Fused Glass Trial and Error

"Trial and error" and "test and learn" are used a lot in business and imply that one is optimizing or improving upon a process or product.  I've used these terms in product marketing and research, especially.  However, when they apply to fused glass, it's a different story.

Most people who see my work don't see behind the scenes.  When I venture into a new area, there's always a learning process.  Most of the time, it means failure.  Repeated failure until I get the firing schedule right.  And here, failure means cracked glass and lost time.

Part of the problem in the past has been my kiln, which I corrected by getting a new kiln.  Part of the problem is that the new work I'm doing is more complex, using multiple colors at higher temperatures with longer hold times (which can change the property of the glass).  And, part of the problem is that I'm firing multiple times and working on larger pieces.  My new work with pattern bars is particularly susceptible to breakage, typically along the seam where two bars are joined. Even though I have learned to fire very conservatively that doesn't always guarantee success.

Fortunately, glass can be repurposed so not all is lost.  I try to retain the design elements to use in new work.  Having a tile saw can be a real asset to cut up the glass and use it again.  Here's a picture of a piece that will be used to make a bowl.

Although glass failures are not ideal, there are still some lessons that I can pass on, so hopefully you won't have the same issues.

• Check your kiln elements relative to the size of the piece.  I was having problems in my old kiln as I was pushing the size limit with 12" squares (kiln interior was 14.5") and elements that were circular, making it difficult to heat the corners (notice the crack line in earlier photo above).
• Fix any sagging elements.  My "new" kiln was used and had one sagging element (hanging down about 2" from one end of the kiln to the other) which created uneven heating, especially on large pieces.
• Keep good records of your firing schedules so that you can make adjustments on future firings.  When in doubt, slower is better.  You'll want to make sure to have a long enough annealing hold based on the size and thickness of your glass piece.  And, if you notice that the glass is cracking on the way up, you'll want to increase your annealing and/or ramp up slower to 480-600 degrees.   The more important the piece, the slower I go.
• Don't coldwork the piece until the glass is cool.  This can add to its stress.
• Test your kiln to see how the heat is being distributed. Bullseye Glass has a good tutorial on this here
• Consider making a "test" piece first.  I typically don't do this but recently I've had a problem slumping a piece in my new kiln.  Before I make another attempt on a real project, I am going to make a test blank to make sure I have the right set-up and schedule.  After going through 3 firings and coldworking, I don't want to lose all that work on the last firing.
• Consider varying thicknesses of glass and anneal for the thickest part, especially if you are tack fusing or have varying layers and are not full fusing.  This hasn't been an issue for me as I don't tend to create work that is tack fused but I thought I would pass it along.

Fused Glass Success! Persistence with Live Jury Pays Off

In a previous post, I mentioned that I participated in a live jury (without success) to become an exhibiting member of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists (ACGA).  Well, a few months ago, I juried for the second time and got in!  I'm thrilled - partially because it is not easy to jury in and partially because of the quality of the other exhibiting members.

Much of my exhibit remained the same as before but I also added in a few new pieces (below), substituting for smaller pieces.

I've been a little kiln challenged making larger pieces and I'm in the process of addressing this - step 1: buy larger kiln - done!  Step 2: adjust firing schedule - still working on this part but I think I'm there :)

I have a few more pattern bar projects in process and will hopefully post photos once they're done.  In the meantime, persistence is a good thing when venturing into new glass work although I am beginning to dislike the term "trial and error".

360 Fusion: Year in Review and Fused Glass Goals for 2013

For the past two years, my fusing goals are pretty much the same - create new fused glass plate/platter and panel designs as well as jewelry designs and use up scrap or excess glass.  Scrap is what's left over when you cut out sheet glass.  As everything is made with sheet glass, you accumulate a lot of small bits of glass every year.  Fortunately, I don't seem to be accumulating too much more; however, I don't seem to be making a dent either.  I guess you could say that "holding steady" is not so bad but I'm going to make a concerted effort in 2013.  

As for my goals for 2012, there were some things that I did and others that will roll over to 2013.  Here's how I fared: 

• Create pattern bars and use them in plates, platters and panels - done. For 2013, I plan to expand this into larger platters, smaller plates, pendants, and bowls 
• Experiment with bowls using high temp shelf melts, frit and small glass pieces - rolled over to 2013.  I tried making a few bowls this year but they did not turn out as I had hoped and unfortunately added to my scrap pile.
• Make small plates from pot melt centers - done.  I tried this but wasn't really happy with the result.  I may try to do something with screen melts.
• Create dichroic frit and consider using it to decorate boxes - rolled over to 2013.
• Expand into new types of jewelry: wire-wrapped almond shaped pendants, wire-wrapped coiled pendants with gemstones, stretch and charm bracelets, rings, and new earring designs - all done with the exception of rings, which will be rolled over to 2013
• Experiment with new holiday ornaments (hearts and a new snowflake design) - made a new wreath ornament, decided against the new snowflake design and rolled the heart ornaments over to 2013.

Other things accomplished this year included: getting a new kiln (and the 220V wiring), wet belt sander and DSLR camera.  In addition, I purchased pipe & drape for indoor shows.  My "studio" is getting a little crowded but I am very thankful for items with castors!

In addition to this year's goals that I'm rolling over to 2013, my fusing goals for the upcoming year include the following:

• Expand and refine jewelry designs (I try to turn over my designs every other year)
• Make draped votive holders and experiment with layering glass
• Experiment with various Christmas tree ornaments

I'll be posting as I progress through the year.  However, as I've already written about some of the techniques, I'll try not to be repetitive.  Currently, I've been making a few shelf melts in new colors that I'll cut up so I can restock my plate inventory which is pretty low.  I also will be making some new pattern bars as I have a commission platter that due in January although I'm still waiting for my glass distributor to get in a certain color that I'll be using for the base.

2012 has been a good year for me, especially in terms of glass fusing.  I hope it's also been a good year for you too.  Happy New Year and best wishes for an even better 2013!  

Fused Glass Holiday Ornaments & Decorations

Happy Holidays from 360 Fusion!

Every season I make a new type of ornament and expand my holiday coaster selection.  Here's my new ornament for this year:

This wreath is made from crushed glass frit that I made myself.  I used a combination of opaque and transparent glass and formed the shape using a round cookie cutter and then pushed the glass around a bit to fill in the gaps.  The red balls are made from coarse red frit that's been fired at 1500 degrees.  The ornament is tack fused at 1350 degrees with a round wired loop that used for the hanger.  For my first attempt, I thought I could drill a hole but the fragility of the tack fused, crushed glass wouldn't withstand the pressure of the drill.  I'm happy with how this turned out as the texture of the glass gives the wreath more dimension.

Last year I made these fused glass coasters in red (which is still my favorite), but this year I expanded the color spectrum to include an olive and Christmas green.  The clear glass "fracture & streamer" glass already included red and green but I augmented the glass with red and green confetti (thin glass chards) to add more color.  It turns out that these colors were just as popular as the red one.

As Christmas is just around the corner, I wanted to wish you and your family a very blessed and joyous holiday.

Early Christmas Gifts: New Kilns

When I started fusing, I didn't know whether it would be a viable business for me, so rather than spend $1000 to install 220 voltage for a larger kiln, I went with the largest kiln I could get at 120 voltage.

This has been a great little work horse for me. But now it' time for me upgrade as I'm doing a little more complex work and could use the extra space.  I just happened to be at San Francisco Open Studios at Public Glass and mentioned this to a fellow artist when another artist overheard me.  Long story short, I ended up purchasing two of his kilns!

This first one, almost doubles the amount of glass I can fire in a load.  While I was hoping to get an even larger kiln, I couldn't beat the price.  Here's a sample of what it looks like with coasters:

The second kiln is much smaller and will be used as a vitrograph for making and pulling my own cane glass that I'll cut up and use in future work.  Of course, this means that I'll be taking a class from Bullseye in the near future to learn the technique.  My favorite part of the glasswork is experimenting and planning. So, I have a habit of getting items or taking classes well in advance of when I actually make it.  Most likely, I won't be pulling any cane until 2014 but the kiln was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up.  Anyway, look for new items from me using this new kiln in 2013.

For other glass enthusiasts, fusers or artists, what are you hoping to get from Santa this year?