and the inside of the kiln, being sure to remove any particles that might have landed on the kiln shelf. Then the kiln is ready for future firings.

Keep an eye on the glass in the kiln is an essential part of glass fusing. A good peep hole or glass panel is a great help in seeing what is happening to your project.

Although kilns are hard working pieces of equipment, they don’t stay new looking for long. The steel case can tarnish and small cracks can become visible in the firebricks. This is routine and nothing to get alarmed about. It is an appliance, and pieces of equipment get dirty and soiled during usage.

Even though the firebrick is fragile, it can routinely withstand high temperatures over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Correctly taken care of, firebricks can endure hundreds of firings.

So, can you do glass fusing in a ceramic kiln? Yes. The basic difference between the two kilns is that glass kilns usually heat from the top and ceramic kilns heat from the side.

Although your new piece of equipment can seem intimidating at first, it is only a tool and can be easily mastered. Read these simple instructions on the firing kiln procedure and fire up that kiln.

Creating woven glass art

We ran across this really informative tutorial below on how to make glass look like it is woven.  We like the idea of making your own clay pattern bars.  This allows the glass artist to make weaves of varying sizes!

How to Weave Glass

http://www.weavezine.com/content/how-weave-glass

We all take things for granted, at least I do.

Nothing points this out more than trying to do something familiar in a new way, or with new materials.

Weaving is an art that assumes the materials used are flexible. Yarn and thread bend easily. People who weave baskets and cane chairs soften the fibers by soaking them. With enough force, metal can be bent and woven. But how does one weave something that is not flexible at all and, if stressed, will break?

Actually, it’s not difficult if you think about weaving in a different way.

Consider a tabby weave where the warp is made up of flexible threads and the weft is rigid sticks. What makes this work is that the warp threads bend up and down, around the rows of sticks. The shape these warp threads take on is a sine wave—remember high-school trigonometry?

Looking at the weaving from the side, the even and odd warp threads form a shape like a continuous row of figure eights laying on their sides, with each weft stick slipped into a hole in the figure eight.

The trick to weaving glass is to think of the weft as a set of sticks that do not bend and the warp as a set of sticks that are pre-formed into a series of curves that fit together to create figure-eight shapes like those in the example above. Once the warp is shaped, it is a simple matter to slip the weft threads into place by inserting them into the holes of the figure eights from the side.

Since glass in its solid form does not bend without breaking, we will use heat to make the glass fluid enough to bend. This is done by heating the glass in a kiln and using forms to shape it while it is in a semi-fluid state.

Project Notes

For this demonstration, I chose to make an eight-inch-square plate of woven glass. Since the weft threads will have a natural spacing between them to make room for the bending of the warp threads, I decided to also space the warp threads a bit apart to create a balanced plain weave.

I made each warp and weft thread out of a piece of soda-lime art glass one-half inch wide, eight inches long, and three millimeters thick.  Although I used soda-lime glass, the process would be the same for any type of glass.  For each plate, I used nine warp threads and nine weft threads.

Note: Many people who weave glass use the round glass rods sold for glass bead making. I use flat glass because I like the results better, and because I already owned a quantity of flat glass.

To cut the glass, I used a hand-held glass cutter, glass pliers, and a straight-edge.

The principle of glass cutting is that you use the wheel of a glass cutter to score the surface of the glass. The glass-cutting pliers have rounded jaws which, when used to squeeze the glass, cause it to break along the score. A straight-edge is useful for scoring straight lines.

Interestingly, once the glass is scored it should be broken immediately. If the glass is left unbroken for months after being scored, it heals enough that the score may no longer break cleanly. This is because, even in its solid form, glass is a bit fluid.  In fact, very old windows that have been in place for a long time are actually a tiny bit thicker at the bottom than at the top.

The photograph below shows the strips of glass assembled into the basic shape of the eight-inch plate I plan to make from woven glass. I use this step to check the pattern and placement of the warp and weft strips.

The next step is to bend the warp glass into the desired shape. For my plate, I decided to use nine warp and nine weft threads. Only the warp threads need to be bent, but they must be bent enough to allow the space required for the weft threads to slip between the layers (in other words, through the holes in the figure eights).

The glass I'm using is three millimeters thick, so I need to make forms that I can place the glass on to create a three millimeter gap. This is easier than it sounds. I use clay to make the forms because it is readily available and can be reused. The trick is to make the forms three times thicker than the thickness of the glass. This ensures that the opening is wide enough to easily weave in the weft threads (remember, they can't bend at all) even after taking into account the fact that the clay will shrink when it is fired.

To make the forms uniform, I used two wooden dowels about nine millimeters thick and a piece of PVC pipe as a rolling pin.

The clay is rolled out by placing the clay on a board between the two dowels. The rolling pin rests on the dowels and forces the clay to reach a uniform thickness. Using a sharp knife, I cut strips about one-half inch wide and about twelve inches long.

Since I’m using nine strips of glass in the warp, I need only five pieces of clay to use as forms—one for each odd number between one and nine. All nine of the pieces of warp glass will be placed on the clay strips. Then, when I do the weaving, every other formed piece of warp glass will be turned over so that the part of the glass that goes up in one row will go down in the next.

Note: I could have done the same thing with four pieces of clay. It is just a matter of deciding whether to work with odd or even side of the sine wave. For an illustration of what I mean, look at the curves in a shaped warp thread (picture below). See how there are five bumps on the top and four on the bottom?

After the clay forms have been cut, the clay must be slowly dried and fired before it can be used. I dry the clay between pieces of newspaper with a thick piece of glass on top to prevent warping. Once the clay strips are dry, they are ready to be fired in a kiln. Some of the clay pieces broke during the drying process, but that doesn’t matter because I can repair them with a bit of plaster.

I fired the clay strips at 1900 degrees Fahrenheit, but could have fired them to a lower temperature. The only requirement is that they clay be fired to a little higher temperature than the glass will be fired at, and the glass will be fired at 1200 degrees F.

Once the clay is ready, I used Elmer’s glue to glue each one onto a piece of fiber paper on which I drew an eight inch square. Fiber paper is special paper that contains silica and is commonly used to keep glass from sticking to the kiln shelf during a glass fusing or slumping process.

The fiber-paper square allows me to space the clay strips properly and evenly. Elmer’s glue will burn up in the kiln, but that is not a problem because I’m only using it to keep the clay strips in place on the paper until I get the whole thing into the kiln.

The clay is still not ready to use as a form because the glass will stick to the clay if I don’t do something to prevent that. So, after repairing the cracks in the clay strips, I cover the clay with several layers of kiln wash. By the time I’m done, you can no longer even see the cracks in the clay strips.

Next, I place the clay strips glued to the fiber paper into the kiln and carefully rest nine of the glass strips (my warp) on the rows of clay, placing them perpendicular to the clay strips.

I also placed the weft strips into the kiln on a piece of fiber paper. I do this not to shape them, but so the heat can melt and round out the sharp edges of the glass strips, both to match the look of the warp threads and to make the weaving easier.

I placed little pieces of fired clay (the red bars) around the glass to weigh down the fiber paper. Fiber paper curls as it fires and can reach up and touch the glass, causing a little smudge on the glass, so the clay weights are used to hold it down.

Slumping is a term that describes what glass does when it is heated just enough to become soft and change shape, but not enough melt or fuse. For the type of glass I am using, this requires a temperature of about 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fusing occurs when two or more layers of glass are melted together and become one. For this glass, fusing happens anywhere from 1350 to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. The fusing process is continuous and must be watched to get the desired amount of intermingling between the two layers of glass.

To slump my warp and create the sine waves, I processed the glass at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Because glass must be heated and cooled slowly to prevent breakage due to temperature shock, the whole process of ramping up to the slumping temperature and then cooling back down took about eight hours.

The photograph above shows a piece of warp glass that has been bent in the kiln and a piece of unbent weft glass. The two pieces remain the same length despite the bending because the warp-thread strip stretches as it is shaped by the heat.

Once the glass is cool, I wash it to remove traces of the burned fiber paper and kiln wash. At long last I am ready to weave the glass. Weaving is the easiest part of the whole process and takes only about five minutes!

I lined up the nine strips of slumped warp glass on a clear piece of base glass that is eight inches square, flipping over every other piece of warp glass to create the figure-eight spacing. After the warp is in place, I slid the weft strips in from the side. I carefully positioned all of the pieces onto the clear base, using a few drops of crazy glue to keep things from sliding around. Like the Elmer’s glue, the crazy glue will burn off in the kiln. At this point, I have the option to add a few decorative touches to my piece. On the two plates shown below, I have added decorative balls of dichroic glass as an accent.

Note: A clear-glass backing isn't necessary for a woven glass piece. The fused strips will be strong enough to hold their shape after firing. Because I am making a functional plate, however, and because I've chosen an open plain-weave structure, I'm adding the clear base sheet so that small items put on the plate won't fall through the holes in the weaving. The clear plate backing also adds strength to the piece, another important consideration for a functional plate.

This whole thing (woven strips, clear glass backing, and decorative accents) is placed on another piece of fiber paper in the kiln.

This time I want the weave to collapse, fusing the warp and weft pieces together and fusing the woven strips onto the base piece. This time through the kiln, I will process the glass at 1350 degrees Fahrenheit for about seven minutes. Again, due to the need to slowly ramp up and cool down, the whole process takes about eleven hours.

The weaving is done, but my plate is not quite finished yet. Instead of a flat plate, I want to create one with a graceful curve.

The last step is to slump the woven glass sheet onto a mold that has the graceful curve I want to impart to my plate. Such molds are made of ceramic materials and are commercially available from any glass fusing or ceramics shop. Like the clay strips, I cover the commercial mold with a layer of kiln wash to prevent the glass from sticking to the mold during firing.

The fused weaving is placed onto the prepared mold and it goes into the kiln for the third and final time.

Because the glass only needs to slump, it is processed at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit for about ten minutes until it collapses into the shape of a plate with slightly turned up edges.

If you look closely, you can see the clear glass base underneath the weaving.

The woven glass strips are fused to the clear glass base; but because I stopped the fusing process before they melted flat, the strips have a lot of texture and rise above the clear base. Dishes like these make good soap dishes; the soap is held aloft on the woven strips and the water drains down below.

I used a plate mold to shape my woven glass, but any shape could be used. Some people even open the kiln while the glass is soft and manipulate it into shape by hand—using proper tools and safety precautions, of course.

Instead of creating an open weave out of flat strips of glass, I could have used glass stringers (thin strands of glass) or the round glass rods used for making glass beads. Or, I could have made a warp-faced weave by making more warp threads and placing them closer together. You can also weave glass into other weave structures, but this may require more than one set of clay strips on which to shape the warp threads.

If weaving glass sounds like a lot of work, just remember all of the work a weaver does to warp a loom. And the next time you are weaving, be thankful that your threads can bend!

How to program a glass kiln

by Glass Fusing Made Easy
http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com


Programming a glass kiln can be quite a feat, and might having you wondering if purchasing this type of kiln is worth all this work. Once you get the hang of pushing those buttons and entering your information, you will be very happy that you no longer need to babysit your glass kiln as it is firing.

Some kilns come with pre-programmed sequences. These are for activities such as annealing beads, firing glass, metal clay and other basic processes. Other kilns need to be programmed for any and all processes. If your kiln came with directions refer to them when programming your kiln. These instructions are a general guideline to help you get started and are not meant to replace the instructions in your kiln’s owner manual. 

The first thing you want to do is get to know your particular kiln. Determine how it fires glass and at what temperatures various fusing techniques transpire.

Once you have mastered your particular kiln, decide what process you want to accomplish. Write down the program you are going to use on a piece of paper or in your firing log . This will enable you to place the correct numbers in the required sequence. The kiln will first ask you how many sequences you want in that particular firing. This will be determined by what you have written down.

You will want to write it something like this:

350 1000 10

AFAP 1350 0

AFAP 950 60

AFAP 0 0

1st number in the line - How fast do you want to ramp.

2nd number in the line - What is your goal temperature.

3rd number in the line - Hold or soak time at that temperature.

So to read the schedule above.

1st step - We are taking the glass up at 350 degrees per hour to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and holding for 10 minutes.

2nd step - We are taking the glass up as fast as possible to 1350 degrees Fahrenheit and holding for 0 minutes.

3rd step - We are taking the glass down as fast as possible to 950 degrees Fahrenheit and holding at that temperature for 60 minutes.

4th step - We are bringing the temperature down to room temperature.

According to our schedule above we have 4 steps or segments. So at the beginning of our programming when it asks how many segments we would enter 4. Then it will start requiring the various other information for each segment.

---

Delphiglass has provided several videos on YouTube. The videos are for the Delphi EZ-Pro Controller, the Sentry Xpress Controller, and the Rampmaster Controller. If you don’t have any of these particular kilns, the videos could still assist you in figuring out how to program your particular kiln.

Delphi EZ-Pro Controller

Sentry Xpress Controller

Rampmaster Controller

 

What are kiln elements?

by Glass Fusing Made Easy 
http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/


Kiln elements are the heart and soul of your kiln. They are the heating elements or wires that are designed to resist the passage of electricity. As electricity is driven down the wire, the opposition hinders this movement and consequently causes the wire to heat up. It works much like the common household electric toaster.

Kanthal is the metal alloy used in for the elements in most electric kilns. Some kilns have the Kanthal elements in the lid, while others have the elements located around the edge of the kiln body. Which ever way your particular kiln design is set up, these elements heat up and cool down basically the same. When they are located in the top of the kiln the glass is heated from the top, and if located on the side the glass is heated from the sides. 

The lower the temperature the kiln is fired, the longer the elements will last and the higher the temperatures the kiln reaches the shorter time these elements will hold up. Eventually the elements simply fail due to the environment that it is exposed to and the heating and cooling cycles. If you start noticing that the kiln is taking longer to heat up, or doesn’t seem to reach a higher temperature it is an indication that they are beginning to fail.

If the elements won’t turn off or on, it could be a faulty relay. Broken elements, power to the elements or a faulty controller can also cause the elements not to warm up.

Heating elements can be replaced if you notice that they are wearing out or if the fail to fire. Contact the manufacturer of the particular kiln for purchasing replacement parts. Generally the replacement element will come with installation instructions.

Once replaced, the kiln elements need to be seasoned before any fusing project. This involves firing the kiln without any items inside. This seasoning will help the elements develop a protective oxidized coat from this firing. A protective coat will keep any foreign material from corroding the elements. Simply fire the kiln at a usually firing schedule and then allow it to cool completely.

What is crash cooling a kiln?

by Glass Fusing Made Easy

http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/

Crash cooling is also referred to as flash venting. Opening the lid of a kiln to cool faster from the processing temperature to the annealing temperature is known as crash cooling.

This process was originally done to avoid devit from forming on the glass. Manufacturers of fusing glass have all but eliminated this problem, by formulating fusing glass to discourage devitrification. And although we should give a lot of credit to these manufacturers for developing glass that is less prone to devit, there have also been advances in the manufactures of kilns that ensure the unit looses temperature quickly in the devit range. Manual cooling isn't necessary with Bullseye or Spectrum glass, but is still helpful with certain devit-prone glass. 

What Are The Pros And Cons?

First determine if the kiln is composed of fiber or brick. If the kiln is composed of fiber, then there are no worries for this process, except for the shock that it will give your kiln shelf.

Some individuals swear by crash cooling, while others say never flash cool a kiln. There are times when I flash vent and other times that I skip the process completely. This is mostly determined by the procedure I am trying to accomplish. Do the cons outweigh the pros in this process?

Pros

Manually venting a kin quickly can speed up the cooling process. Without opening the kiln lid and just permitting a piece to cool off naturally can be a very long process.

Venting will help to arrest a process, almost like freezing the desired look. It drops the temperature and keeps the fusing process form continuing.

There are a few procedures where crash cooling is necessary. For instance, when slumping glass through a drop ring, it might be necessary to flash vent the kiln to prevent the glass from slumping all the way to the kiln shelf or slumping further than desired. Allowing the kiln to cool on its own may not always stop the cooling process soon enough to control a drop ring slump. 

Cons

When opening the lid to speed the cooling at a top temperature isn’t shocking the glass. Flash venting at a high temperature is not hard on the glass. Crash venting is very hard on the fire bricks and elements inside the kiln. Similar to the damage that is done to a sidewalk from repeated freezing and thawing, flash venting puts wear, aggravation and stress on a kiln. Over time, the bricks in the lid of the kiln can crack, come loose, or start falling down particles onto projects. Some individuals still practice flash venting and have not had any degradation of the bricks. Turning the kiln elements off until the kiln reaches the targeted anneal soak temperature is much better for the kiln.

Crashing the kiln also runs the risk of stirring up powders inside the kiln and these could then be redistributed to the top surface of your glass. I have read that this dilemma can be eradicated or reduced with careful crashing.

Glass that is mixed with metal should never be flash vented. Because glass and metal have different rates of expansion and contraction, this will cause undue stress on the glass.

Crash cooling is also hard on your elements. Coils don't really like the quick change in temperature and if there are pins holding these coils in place, they can work loose.

As you can see, in general the cons do outweigh the pros. It is best to relying on your past fusing experiences, knowing the kiln's individual firing and cooling abilities and acknowledging all the dangers and hazards of crash cooling. Only you can decide what is best for your individual kiln and any future projects.

Recycled wine bottle art video by biolumglass on Youtube

I came across this inspirational video showing samples of fused glass bottle art on Youtube by biolumglass, Bryan Northup.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSONhk7JTHE&feature=fvwrel

What is a kiln's thermocouple?

by Glass Fusing Made Easy

http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/

A thermocouple is the twisted soldered metal pieces on the end of a pyrometer.

It is a temperature sensor used to measure the heat of the air inside a kiln.

It is placed inside the kiln either through a pre-drilled hole for this purpose or through the peep hole.

This device consists of two different metals.

These are joined together at one end, and that end is placed inside the kiln.

When the connection of the two metals is heated a voltage is produced.

The voltage is measured and converted to a temperature reading.

This reading is then displayed on the readable face of the pyrometer. 

For the best results on your reading, always leave about one inch of room around this twisted soldered metal.

Placing it closer to your shelf or glass can cause the temperature to read inaccurately.

Do not allow the wires touch any live heating element wire.

These devices can be used over a wide range of temperatures.

From the vast changes in temperature, this piece can be come brittle.

Try to avoid hitting it when inserting objects inside the kiln.

Although small, they are very inexpensive, hardy and consistent devices.

Time and high temperatures will cause these to wear over time.

If it appears corroded or crusty, it may be time to replace the piece.

They are also interchangeable and have standard connectors, which makes them simple and inexpensive to replace.
Changing this device when it has failed or become corroded can make a large difference in the accuracy of your firings.

Kiln Secrets, getting to know the types of units, and what to purchase

by Glass Fusing Made Easy

http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/

Everyone should check out Glass Fusing Made Easy's webpage, it is wonderful and full of valuable glass art information.

A glass kiln is an oven used for the glass fusing techniques. This is the most expensive item of all the fusing supplies. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. If you are looking to purchase a kiln, check out the great table top units at Delphi Glass - Art Glass Tools & Supplies. These are fantastic for fusing at home as they run on your household current. They are usually lined with fire brick, which maintains the heat, and can support the objects being heated. The size is an important factor, because it limits the quantity and size of items that can be fired at one time. There are many parts to this heating unit. Long ago, objects were fired in an open fire. The heat could not be measured or regulate, and the effects of a direct flame made it unmanageable. Over time, it was found that if objects were fired in an enclosed space, like a brick oven, you could achieve a higher degree of heat, and a slower cooling of objects. Glass has seen a rebirth in the past few years. It is used as a building material, a surface to paint on, engraved, cut, blown, slumped and fused. Before purchasing, figure out the size that will fit your individual firing needs, whether you want a manual or a programmable unit , and find out what type of warranty comes with this appliance. Ask where and how you will get repairs done. What parts of the unit are replaceable and where you can purchase these parts. Once the unit has been purchased, get to know your firing kiln . This will come in handy in any future firings. Glass vs Ceramic Glass ovens heat single layers from the top, while ceramic units heat multiple layers from the side. Most glass projects are relatively flat, and with the heat radiating from the top, the entire face of the glass receives heat at the same time. This helps to keep the temperature differences within the glass uniform and helps to prevent cracking. You can still obtain these uniform heating results in a ceramic oven by slowing down the firing. An electric unit is the best for working with glass. The temperature can be regulated and controlled. They are also quiet, safe to operate, easy to handle, and fairly inexpensive to operate. There are numerous types of electric units on the market, in a variety of sizes and accessories. These ovens are usually insulated, so there is very minimum external heat, and with no or very little fire hazard. What Size to Purchase: Make a decision on how large the items are that you are going to make, that will help you decide the size to purchase. Find out the internal dimensions and external dimensions you need for the size of your desired projects. If you are going to use larger molds, will you have to fire on the bottom of the unit? You need at least 12 inches clearance around the outside, so figure out where you are going to place it and make sure it will fit in this area. Front load vs Top load:  A front loading firing kiln is great if you are going to be removing items from the unit while they are hot. This is great if you are planning on doing any enameling. A top loading kiln has either a hinged lid or one that can be lifted off with handles and removed completely. This is most commonly used for glass fusing. Electrical Outlets: Know your electrical outlets. If you are glass fusing at home, then you will want a kiln that uses standard 120 volt, 13 amp household current. You don’t want to have to do any rewiring to your home. It should have a three-prong plug and about an eight foot power cord. Manual or Programmable: A manual oven has an on/off switch and a dial to adjust the temperature. There is small light to show that the unit is on and operating. They come with a pyrometer so the inside temperature is shown at all times. A thermocouple runs from the pyrometer into the oven. It should protrude into the firing chamber about one inch. Remember, the pyrometer will read the temperature where the tip of the thermocouple wire is, so put it near your shelf. These are not that difficult to use and don’t require that much more time or effort than a programmable unit . Keep records of your firing. At first, set your timer for every 15 minutes, so you can see the rate of temperature for your particular unit. Keep records of the particular rates of temperature climb with each digit on your dial. Records will help you determine what works and what doesn’t work with each firing. Make detailed records of the total time it took from the start of your firing, to when you reached your desired temperature. These records will help you in future firings. Then in the future, you can set your alarm to go off just before you know your oven should be at a particular temperature, instead of having to check it every 15 minutes or so. Always unplug your kiln when you are finished firing. Be sure to set an alarm clock to remind you when switches should be changed. Brick or Ceramic Fiber: Firebricks are used as insulation in a brick oven. They heat more quickly and retain heat longer. These are great for glass fusing and annealing. More maintenance is needed because of the delicate nature of the fire bricks. The heating coils are placed in grooves in the fire bricks. If these coils should ever bulge out, they must be pushed back into place.  A ceramic fiber oven stays clean and is easier to maintain. The heating elements of these units are not exposed, because they are molded into the walls. Kiln Safety: Even though a kiln will fire to a higher temperature than a stove, the area around the unit is surprisingly cool during firing. Glass kilns are well built and don't radiate a lot of area heat. For safety purposes, the unit should not be placed within a minimum of 12 to 18 inches of any other object. It is recommended that the unit be placed on a flame retardant flooring. Some place the kiln on a stand on a flame resistant cement floor or fire board. Be careful when opening the lid while the unit is at a high temperature. The heat will escape and rise. If you have low ceilings, cabinets, shelves, or other objects close by the heat will hit these items and could start a fire. Always use common sense on what you have near or around the kiln. Be aware of where the heat goes when opening the lid during firing. If opening the lid while doing procedures like raking, etc. always unplug the unit before proceeding with the process. Make sure that the power circuits are up to supplying the kiln. If there is a question about the supply, have an electrician check things out. Furniture:  The furniture consists of a shelf and shelf supports. These items are made of a highly refractory fire clay. The shelf material is quite strong, and should fit your particular unit. There should be about 1 inch of clearance between the shelf and the wall of the oven. Furniture is inexpensive, easily available, and can be used over and over again. The shelf needs to be protected with either a wash, or fiber paper. Care and Maintenance:  When you first make your purchase, keep all the packaging material. If the unit needs to be sent back for repairs or replacement, you will be happy that you kept the original box and packaging materials. You first need to prepare the kiln and shelf for firing. Then you will be ready for a first firing of a fused glass project. Use the shelf and posts. Having your items on these shelves allows air to circulate around your item and makes it easier to remove the shelf from the kiln. Place the shelf at least one inch below the thermocouple when firing. Use protection on your oven and shelf. The unit needs to be coated with a wash. When coating the unit, it doesn't matter which wash you apply, just be sure to mix it about twice as thick as you would if you were using it to coat the shelves. Avoid getting any wash on the elements . Reapply the wash every few years. The shelf can be protected with either a wash or fiber paper. Repairing coils might seem like a tedious task. See how simply this can be done without having to send your unit out for repair. Periodically check and clean your thermocouple. This can be done using a damp cloth before firing your piece. Also check the position each time you start to fire. Try to avoid hitting the thermocouple with the kiln shelf, as it can be broken and damaged. Check for any dust on the floor of your unit. Vacuum if necessary. Dust can react with the color elements in your glass and result in foggy or burnt colors. For a small and inexpensive oven, try purchasing one that you can fire in the microwave . These are very limited in use and applications.