Slumping & fusing experts - tell me this can't be done?

[Steampunkglass]

I have one of those crazed ideas in my head, and before I go further off my nut thinking about it can one of you lovely fusers/slumpers tell me if this won't work so I can forget it and go back to to think about ideas I CAN do!!! It's a bit crazied and arty so bear with me, it's just a jumble in my head at mo! Plus I've never done fusing or slumping - just read a bit about it!

I have in mind a 3d hollow bowl-shape with a large flat front of glass with 'bit's attached to it. The bowl would not be even but have some sharp angles on it made by about 12-15 curved strip-shapes which I would imagine could be formed by slumping them individually.

However the problem would come joining them all together. I figured a mould could be made for them to be laid in so the edges are all touching, then fired to join them    (Tack fusing I think from what I've read so far)

1st question, if I did that wouldn't the rest of the glass move or distort as some strips would be laying flat but some near the top of the 'bowl' would be vertical?

OR is there a glass that melts slightly lower that can be used as  a 'glue' that would join all the bits together before they start slumping?

2nd question;  this is the nasty one; I would then want to fuse a lid to the top of the 'bowl' which would be quite a large flat thin bit of glass with holes in it, and some glass fused to the surface. If I put that onto of the bowl to fuse at the same time as trying to get all the joints to join wouldn't it just sag in the middle? (Which is why a low melting glass that could act as glue would be good)

I know how I could do this - by using stained glass cames to make the joins, but aestically I like the idea of it all being just one bit of glass.

Sorry if this doens't make much sense! This seems to have come from an odd corner of my imagination!

[Flyingcheesetoastie]

Hi ya,

The answer is yes probably but I can't actually visualise what you are trying to do.  Can you do a sketch of the before and after, i.e how the glass starts out and how you want it to look?  Then I can advise you on a glass type and firing programme hopefully.

All the best,

Rachel x

[Steampunkglass]

cheers Rachel, I think I need to get some slumping experiance in first before I try this, but at least I know I haven't totally lost the plot and this is possiably possiable!

I can't actually visualise what you are trying to do

This is the same problem I'm having!  I don't think I'm a position to start on this yet as I'm just trying to get the idea straight in my head first and sketching out ideas and trying to figure out the process - I will have to pester you if I do try this! 

[Flyingcheesetoastie]

Feel free!  Everything is possible, it just might involve a couple of different firings and some creative mold making and in answer to your glass glue theory, you can use low fire enamel to kinda glue stuff togeher in the kiln but I wouldn't recommend this for an edge to edge join more a flat to flat, i.e. if I wanted to 'stick' some eyes I'd make in effetre onto a flat float glass glass face, I could use the enamel to bridge the two types and do it at a low temperature so as not to disturb the shape of either.

Hope that makes vague sense!  I've done many strange thing in the kiln though so please feel free to check out my gallery pages to see if there's anything in there that looks to have used a similar technique.

Rachel x

[julieHB]

What an interesting thread - I thought you were out of your mind, Glenn!!  (only joking..)

[Steampunkglass]

I thought you were out of your mind

It does seem to make most sense, I will ask if I am but the purple penguin in charge is out having lunch with the psychic mice at the moment..... 

[Dennis Brady]

I thought you were out of your mind

It does seem to make most sense, I will ask if I am but the purple penguin in charge is out having lunch with the psychic mice at the moment..... 

Getting glass to fuse together with minimum sag is relatively simple.  Just use a high speed ramp.  Here's an example of one we use to attach cast or torchmade elements to sheet glass without causing sag or distortion:

1.  300F dph to 1000F hold 20 min (to ensure equalized temperature)
2.  1200F dph to 1300F hold 5 min (to produce tack fuse)
3.  FAP to 960F hold 60 (to anneal)
4.  300F dph to 300F OFF

To tack fuse on the lid, you will have to make a mold of some kind to prevent it from sagging.

Attaching with a lower temperature melt glass will not work.  Lower temperature glass will be incompatible and cause the glass to crack.

The other alternative is cold fusing (aka glue).

[Steampunkglass]

Cheers for that, I think I might have to put this on hold until I can get a bigger kiln though, I think my ideas are too advanced for my skill/materials at the moment, but I've noted all this down and will return to this at a later date 

[Dennis Brady]

Cheers for that, I think I might have to put this on hold until I can get a bigger kiln though, I think my ideas are too advanced for my skill/materials at the moment, but I've noted all this down and will return to this at a later date 

As with most all things, what you propose will take a few experimental tweakings to make work.  It would be smarter to do those experiments on a small scale before trying a full scale variation.