Advice on fusing method for ice lollies

[Flowers]

Hello I would really like to make something cheerfull and jolly for a friend of mine who is in lockdown overseas and thought I would have a go (I am still a novice!) at fused glass ice lollies.  I had a go at making a small one by cutting out a 3mm clear tekta lolly shape and then adding 3mm coloured tekta over the top and fusing it on 3mm glass but it all went wobbly and the edges wiggled!  I know it was because I had 9mm instead of 6mm.  So I have tried again by cutting the shapes for my lollies out of 3mm tekta and they will then sit on a 3mm tekta glass.  But now I am stuck.  I do not know whether to do a tack fuse or a full fuse.  There are lots of beautiful ice lollies to be see on a google search but I can't tell whether they have been fully or tack fused.  Or now I am reading about contour fuse and I am not sure if this is the same as a tack fuse.  What should I opt for.
Thank you so much for any advice.

[Dietmar]

Hi !

Just to get in line with your description...
- You want to have lollies on a clear backgroend as on a picture frame? In this case  cut a clear layer for the full surface exept for the lollies. This will melt and push against the colored glass, keeping it in the original shape. That works at all temperatures, best at full fuse.

- If you want the lollies in 3D on the background, forget about the second layer clear and tack fuse on Schott-Artista clear. Artista is stiffer than Bullseye and holds the shapes better. For super stiff sticks use Schott AR-rods. There is a significant difference in the viscosity: (stiff) AR>Artista>Uroboros90>Bullseye (soft).

- Do you want the lollies without the clear background around it? Just take two layers of the colored glass and fuse to relief...full. Add a little splinter of glass over the gap between stick and shugar part to get both parts really into contact. The surface tension will connect both parts well, once there is at least a little bridge.

- An other idea for lollies with wooden stick: Take 3mm stainless steel rods, about 5cm long and dip them half in kilnwash. Let these mandrels dry without touching the coating. Place the first layer of the lolly on the kiln shelf and put 2mm fusing paper next to one point. Place one mandrel for each lolly 15-20mm on the glass, the uncoated end supported by the fusing paper, and add the second layer of glass. Fuse to relief...full. Remove the mandrels by soaking the lollies in water and gently wiggeling them out. Once the hole is cleaned glue real lolly sticks into the holes. For hanging loops use 1mm Kanthal wire and bend it into a U-shape, about 1cm wide and 3cm long. Place it between both layers and let the loop about 1cm out of the glass.

[Flowers]

Hi Dietmar
Thank you so much for the really amazing help I am going to first try a small picture frame method with a full fuse and then when I get more adventurous will try the lollies with a wooden stick that's a lovely idea hopefully I will complete the project and have it sent whilst my friend is still in lockdown to cheer her up.  Thank you for the lovely help.

[Moira HFG]

You'll find some helpful info on the Warm Glass site https://www.warm-glass.co.uk/kiln-schedules-cms-74.html

Full fuse will give you a flat result, tack/contour will give you a more 3D result.

If you want to use Artista glass, you may have to import it from Germany, I don't know of a UK seller (anyone able to correct me here?). But it should work fine in Bullseye or Spectrum.

[Dietmar]

Artista works fine with COE90. Don't mix it with COE96 or other stuff exept fot few crumbles of powders.