ArtGlass Clay looks amazing!

I'm not sure if the new, premixed ArtGlass Clay has been around for a long time, but I just discovered it.  And I'm super excited about it.  I can't wait to buy some and try it out.  Check out this link, ArtGlass Clay, and read up about it. 

If anyone has used it, or tries it sometime soon, let us know what you think of it. 

Working with Powders on Sheet Glass Video

This video made by Bullseye Glass Co. has a lot of information and is excellent!   They have a lot of  great ideas, too.

Click here to watch the video.

Now you can use any stainless steel and glazed ceramic items for slumping and draping!

We recently discovered Universal Mold Coat by Boyce Lundstrom and thought we would share the  information about it with our readers.  This is a glass separator product made for stainless steel and glazed ceramics. 

So now it is possible to use ANY stainless steel items and glazed ceramic pieces such as plates and bowls, when slumping or draping.  The possibilities are endless when using this glass separator!  Test it out on garage sale or thrift store finds.

It comes in powered form which you then mix with latex or acrylic paint (even Kilz) and water.  It's for use on non-porous surfaces, especially glazed ceramics.  When used on stainless steel, only one coat is necessary, and the stainless steel doesn't need to be heated first, just apply, dry and use!  After applying, the application usually lasts between three and four firings.  To remove, wash in water using a sponge.  After mixing, this liquid coating can last approximately two months before it begins to gel. 

Check out this link to see more about the product.

Pot melt project with flower pots

This is a FUN scrap glass pot melt idea that I saw posted on Lampworketc.com by 28676bhe.  

Go to Michael's and buy two of the small clay flowerpots - maybe 1 1/4 inches at the top. Ream out the hole in the bottom to make it a bit larger. Then stack them with the holes touching - one pot upside down on the kiln washed shelf, one pot upright.

Put some Bullseye glass in little pieces in the top pot - maybe just 2 colors and then one color of frit. Don't fill it up! A bit over half full is fine.

Take this up to 1600 DF and hold for 25 minutes, anneal @ 900 for 35 minutes.

You will have one fabulous circle pendant that is a swirl of the colors you chose!

Freeze and fuse firing schedule

This gives glass fusers an idea of a kiln schedule to use when making freeze and fuse pieces.  In the past I have tried the freeze and fuse technique, but I wasn't happy with the final outcome and I thought it was because of my kiln schedule.  I hope this schedule works better.  Remember to anneal at the annealing temperature for the brand of glass frit that you are using!

200 dph to 400 hold 30 minutes 

400 dph to 1320 hold 35 minutes

9999 dph to 960 hold 1 hour (the hold time depends on the thickness. 960 is Bullseye’s annealing point, 
other brands will vary.)

200 dph to 700 0 hold (for thicker pieces I go 100 to 700)

500 dph to 200 and off (again, for thicker pieces I slow this down as well)

Chart for filling Colour de Verre glass casting molds

If you use Colour de Verre molds and are unsure how much frit you will need to fill certain molds for glass casting, we found this very important chart on the Colour de Verre web page that has all of their information!  Click on the Colour de Verre link to buy their excellent molds and find out more information.  The weights are listed in grams.

Fusing multiple cookie cutter shaped pieces

With cookie cutter molds the problem is you need
a lot of them to be productive.


A solution to that problem is to: 
- roll a slab of clay,
- cut several holes into it with cookie cutter
- bisque fire
-kiln wash

and use.

Kiln fired frit painting, tutorial

We actually found this tutorial on the HGTV web page.  It just shows how popular glass fusing really is!  The completed piece is really pretty and looks fairly detailed.  They didn't give much of a fusing schedule but use a slumping schedule for the type of glass that you are using and it should work!  This also goes for window and bottle glass.  Remember that if you want to form a piece like this into something like a bowl or plate, do the frit fusing work first, then shape the glass.  It is easier to fuse frit when it is laying flat in a kiln.

Materials:

large sheets of glass
Magic Marker
powdered glass (frit)
sifter
gold leafing
glue
wooden backing
hooks for hanging

Steps:

1. Cut glass from larger piece to desired size.

2. Draw design on with marker. Reverse glass and trace over design. Turn glass over and wipe off first design.

3. With a tiny sifter and other tools, sprinkle the powdered glass (frit) into design areas like doing a paint-by-numbers painting.

4. Make a frame by cutting out red strips of glass from large sheet. Frame the edges of the large piece with the red strips.

5. Fuse in kiln at 1500 F degrees. This larger piece requires 24 hours for firing and cooling.

6. Glue gold leafing to back of glass and glue wooden backing. Place hooks on for hanging.

Bending the neck of a glass bottle tutorial

By Joshua Smyth, eHow Contributor

Glass bottles, once they've been emptied, don't need to become garbage. Instead, they can be turned into art -- plates, ornaments, and decorations -- through the process of "slumping," in which the glass is placed in a kiln and heated until it becomes soft.

With the right tools, you can even stretch the glass before it cools down. Heating the glass carefully will ensure that it keeps its color and texture while allowing you to reshape the bottle.

Examples of stretched bottles.

Sample picture of bent Corona Extra beer bottle.

Instructions

1 Clean your bottle thoroughly with soap and water, then let it dry before putting it in the kiln. Water will disrupt the process. While it is wet, scrub off any paper or plastic labels.

2 Buy devitrification fluid from a craft store and spray it on your bottle if the bottle is made of colored glass. This will keep the color consistent while you melt, reshape, and cool the glass.

3 Set a kiln shelf on the bottom of the kiln and cover it with kiln paper. You could also spray it with kiln spray. Either will prevent the glass from sticking to it as the bottle stretches down.

4 Hang the bottle by its neck from the top of the kiln. The easiest way to do this is to use a pair of pliers to cut pieces of coat hanger wire and loop them around the neck of the bottle, just below the wider part at the top of the neck. Do this several times, until you have 5 or 6 pieces of coat hanger wire wrapped around the bottle neck. Bend the wires downward so that their free ends extend several inches past the end of the bottle. You can then stand the whole thing inside the kiln. The bottle will hang from the wire loops and stretch downwards under its own weight as it heats up.

5 Set the kiln to warm at 500 degrees per hour. This is the safest speed to heat glass without risking thermal shock. (Reference 1) When the kiln gets up to 1100 degrees, stop the temperature increase for 10 minutes, then continue heating the bottle at a slower rate of 250 degrees per hour. (Reference 1) The glass will start to stretch downwards as the kiln heats.

6 Increase the heat as fast as you want once the kiln gets to 1300 degrees. Stop heating when the bottle has stretched to your satisfaction or it reaches 1425 degrees. (Reference 1)

7 Crack the lid of the kiln very briefly, until the kiln cools to 1100 degrees. This will keep the bottle from turning cloudy. Once this is done, just turn off the kiln and let it cool naturally back to room temperature. This is called "annealing" the glass, and is the final step. Once it has cooled, just open the kiln, pull out your stretched bottle, and use your pliers to remove the wire frame that was holding it up.

Patty Gray dam mold set-up information

We were excited to open our newly shipped order from our wholesaler D & L Art Glass Supply the other day because among other things,  we also bought two Patty Gray 8" x 10" x 1/2" fusing dams!  We've been interested in Patty Gray's fused glass techniques and work for some time now especially after viewing pictures from some of her classes!  Maybe someday we will be lucky enough to attend one of her fusing classes!  Until that time, we will be on our own.

To use as our own studio's future reference and for anyone else who reads our blog and is also unsure how to set up their mold, we thought it would be helpful to share this mold's set-up information especially since it has specific sizes and layout that should be followed!

This mold is designed to produce a glass slab 8" x 10" and up to 1/2" thick with rounded edges and will require no coldworking.  The glass can be used as a finished piece or slumped to shape or even be sliced into design elements for later work.  Use cut sheets, strips, scrap, frit, rods or any form of glass that inspires you.

New mold preparation:
Use MR-97 (Boron Nitride Mold Release for Glass Casting and Slumping)
Spray mold holding can and mold upright; only spray for 3 seconds.  Wait 5 minutes and spray again for 3 seconds.  Cut ThinFire, Papyros, or comparable kiln shelf paper to 7-7/8" x 9-7/8" and put on the bottom of mold before fusing.

Filling the mold:
Cut base glass to 8" x 10" and notch the corner (about 1/8") so the glass will fit into the tray.  Design your piece to have at least two layers of glass- up to 4 layers or 1/2" thick.

Placement in kiln:
For best results, elevate your mold from the kiln floor with kiln posts, placing the posts under only the edges of the mold.

8" x 10" Patty Gray Mold Firing Schedule

Degrees                Target                  Hold time
per hour                Temperature    

150°                      1000°                  15 minutes

300°                      1225°                  15 minutes

AFAP                   1470°                  30 minutes
As fast as possible                          

AFAP                    950°                    1 1/2 hours

100°                      700°                     10 minutes

Off

Open when room temperature

After the mold has been used:
Spray mold with MR-97 only lightly (about 2 seconds and only around the inside of mold edge).  Cut shelf paper to 7-7/8" x  9-7/8" and put on the bottom of the mold before fusing.  Cut base glass to 8" x 10" and notch the corner (like stated above) so that the glass will fit into the tray.  The design the piece as usual!

Update:  12/13/12

We think that it would be best to slow down the final ramp up temperature on thicker pieces.  We noticed that on one of our thicker finished plates that the center had indented and thinned out, it was possibly going to form a bubble in that area.

Perhaps it would help to ramp up 200°  per hour, to get to 1225°  .   Then instead of ramping up AFAP, (as fast as possible), to 1470°  we suggest the kiln be ramped up at approximately 400°  per hour instead.  

COE's for different types of glass

Type of Glass	Coefficient of expansion
Bullseye tested compatible (Also Uroboros 90)	90
Effetre (Moretti) sheets and rods (some variation; should test)	104
Spectrum System 96 (also Uroboros 96)	96
Borosilicate (Pyrex)	32.5
Window (float) glass (Also includes most bottles)	83 to 87 (depends on manufacturer) May be even higher or lower

Repairing a cracked or broken glass mold

#1. Magic Mender - 4 oz. container is for sale on the Slumpy's website. Use Magic Mender to repair chipped or broken slump molds. Use magic Mender to fuse two molds together. Fix hairline cracks in molds. Just apply magic mender to area to be fixed and fire at 1700 degrees F. 

Helpful Hints for Magic Mender:

While the mender is still moist, the joint will be fairly delicate, so be careful when cleaning the mold. The Menders must be fired to become permanent. Keep unused portion in jar tightly closed. The mender has a long shelf life and will not spoil! After firing, the repaired area is stronger than the rest of the mold. If you clean well before firing you’ll never know the break was there.

How to fix hairline cracks:

Use a knife tool or dermal to open the crack. (You must get the mender deep into the crack for it to work, otherwise the crack will reappear.) Dip a brush in the mender and in some water so that you have a flowing consistency. Allow the mender to flow into the cracks, then let dry. If you need a second application, do so, then clean the mold and fire.

#2. You can also use a resin based cement that is used in kiln building called "Sairset". It should be available in all ceramic suppliers.  Make the edges to be joined wet. Spread some Sairset on the joint. Wipe all of it off the working surface with a wet cloth or sponge. Back up the repair with more Sairset on the back. Wash all tools used immediately or the Sairset will never come off. When dry, fire to about 800C. , then wash the mold and you are ready to go.

Kokomo Glass kiln firing schedule

Some General Information about Fusing with Kokomo Glass

Annealing Temperature for Cathedral Colors:

Anneal: 945 F
Strain Point: 872 F

COE: Generally in the neighborhood of 92-94, but you will need to test each sheet if they are from different runs. Even different runs of the same color can have significantly different fusing properties.

Annealing Temperatures for Opals:

Opal D Anneal: 891 F Strain Pt. 833 F
Opal M Anneal: 914 F Strain Pt. 851 F
Opal ML Anneal: 930 F Strain Pt. 862 F
Opal L Anneal: 936 F Strain Pt. 867 F

Typical Ramping Up?Allow 1 hour per ¼? of thickness. All kilns behave differently. Test in your kiln to adjust for faster or slower times. Projects with more surface area may require slower ramping.

Typical glasses will begin to sag at around 1050 F.
Annealing:Soak 1 hour per ¼? of thickness @ 945F
Ramp to strain point 872 F

(1/4" thick piece should take 2-3 hours)

Soak @ strain point 15 minutes per ¼? thickness
Ramp down to room temperature.
For ¼" thick piece, turn kiln off and do not vent until 250 F.

If you are fusing Kokomo glass, Experiment, Experiment, Experiment and Test, Test, Test. Some colors devitrify more than others. Reds and yellows hate to be fused.
Finally as to whether the ring mottles can be used in fusing: 
As far as slumping our glass, Kokomo has experimented with slumping our glass & have found that on the opals it is critical to catch the glass right when it falls then vent the kiln down to 1050F as quickly as possible, then follow your normal ramp down.

Youghiogheny Glass full fuse firing schedule

From room temperature to 800F at 300 degrees per hour, hold for 10 minutes
From 800F to1120F degrees at 300 degrees per hour, hold for 10 minutes
From 1120F to1250F degrees at 200 degrees per hour, hold for 10 minutes
From 1250F to 1560F fairly quickly, hold for 10 minutes
Crash from1560F to1020F and hold for 45 minutes
From 1020F to 800F at 60 degrees per hour hold for 30 minutes
From 800F to 300F at 100 degrees per hour hold for 5 minutes

Uroboros and Spectrum System 96 glass full fuse firing schedule

Today I thought I'd share my favorite firing schedule for Uroboros glass (it works great for Spectrum 96 COE too).  This is for full fusing two layer pieces.

300° - 1150°  hold 30 minutes

200° - 1370° hold 20 minutes

400° - 1470° hold 5 minutes

9999° - 950° hold 60 minutes

150° - 800° hold 10 minutes

300° - 500° no hold

You will notice that when fusing transparent glass you will not need as much heat as firing opaque glass.  It is only a matter of a few degrees.  You can tell if you need to turn down the heat used on your highest full fuse temperature segment if you have small glass burrs sticking out on the sides of your finished piece.

It is advised to try this schedule with your kiln on a test piece first to make sure it is good for your kiln!  Kilns don't always heat up to the same temperatures as other kilns do.  If your finished fused product seems slightly indented or distorted on the side edges, you need to turn down the high temperature.  Mine is 1470° (hold 5 minutes).  You might want to program your kiln to heat up to 1450 instead and perhaps hold longer.  Again test your glass sample first before firing your good piece!

Wasser glass fusing schedule

I have found this schedule works when I am fusing two and three layers of Wasser glass.

My schedule is in Fahrenheit, you can convert it to Celsius here. 

400° - 1335°, hold 15 minutes
9999° - 940°, hold 30 minutes
100° - 700°, no hold
200° - 500°, no hold

If you want to fuse very small pieces of Wasser glass together while keeping a defined shape, you will need to either not heat up your kiln all of the way to 1335° and/or not hold your kiln at that high temperature for the full 15 minutes.  

How to prepare silver stain for glass painting.

If you've tried to mix silver stain with water, to paint on a piece of glass and discovered it didn't mix well and then didn't actually stick to the piece of glass that you were trying to paint, then you've probably wondered what the trick is to get it to work.

What you can use is Sandalwood Amyris Oil, and a small amount of Lavender Oil.  Once thoroughly mixed, wait a day or two before applying to your glass.  You do not use water to mix silver stain, just the essential oils.  Other essential oils can probably work and get the same results but you must experiment to see which ones will work for you.

Once you have applied the stain to the glass, you will need to fire your piece so that the silver stain is laying on your shelf paper or kiln shelf.  Fire your piece at about 200 degrees per hour Fahrenheit until you reach 1040 degrees F and hold for 10 minutes.  Then shut off your kiln and let it cool.  Later, after the piece is done cooling off, you will need to wash the stain residue off of the piece with mild soap and water.

Yes, you can melt glass seed beads in your kiln!

Lately we've noticed a few people writing online wondering about recycling seed beads by melting them in their kilns.  We haven't tried it ourselves at Harrach Glass but it sounds like a great idea!  What a great way to recycle old glass beads and create a new form of glass art!

We recommend that when melting the seed beads, glass artists should stick to using all of the same color and brand beads.  That way you will probably have beads with the same COE.  You can crush them like frit and put them in a mold or melt them together to form glass globs.  To fuse seed beads onto another type of glass, it would be best to do compatibility tests first.

Flux can ruin hand painted kiln fired glass...

I read this somewhere on the internet in the past but couldn't find the information again.  So what I know is that when using flux on or near a piece of glass that has been hand painted and fired, stay away from flux that is only made of muriatic acid.   That type of acid will make make some painted glass haze.

It is best to research what ingredients are used in your flux.  The common soldering fluxes, which contain acid, usually contain zinc chloride and/or ammonium chloride.  They may also contain some free hydrochloric acid.  Killed acid, is just muriatic acid to which zinc metal has been dissolved in, to produce a solution of zinc chloride.

Tools needed to melt wine bottle and other glass

Occasionally someone will ask me how I melt my wine bottles and other art glass projects.  As crazy as this sounds, I have seen, from looking around online, that some people are actually trying to melt bottles in things like barbecue grills and fireplaces.  And of course that won't really work!  It may be possible to somewhat melt the glass but it will probably permanently stick to where ever it was melted and ruin things.  And that process is never precise.  So I found this information on WarmGlass.com with great information on how to really get started properly!  I hope this helps. 

Aside from the glass, the most important item you need is a kiln. Most kilns used are electric and are capable of reaching temperatures of around 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Kilns are available in sizes ranging from less than a cubic foot to big enough to fill a room. Kilns made specifically for ceramics can be used, but it's better to have one that's specifically engineered for firing glass.

Your kiln must have the capability to accurately monitor and display the inside temperature. This is usually done with a pyrometer, a precise thermometer that is often coupled with a controller, a device that helps manage the firing of the kiln. A controller can greatly simplify the task of precisely directing and monitoring the temperature changes inside the kiln. You can get by without a controller if you're willing to keep a closer eye on the kiln, but a pyrometer that can accurately measure the temperature inside the kiln is essential.

In addition to the kiln, you need a shelf to set the glass on and (if you want to slump) a mold to help shape the glass. Shelves are generally made of clay or a lightweight refractory material, while molds can be made of clay, stainless steel, or various kinds of cements and plaster mixtures. The key is that both the shelf and the mold can withstand heating up to a temperature of 1700 degrees Fahrenheit or so and then cooling back to room temperature.

You'll also need some sort of glass separator to keep the glass from sticking to the kiln shelf and the mold. The separator can be a special kind of paper that glass won't stick to at high temperatures (called fiber paper) or it can be an emulsion that you apply to the shelf, then allow to dry (commonly called a shelf primer or kiln wash). Without this separator, glass will stick to the shelf or mold when it gets hot and your piece of artwork will be ruined.  

  

That's it. If you have some glass, a kiln, a shelf or mold, and something to keep the glass from sticking, you have the basic ingredients to begin fusing and slumping. Add some tools to help cut and the glass and a few essential pieces of safety equipment, and you're ready to begin.