Fused pendants

[Margram]

Dear All,

Further to my excited note in the 'show us your workspace' thread a little while ago, I had a go at fusing some dichroic pendants
for my friend Helen in my 'new' SC3, with mixed results.  The ones that succeeded are lovely but the two on the bottom corners
of this picture shattered. The broken one on the bottom right was near the bead door and therefore probably cooler. The left-hand
one actually stuck to the kiln shelf (sob). I used bead release as shelf wash and it was fine for the other colours...(but I think I'll
use some of that special paper next time).

It seems to be that buttery-coloured glass, though it was all right as a 'sandwich filler' in the top right-hand piece 

All part of the learning curve

Marg x




                                                                                                         



           
                                                                                                         

[sea-thistle]

Hi Marg  Maybe the glass on the bottom that shattered was not compatible with each other?? You maybe thought they were the same but they weren't, not necessarily your fault. Or the piece in the middle was thicker than the rother glass you used. I've had it happen to me The dark one that stuck to the shelf It may have been too thick and near the edge. All glass when fused fuses to 1/4  thick, so it spread. I made a pendant too thick and it happened to me, and stuck to the cermaic shelf edge . Gently tap  the glass that's gone over the edge and it hopefully will come away from the shelf, and probably not damaged it. Luckily it has not gone on your kiln!

I always use fibre paper not the very thin stuff as it goes to powder and is a health hazard. 2mm thick I use. also I put a bit on the bottom of the kiln floor in case of accidents !! Your pendants are very good!! It's a long learning curve, but fun!! I love the blue top left and the green one! They are lovely!

[Margram]

Thanks for the reply. These are my friend Helen's work, so can't claim any glory

The dark one didn't stick actually; it was just the two buttery ones.
Yes, I'll have to use some fibre paper next time. I was in too much of
a hurry

Marg x

[Hotglass28]

Marg, I make Dichroic cabs for a living. Don't be affraid to use the fibre paper at all, its safe as long as you don't blow it around.  I take my kiln shelf carefully to the sink after firing/cooling and slowly open the warm tap so the dust gets trapped by the water.  The water trickles around the shelf and gobbles the dust so to speak.

So exciting to experiment isnt it, I bet you got the bug now. (or your friend has)

It looks like your friend is trying to run before she walks in her experiments. Try doing simple cabs to try and master getting the shape first then go daring and try a perfect slump. (ie, the pendants with the fibre paper through them)  You will find that it may take two to three firings at different temperatures to get a perfect looking or at least half successful hole through the glass.
It took me a while to get it right to a degree that I was happy to sell mine with the holes like that.

Well done, cool start.

Denise

[Zeldazog]

Marg

Even though, within a range such as Bullseye (is that what you used?), colours are compatible coefficient wise, and supposedly fuse at the same temperatures, I often find some colours stick more than others - well, some colours come clean off the kiln shelf, others take the kiln wash off with it.. basically some colours soften sooner than others (once you know which colours do this, you can use it for effect).

I too use the thinfire paper sometimes, or the fibre paper, but neither are a cheap option. I buy Bullseye Shelf Primer and brush on at least five or six thin layers, sometimes more (I use it quite thin) with a haik brush.  It usually lasts a good few firings though, unless I have stuck a cab to the shelf that is!

For an SC3 shelf, a small tub (under £4 for a 400g tub) of the stuff will last for ages (they say around  thirty 22 inch square shelves), so if you're thinking of doing more fusing, I would invest in a bit of it. 

Although ceramic batt wash, glass shelf primer and bead release will all be similar, they are formulated for different purposes - so watering down something that is meant to be thick to make it brushable on a shelf could have a bearing on its effectiveness.  Shelf primer is designed to be applied in thin layers, but you do have to build it up, and you have to make sure it is thoroughly dried out too (I either stick it in the kiln up to 250 C for about half an hour, or on top during a firing.

Is that your kiln shelf?  If it is, it doesn't look like you have that much kiln wash on it, which could be why the buttery colour stuck.  In fact, the broken one could be the result of sticking too - as the glass cools, it will shrink, and if it was stuck to the shelf it could cause cracking.

And whilst I would agree that near the bead door might be cooler, its not obviously different - I would have expected a different degree of fuse if there was much of a temperature variance- unless it is loosing heat extremely rapidly at that point, then it could be thermal shock.

I'd agree with Denise, start simple, get to know your kilns hot and cool spots, and the properties of different coloured glasses.

Good start though!



Oh, a tip from our technician at uni - if you have glass (or glaze) stick to the shelf, you can usually gently chisel it off - but have the shelf leaning up against the wall, and not flat on a surface - apparently that can cause it to shatter!

[Margram]

Thanks for your replies ladies.  I have been using the shelf paper since this firing and it is running out
rapidly, so I think I will use your tip on the Bullseye shelf primer.

In the meantime, I have been making some simple pendants myself with no problems - see my other post
for pics (half-way down the pagehttp://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=12055.0    

Marg x