After our introduction to glass fusion through the making of frames, students in the Teen and Adult Classes were given the opportunity to continue their experimentation with glass by completing a full fusion glass project.
Design Basics for a Full Fuse
A Full Fuse results in a finished piece that is smooth on top with rounded edges.
- Design Up (on top of the glass) or Design Down (under the glass).
Design Up: Compose on top of a solid piece of glass.
Lines will be soft and irregular because some glass colors flow sooner than others.
Design Down: Design with colored pieces on the kiln shelf and cover with a solid layer of clear sheet glass. The cap will hold the seams in the bottom layer together during firing resulting in crisp lines.
Photo from Bullseye Glass.
- 6 mm rule – Fused glass will retain a thickness of 6 mm. To retain the shape use a thickness of 6 mm or two layers of 3 mm.
If thinner, surface tension will cause the glass to pull in towards the 6 mm mark leaving a thick edge.
If thicker, it will flow outward to flatten to 6 mm unless it is constrained by dams.
Adding decorative glass on top of a 6 mm base lets you expand design options but if too much is added or it is too close to the edge, it may flow out and distort the edge of the piece.
To avoid this, keep added material ¾ inch from the perimeter.
- Avoiding Bubbles
Some bubbles are a natural part of glass fusion. Large bubbles can be distracting. Avoid them by always layering the glass smooth side up, work with full layers of glass and allow pathways for air to escape.
Here is a look at some of the tiles created in class:
A few of the students chose to have their tiles slumped into bowls. Here is a look at a few of the bowls: