About Glass Fusing

or

Learning what "Patience is a Virtue" really means....

It's quite an ordeal not to mention very time consuming! It all sounded easy enough - up until I started learning the details... and I think I have a good idea now of what hell is like...

 First I found out not just any glass can be used. A special compatible glass is needed. Fusing involves the melting together two or more pieces and scoring and breaking has become quite a challenge to me -  and there's no lack of scrap :( 

This whole kiln thing amazes me. It sets in my art studio (the dining room) and I don't stop hugging this great silver pot through the entire tack/fusing/paint process. It's fired up slowly to astronomical tempretures. Then at just the right moment I stand in gloves, mittens and dish towels wrapped carefully up my arm to my body while I open and close the lid to keep it at a steady temp 1500 degrees while continually peeking in with my special Atom Ant googles (you have to really like the bright lights...) until I can see the glass has taken the form I was going for. Not exactly something many desert people (yes, i'm one...) care to do. But wait - it gets better...

Once the fuse is correct the lid is thrown completely open until the kiln reaches 955 - the annealing temp. Its at this time my ac (and anyone else in the house) lets out a groan...  and I continually open and close the lid again holding it at this temp for the next 20- 30 min. Theres an 8 hr cooling off period to wait out.

 I have 4 different types of kiln paints, some calling for 24 hrs of dry time before they can be cured followed by another cooling period, and depending on which ones I use a second and sometimes third firing takes place followed by ...yes... another cooling off period... and possibly a week later-  tada!!!!  A fused glass pendant is born!  :]

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