Slumpy's Bubble Technique Video

This is a great video to watch, it not only shows how to create purposely planned bubbles in fused glass art, but it also shows new glass fusers how to cut glass to fit their fusing molds!  

This is how Slumpy's described their video:
Learn how to create a one of a kind glass piece with bubble accents. Use clear glass stringers to create floating bubbles or contrasting stringer to create a grid bubble effect. Turn your glass 90 degrees to create a crisscrossed grid effect or 45 degrees to create a diamond grid effect. The possibilities are endless!

Watch the video here!

 

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.

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.

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.

System 96 Firing Schedules - reference guide

Find all of this valuable information and more about System 96 glass on their web page by clicking right here.

Firing Guide

FAHRENHEIT (need Celsius?)

Firing Schedule:		Guidelines for firing projects up to 3/8-inch thick.
Slumping Schedule:
THICK Firing Schedules:		Guidelines for firing THICK projects ranging from 1/2-inch to 2-inches thick
Forming Chart:		Forming stages, definitions, and temperatures for firing System 96 products.
Bubble Squeeze:		Adding a stage during firing to reduce or eliminate bubbles
4-Segment Firing:		How to easily adapt our 6-segment programs to 4-segment controllers

Firing Chart (For projects up to 3/8" thick)
Segment	Rate		Temp	Hold
	(°F per Hour)		°F	(minutes)
1. Heating I:	300		1150	30
Moderate ramp up then hold to allow soft glass to settle. Soak even longer to reduce bubbles.
here is data
2. Heating II:	200		1370	20
Slow ramp to squeeze out trapped air.
here is data
3. Heat to Forming Stage:	400		See Forming Chart	Desired Effect
Heat glass to forming temperature. Consult Forming Chart.
here is data
4. Anneal I:	9999		950	60
Fast ramp down then hold to thoroughly equalize temperatures.
here is data
5. Anneal II:	150		800	10
Slow cool through sensitive zone, then hold to equalize.
here is data
6. Cool Down:	300		100	0
Moderate ramp down to minimize thermal shock.

Slumping Chart (For projects up to 3/8" thick)
Segment	Rate		Temp	Hold
	(°F per Hour)		°F	(minutes)
1. Heating I:	150		300	15
Slow ramp up to 300º then hold to equalize temperature of everything in kiln (minimizes thermal shock).
here is data
2. Heating II:	300		1100	20
Moderate ramp to 1100 and hold.
here is data
3. Heat to Forming Stage:	150		See Forming Chart	Desired Effect
Heat glass to forming temperature. Consult Forming Chart.
here is data
4. Anneal I:	400		950	60
Moderate ramp down then hold to thoroughly equalize temperatures.
here is data
5. Anneal II:	150		800	10
Slow cool through sensitive zone, then hold to equalize.
here is data
6. Cool Down:	300		100	0
Moderate ramp down to minimize thermal shock.

Forming Chart	Definition	Forming Temp
Slump	Glass softens and slumps to take the shape of a selected form or mold. Note: small molds may need higher temperatures and/or hold times.	1215º-1250º F
Tack Fuse	Separate glass layers are fused together with little deformation beyond softening of edges.	1350º- 1370º F
Contour Fuse	Separate glass layers are fused together, edges are soft and rounded, project surface retains the degree of dimesion desired by the artist (any degree beyond Tack but not yet Full fused).	1400º-1450º F
Full Fuse	Separate glass layers are completely fused into a single uniform layer, top surface is smooth and void of dimension or relief.	1460º-1480º F

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4-Segment Firing
For faster firing: you may wish to accelerate or simplify firing for small or less consequential projects. If so, in the Fusing Chart, eliminate segments 2 and 6. In the Slumping Chart, eliminate segments 1 and 6.

Bubble Squeeze To Reduce Bubbles Between Glass Layers To reduce bubbles between glass layers, fire to encourage a very slow relaxing of the layers, “squeezing” air outward to the edges for release. As the fusing chart indicates, we recommend a lengthy hold at about 1150º F, then a slow ramp up to 1370º F. Increase the effectiveness of your “squeeze” by lengthening your Hold in Segment I and slowing your Rate in Segment 2. Bubbles are best avoided in the design stage. Large areas of uninterrupted layering invite them. For example, a 10 x 10-inch sheet atop another 10 x 10-inch sheet leaves no easy avenue of escape for the air between glass layers. Alternately, a 10 x 10-inch sheet topped with four 5 x 5-inch pieces provides seams to vent trapped air. Design to avoid bubbles for the best prevention.

Find this information and more on the System 96 web page.  

Preparing steel molds for glass fusing

We recently bought a few new steel molds for the studio and needed to get them primed so that they'd be ready for fusing.  Just in case you are new to fusing with steel molds, you will discover that kiln wash will NOT stick to a steel mold without heat and perhaps, as I have come to find out,  a little luck as well!  

Unfortunately we forgot how to get kiln wash to stick nicely to new steel molds, since we hadn't bought any new steel molds in a long time.  A lot of glass artists use Boron Nitride spray on their molds but we already have Primo Primer on hand, so that is what we used.  We didn't apply the shelf primer on the molds while in the oven.  Instead we removed the molds (one at a time), painted, then put them back in the oven to heat up and also dry.  A lot of glass artists put their molds in their kilns to heat up but our kiln is large and it is fairly inconvenient to heat them that way.  We have also heard of other artists placing their steel molds on top of their kilns while they are running, but our kiln is very efficient and not enough heat escapes the lid to be able to heat the molds to an adequate temperature.

Above: New steel molds in the kitchen oven, heating up before applying kiln wash.  We prefired the molds in our kiln to 500 degrees and cleaned them.  We didn't use sand paper or Brillo pads on these but we see that a lot of glass artists suggest using them to rough up the surface allowing the primer to stick more easily.

Above: Kiln wash mixed in bucket with hake brush ready to use on the steel molds.

Above: Picture showing partially painted molds.  The mold on the left wasn't hot enough to allow the primer to stick on the lower section.  

As of today, I still haven't gotten my kiln wash (Primo Primer) to stick the way it should on the molds!  I lowered the oven temperature to 200 degrees but that didn't help.  I also used sand paper and roughed up the lower section of the smaller mold where the wash wouldn't stick at all but it still didn't work!  Right now I've been working on these for three days, without luck!  

As soon as I figure out what works for these molds, I'll update my post.  Perhaps I'll buy some Boron Nitride spray after I try this a few more times.

So far some suggestions have been to use sand paper or a sand blaster to rough up the metal.  Another is to heat mold in sections with a heat gun and apply primer.  Another idea, mix my primer thicker.  Also some say they spray it on with an airbrush (I don't have an airbrush).  Others say wash it first with rubbing alcohol.

Ok so this afternoon I worked on the molds again.  I washed and removed all the old kiln wash off the molds.  I then used a little electric sander and sanded the surface area on the molds and once done I cleaned them with rubbing alcohol.  I then set my oven to 225 degrees and put the molds in.  I mixed up my primer so that it was fairly thin.  Once a mold was heated, I removed it and then quickly painted on a very thin layer of primer with my hake brush.  After that I put the mold back in the oven and set the timer for 5 minutes.  When the timer buzzed after 5 minutes I put another thin coat of kiln wash on the mold and then put it back in the oven.  I repeated these steps, with all molds until they appeared to have enough primer coating to work when fusing.  Finally, it worked!

Above: Molds with kiln wash properly applied and now ready for fusing!  The mold on the left is a floral former, the one on the right is a pendant light mold.

Randy Comer, Glass Fusing Video

Today the video we are featuring on our blog was discovered on You Tube and features the beautiful fused glass art created by Randy Comer.  We certainly hope you will enjoy this one as much as we did.  His work is totally amazing!  Click on the link to see Randy Comer's fused glass art.  His video is very informative, as he shows how he creates his design elements and discusses where he gets his design inspirations.
View video here

Using a steel floral former mold

We really loved these pictures of a glass piece in various stages of slumping that the Clearwater Glass Studio posted on their webpage!  Please check out their webpage for more great tutorials. Click here to view their webpage!

Initial kiln setup. A glass square is first fully fused and cooled, and any coldworking of the edge that is needed is done at this time, It is then placed in the kiln for slumping. In this example the glass is 1/4" thick, and placed shiny side up.

(This is actually a different piece then in the photos below.)

You have to watch carefully while you do this. Find a temperature where the glass just starts to droop, such as 1050F and hold for 15 min. Keep adding temperature in 50 F increments, until you see movement. Then, hold it there, and keep checking until it has folded to the degree you want.

The specific temperature needed will depend on the type of glass, the color, the size and thickness, distance from the elements, and the particular kiln.

I don't remember what temperature I used in thistutorial, but with Bullseye glass, I'd start at 1050-1100F.

Note how glass slumps and folds during the heating process

Make sure to stop the slumping process before the tips of the glass touch the kiln shelf or they will flatten out and lose their gloss.

Example of a finished vase.

Making Wine Bottle Cheese Plates in Your Kiln.

Slumping is HOT!

After enjoying a little fruit of the vine....The first thing you'll want to do is remove the label from your bottle; for stubborn ones Goo-Gone works well.

Next be sure to wash and dry your bottle completely. Moisture is the enemy. It can cause the bottle to explode in your kiln, making a very big mess.

Bottles with painted labels are ok (actually - they are trey cool ;) but I suggest using a thin sheet of fiber paper under the part where the label comes in contact with the molds surface, otherwise the bottle might get stuck and ruin your mold. YUCK! see the picture below.

Devitrification spray can be applied to the bottles to prevent a hazy or a scummy appearance on the glass after it's fired. (I don't bother with this).

If you would like to hang your bottle for decorative purposes; take a piece of 20 gage copper wire (or fine silver) shape in a U and insert it in the bottle top before slumping.

Use a clay mold that has been pre treated with glass separator. Separator should be reapplied between firings and dried completely, as needed. Check the tiny vent holes, in the mold - under the glass, to be sure that they are not plugged with the separator.

My Firing Schedule for med. to lg. bottle:

•1. 600 Degrees Per Hour to 1000 Degrees Fahrenheit, soak (hold temp constant) for 10 minutes

•2. It is only safe to peek* into the kiln from 1000 degrees and up- otherwise you will shock your glass and it will crack.

*Please protect your hands and arms with heavy kiln gloves and your face and eyes with tinted safety glasses!

•3. Heat AFAP (as fast as possible), to 1375 to 1425 DF, (depending on the size and thickness of your bottle)

•4. Soak (hold temp constant) for 5-15 minutes or until the bottle is slumped to perfection.

•5. Watch it closely during this time it can move rather fast!

•6. Allow the Kiln to cool until the temperature falls to 1000 DF.

•7. Soak for 10 minutes at 1000 DF.

•8. Annealing Stage; slow cool at 180 DPH to 800 DF.

•9. Next turn off the kiln and let it cool naturally to room temperature; don't peek*! (see #2 above)

After you remove your project from the kiln; be sure to vacuum any spall that comes off the copper wire to avoid contaminating your next project.

You may want to adjust the temperature and/or soak time according to the size and thickness of your bottle.

Practice is the best teacher and sometimes an error is the result of what will be some of your favorite pieces.

Most importantly, have Fun!

Bottles from my Kiln

Snowman Cheese Ball

Belvedere Bottle

Bottle stuck to the mold...YUCK!

Hot Glass in the Kiln

This interesting tutorial was written by:

shetrick on HubPages

While Sue Hetrick received most of her formal training in art from HACC, Central Pa’s Community College; she continues to learn from her own experimentation. Her ceramic pieces are crafted to be functional works of whimsy. The same can be said for her glass fused and slumped pieces, which tend to be her favored creations. The addition of wire wrapping make the glass pieces uniquely her own. Whether ceramic or glass, Sue crafts works of art that incorporate fun into function.

A few of our glass recycling experiments

Large recycled jar.... now it's a candy jar by Harrach Glass

Another large recycled jar by Harrach Glass, the perfect size for holding M & M's?

Paper weight by Harrach Glass, once was a smaller glass jar

As you can see we've been having fun lately slumping glass jars in our kiln.  Now we have a growing wine bottle and glass jar collection in our studio waiting for the kiln.  

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 devitrification and how can you prevent it when fusing and/or slumping glass

Devitrification, a whitish scum that sometimes appears on the top surface of glass that has been fired in the kiln, occurs when glass remains at too high a temperature for too long.  In most cases, devitrification is considered a nuisance, and glass artists will go to great length to prevent its formation.

To understand why devitrification forms, we must first understand the nature of glass at room temperature.  Although a sheet of glass appears quite stable and unchanging, it's actually delicately balanced between two states of being.  On the one hand, there is an equilibrium in the glass between its various constituents (sand, soda ash, limestone, etc.).  On the other hand, a tension exists as these individual components (especially the sand) have a natural tendency to return to their original states.

When glass is heated, this equilibrium is interrupted.  The particles of the glass are heated past their solid state and become increasingly liquid.  So long as the glass is allowed to return to its solid form fairly quickly, the molecules are able to return to the normal configuration and the delicate balance is restored.

However, if glass remains at too high a temperature for too long, then the normal process of establishing equilibrium is interrupted and the molecules in the glass are prevented from regaining their delicate balance.  Instead, the high temperature causes some of the elements in the glass to burn off.  The glass crystallizes along the top surface, forming a crystal (called devitrite).  A mild case of devitrification  results in a dull whitish deposit on the glass, while more severe cases can cause the top surface to break down and even deteriorate completely.

How to make your own DEVIT SPRAY (Borax/water solution)

Purpose: To prevent or minimize devitrification


How to use: Spray or brush lightly on top surface of glass prior to slump firing. 

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon borax to one cup water. Distilled water works best. Regular borax cleaning powder (such as the "20 Mule Team brand" in the US) works well. Precise measurement not required.


Safety precautions: Don't drink. Wash hands after using. Long term exposure to borax can be harmful.


How to make: Just mix the borax with the water. If you put the two ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid, then cover and shake, you'll be assured of a good mixture and have a place to store the solution, too. Label the jar. Shake again prior to each use.


Note:  We use the Borax mixture when fusing in our own kilns at Harrach Stained Glass.  Now, we do not use distilled water since that would mean an occasional trip to the grocery store which is out of the way.  (We just use tap water.)  What we like to do is apply the Borax mixture, by hand to certain glass pieces and with a paint brush on more delicate pieces that have many design elements.  Originally we only sprayed the Borax mixture on the glass and tried fusing, but by doing it that way we ended up with permanent water marked stains on our blue and clear glass pieces.  Later, on another project, we discovered that the spray bottle was clogged, probably with Borax particles from the bottom of our spray bottle.  At that point we decided to pour a small amount of the homemade devit mixture onto the piece we were going to fire and then spread it by "hand" using just our fingers.  This actually resulted in a perfect finish on the completed project with no devit and no fingerprints!


We have learned to never shake up or mix the Borax mixture that you have made right before applying.  You will notice that the Borax and water seem to separate and the Borax will fall to the bottom of your container.  We use the "top" water from our mixture to use as our devit "spray".  Of course eventually your mixture will run low and you will need to make some more devit "spray".  When you make it, shake it up well and then let it stand a while so that the heavier Borax particles will fall to the bottom of your container before you apply to your piece.


The Borax mixture has been good on difficult colors and fired at up to 1475 degrees with excellent results.

Excellent video by CHRISTIANES GLASKUNST, hot glass art

This is such a fun video to watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS2lhRIAQ

* When drilling into glass, we advise glass artists to either drill in water, or hold a wet sponge on the drill bit, for safety reasons.  This way glass dust cannot become air born and inhaled.

How to use a bisque mold for slumping glass!

The information I posted today is great for any glass fuser that is looking for different ways to create some great art that is more unique than by just using the usual fused glass molds available through glass retailers.  Thank you geltdesigns for this great information! 

Glass slump molds are useful for turning fused glass into useful objects such as plates, bowls and platters. This tutorial will explain how to take a piece of unpainted ceramic bisque purchased from a ceramic supplies shop and turn it into a fused glass slumping mold.

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Bisque
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Water

1. • 1
     Select bisque.
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     Select the bisque ware you want to turn into a slumping mold. In this case, we have selected a ceramic bisque plate.
   • 2
     Select glass and tile bit
     

     Select a glass and tile drill bits. We often use tile drill bits made by Black & Decker.
   • 3
     Insert bit into drill press.
     

     Insert the tile drill bit into the chuck of your drill. Although any drill can be used, a drill press or a bench drill press is particularly well suited for drilling bisque.
   • 4
     Drill the bisque to create slumping mold.
     

     Add water as a lubricant when drilling. The water will reduce friction and prevent the bisque from cracking and breaking when being drilled. Drill slowly. Lift the bit from time to time to allow the water to continue to coat and lubricate as you drill. Continue to drill until there is a hole through the bisque ware.
   • 5
     Repeat to add additional holes. The number of holes needed in the slumping mold will depend on the size and shape of the mold.
   • 6
     Coat slumping mold with kiln wash.
     

     Once you have drilled the holes, coat the slumping mold with several layers of kiln wash before using. Be sure the holes are well coated with the kiln wash.