This guide is intended to help the glass crafter to produce great results frit casting using stained glass scraps and casting molds.

You've purchased a mold to begin using up all of those scrap pieces of glass you've been holding onto, Now what?

First things first - all molds need to have a separator applied - Hotline Prime primer is a good kiln wash to use, it can be applied thin and evenly and can be removed with a stiff brush. There are many good kiln washes or primers available in the market today, I am not promoting one over the other.   If the kiln wash is applied too thickly it will obscure the design and probably stick to your glass.  Mix all separators according to the package directions and apply one to three coats, letting each coat dry before reapplying. Most of the primers have color added to make it easy to see if you have covered all areas of your mold.

 I stick my molds in the oven for a while to help hurry the drying process or you can use a hairdryer. I do not pre-fire my molds prior to filling with glass, but make sure your mold is completely dry.  After your mold has been fired, the primer can be removed with a stiff brush and fresh applied for another fire.  These molds are made from a special refractory ceramic and can crack if heated or cooled too fast or if dropped, so handle your molds with care and they will yield many castings. 

 The molds that I make are not recommended for temperatures above 1500, so pyrex, float glass or bottle glass are not recommended, as they require higher firing temperatures and may damage your mold.

Step 2 - fill your mold with stained glass bits, dichroic, chunks, or frit. It is important to use all glass that is compatable or reffered to as - COE.  There are many glasses on the market today that are fusable, some of the more common ones are Spectrum Coe - 96 and Bullseye - COE 90.  If you don't know the coe of your glass,you will want to test it first. If you stick to the same color group - most glasses will work for fusing.

 Fusing has become very popular the past few years and there is a lot of information available.  I always fill my molds as full as possible, mounded up in the middle to allow the glass to flow into the outer edges of the mold.  It is always helpful to use a small brush to brush the glass away from the edges of the mold as this can cause peaks along the edges of your casting.  Glass tends to shrink and ball up as it is fired, so I usually do 2-3 firings to get a good casting., adding more frit as needed. 

 Sometimes the casting will not fall out of the mold easily, turn it over and tap against the back of the mold to remove it. If it still doesn't fall out, it may mean that the mold was not properly primed. After the second fire, I usually remove the casting and grind off any peaks or bumps to smooth it out and then re-fire adding more frit if needed at a slightly lower temperature to smooth it outand make it shine

Remeber -  It is fun to experiment and have fun with this process!

Many of the small kilns on the market today are perfect for this casting process as they do not require as much time to fire and multiple firings can occur in the same day.

I have included some firing schedules to use as a guide to get started.

COE 90

1 - 300*F to 1375 hold 10 minutes

2 - cool to 960*F as fast as possible, no venting

3 - 60*F/ hour to 700*F

4 - kiln off, cool down - no venting

COE 96

1 - 300*F/ hour to 1350*F hold 10 minutes

2 - cool to 960*F no venting

3 - 60*F/hour to 700*F

4 - kiln off, cool down - no venting

Some of the castings I've made using our molds

we have molds for shells, flowers, leaves, stars, starfish, frogs, jewels, ladybugs, hearts, crosses, dragonflies & snowflakes, just to name a few - Drop by our store and take a look!

I am always willing to try to answer questions about fusing - please contact me by e-mail thru my store

I hope this guide has been helpful!

Please visit our E-Bay store to see the selection of fusing molds we have to offer!