I use mainly glass designed for glass fusing and slumping.  One of my favorites is Wasser Glass.  It’s thin and I really like the variety of colors available.  Here’s a project I created for Jewelry Creations 2, a magazine I was the editor for in 2008.

Quick Fire Fusing

This beginner fusing project uses a Quick Firing kiln for speedy glass fusing.  The abstract design makes each piece one of a kind.

Materials:

Diamond International Wasser Glass: yellow, brown, light brown, tiger’s eye, gold, butterscotch, weathered, red flash, surprise, and heavy gold

Glasscutter

Nippers

Safety glasses for glasswork

Quick Fire kiln

Kiln shelf primed with release

Timer

Rubbing alcohol

Lint free paper towels

Pin back, earring posts, pendant bails

Optional:  Thinned white glue or fusing glue

Firing Temperatures:

Wasser glass has a COE 90
(~±5°F and are dependent upon glass color and thickness)
Softening Point :1240°F (677°C)
Tack Fuse :1285°F (696°C) Orton std. lg. cone 18 (r/r 108°F)
Full Fuse :1340°F (727°C) Orton std. lg. cone 17 (r/r 108°F)
Annealing Temperature : 940°F (482°C)
Shrinkage Initiation Point :1360°F (738°C)
Balling Formation Starts : 1450°F (788°C)
Glass Lost / Shelf Intrusion : 1550°F (843°C)

1. If you do not have a kiln, check out your local stained glass or glass working studios as they often have fusing classes or offer kiln time. If you do not have a Quick Firing kiln, use the firing temperatures above. When cutting glass use caution and care. You are working with hot glass so be careful and consider all surfaces hot. 

2. Cut glass into thin strips in various widths and lengths.  Most strips are no more than 1/4 wide and 3″ long. As you design you might want to nip strips shorter. Remember that edges of cut glass can be very sharp.  Handle glass carefully.

3. Work on a clean surface and once glass is cut, clean all glass pieces with rubbing alcohol.  It’s important that the glass be oil and lint free when fired (heated).  Once happy with design, place glass onto kiln shelf that has been prepared with release (following manufacturer’s instructions for applying release).  It’s also important that glass be completely dry before setting on the kiln shelf or fusing (firing). 

4. As you design your pieces make sure you include some small sets that can be turned into earrings.  You may want to leave some openings to turn the piece into a pendant or leave a place where a pendant bail can be glued.  As I made my pieces, I was thinking pins so I made sure there was a space that a pin back could be adhered. I do not use any type of adhesive as I design abstract pieces.  If a piece of glass moves as fired I consider it part of the abstract look, however, you can apply a watered down white glue or fusing glue to the back of glass to avoid glass moving.  Remember that glue must dry completely before you fire your piece(s).  Any moisture when firing may cause the glass to crack.

5. Place shelf into kiln, close kiln, and turn on. The Quick Firing kiln will get to full fusing temperature (Wasser 1340 degrees F) within five minutes so it’s important that you never leave a kiln unsupervised.  As the temperature rises to full fuse, put on your safety glasses and check glass. Never look into a kiln or torch without safety glasses designed for hot glasswork. If fused (fully melted together), turn off kiln and keep open until temperature is around 1200 degrees F.  You may have to vent several times to keep temperature below full fuse.  Allow kiln to cool completely.  Allow glass to cool completely. Your glass should be annealed (kept at a temperature for 20+ minutes so the glass is at its strongest, least likely to break or crack) if you didn’t open the kiln after you brought the temperature down to 1200 degrees F. If working in a studio, staff will most likely compute a sequence for the kiln.

6. Once completely cooled clean pieces with rubbing alcohol. Add pin back, earring posts, or pendant bails as you prefer.  Fusing is a great way to use small pieces of glass and a wonderful way to design pins, pendants, and other jewelry components for unique and personalized jewelry. Find a stain glass or glass studio in your local area for fusing classes.

More about fusing & Wasser Glass click HERE.

Fuseworks^TM Microwave Kiln is fast, fun and easy to use. Create beautiful glass baubles and pendants in approximately 3 minutes. It is recommended for ages 16 years and older, as the glass inside the kiln can reach temperatures of 1400ºF-1500 ºF.View a complete set of the Fuseworks^TM Kiln instructions and popular Q&A about the kiln at Diamond Tech’s Website: www.DiamondTechCrafts.com.

Here is one of my favorite little glass projects, guaranteed to bring fusing success to even the beginner!

First, it is recommended that you use Fuseworks^TM glass in the Fuseworks^TM  Kiln. Cut one piece of black glass in a 1″ X 1″ square. Cut one piece of clear dichoric glass in a 1″ X 1″ square.

Clean your squares with clear water and a lint free cloth. Be sure your glass is completely dry.

Cut a 2″ square of kiln paper. Place the kiln paper in the center of the bottom of the kiln.

NOTE: There are two sides to clear dichroic glass. Side “A” will give you a matte finish when facing upward in the kiln. Side “B” will give you a glossy finish if facing up.

How do you tell which side is A and which is B? Use a pen! Touch the tip of the pen to the clear dichroic glass surface. If you can see the reflection of the pen and the reflection appears to touch the actual pen tip; that side is “Side A” or the side containing the dichroic coating, naturally the opposite side would be side “B”. 

Place the black glass square in the center of the kiln paper. Put the clear dichroic on top of the black glass with side “B” facing up towards the top of the kiln.

Gently place the kiln bottom in the microwave, cover with the lid.

Fuse using the chart below. PLEASE NOTE: All microwave and kiln combinations will have different firing patterns. Be sure to take careful notes and log all fusing times for future use.

After the first time interval, open microwave and, using Hot Mitts, carefully lift the lid just enough to inspect the fusing process. Next, proceed to the second firing interval of 1 minute: 30 second. Open the microwave using Hot Mitts, carefully lift the lid again just enough to inspect the fusing process. Continue to fuse in 30 seconds interval until the desired results are achieved.

Remove kiln from microwave using the Hot Mitts and place on a heat resistant surface. Cool the kiln for at least 30 minutes with the LID ON. Do not removing the lid or peek under the lid during the cooling stage or this may result in your glass cracking. Glass remains hot for a long time and should be handled with great caution. 

When cool, adhere a large gold bail to the back of the pendant using a glass adhesive such as E6000®. Allow to dry according to glue manufacturer direction. Slip pendant onto your favorite chain and enjoy.

FUSING CHART

The process is time consuming.  You must create a design or use a pattern.  You need to cut the pieces of glass.  Clean all the pieces to remove any oils or dust.  You then layer your pieces onto a kiln shelf (that is either prepared with kiln wash to prevent sticking or with a piece of shelf paper). You then must fire or bake the glass in a kiln for a timed process.  You can’t just super heat glass because it will shatter so you slowly ramp up the heat in the kiln until the glass melts and then slowly ramp the heat down.  There are schedules prepared by the manufacturers of the glass to help you time the firing.  Once fired, the glass must cool before you can continue.  Fused pieces can take several hours or several days to create. The end result is worth it!

Diamond Tech has created a product kit that turns glass fusing into a very do-able, easy to understand process with its Fuseworks Beginner’s Fusing Kit.  Imagine fusing glass in your microwave in minutes! I have to be very honest, I couldn’t believe fusing could be done so quickly, but all my doubts were gone after my first fusing with the kit and its mini Fuseworks Microwave Kiln!!!

You get a ton of stuff in the kit: an assortment of 90 COE glass, Dichroic bits and pieces (beautiful patterned glass), millefiori glass (small discs that have patterns like flowers and such), confetti glass (thin shards of glass), kiln paper, glass cutter, hot mitts, and jewelry findings (earring sets and bails), plus very well written instructions.  You can make many fused jewelry pieces with the supplies included in the kit.

And it really is as easy as cutting your glass, laying down the kiln paper, stacking your glass, putting the top on the kiln, placing the kiln in your microwave and microwaving for a few minutes!!!  I was thrilled with my pieces and I didn’t have to fire up my kiln… all I needed was my microwave. Your piece is even annealed during the 40-50 minute cool down.

A few words to know when fusing:

Anneal: this is a process where the glass becomes its strongest, all glass pieces should be annealed or there is a good chance of the glass cracking over time.

COE: Coeffcient of Expansion, this is usually given to you as a number: 90 COE, 104 COE.  All glass has a COE number and you can only fuse glass pieces that have the same COE number.  In other words you can’t mix a piece of glass with a 90 COE with a piece of glass with a 104 COE.  Manufacturers will give you the COE of their glass.

Dichroic Glass: A glass with multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass optical properties.

Dichroic glass shimmers when fused.

Millefiori: A glass work technique where rods of patterned glass are formed and then cut into small discs.

Many discs of millfiori are fused to create this pendant.

Check out my next blog when guest blogger Jeanne Baruth goes into detail about using this new Fuseworks Microwave Kiln!