New pics soon

Well I am going to pick up my first batch of annealed cabs on Saturday. Finally!! I have left them at Nats place for a month now, I feel really slack. But even better I get to take some others over so they can get annealed. AND EVEN BETTER...I should have some new photos up because I'll be getting some back which I didn't get time to take some photos of. Yippee!!

This post isn't that exciting just thought I needed to update!

Tacking Continued & New Fused Glass

This is actual pictures of the tacking that I have been trying out. This isn't the exactly photo but is a general idea of what I started out with in the beginning.

Then after I had done my melting to the point that I was happy this is the result! One side has melted a little more then than the other, not sure why but that doesn't really matter.

I was doing another one like this with clear rods to place on top of this one to make a pendant. But the glass rods kept rolling everywhere and I think they may have fused some of the dust residue from the fire paper inbetween where the rods are tacked. I will have to have a look once it has cooled down. If it has then I will probably just melt this one a little but longer and just have the pendant as it is. I will have to grind the edges to make it a bit more smooth and even. Another step in my glass adventures!

Also I have updated my Flickr account with some more fused glass photos. Go and check them out!

New Technique - Tacking Glass

I'm not sure if this is the correct term but I am calling it tacking glass. This is the next step in my glass adventure.

Basically with the glass rods that I have been given recently I find it hard to stack them onto each other without them rolling away. So I have decided to try a techniques which I am sure is called tacking the glass. This basically is melting the glass to a point in which is adheres to each other but hasn't lost its shape. I don't have any photos at the moment (which I hope to have tomorrow) but I have done some simple diagrams.

Before the rods are 'tacked'. See how even they are at the joins.

After the rods have been 'tacked'. The edges where they meet have become a little more uneven and have adhered to each other.

With my glass fusing I have found it is best for me to go through 4 different steps just to avoid any glass breaking from any temperature changes too quickly. I have found to tack this type of glass (which is COE 104) I have to go through my first 3 steps but leave the last step.

Tacking can not also be used for this sort of work but it can also be used to keep a raised texture on glass pieces or it can be to simple attach one glass piece to another without completely losing the shape. My pictures aren't the best but hopefully I will have some photos tomorrow once I charge the batteries in my camera and take some photos!

More generosity

Well this morning I went and met another one of the ladies from the Beading Forum, Lyn. She had sent me a message saying that she had some glass rods which she didn't need anymore and if I would like them. Of course I said YES!! When I got there I got to meet all of her lovely animals (which I loved!) and she also gave me a couple of 2mm Cubic Zurconias in Lavender. They are very pretty! I must get my dremel out and get practicing with these CZs! Below are some pics of what Lyn gave me. They aren't the best photos but you get the idea!

Bullseye COE90

Effetre COE104

2mm Cubic Zurconias - Lavender

Then of course I had someone else get in on the photoshoot!

I hope to get to have a little play with my glass tomorrow sometime! I have been so busy getting assignments done lately that I've had to put it on hold for a little while.

New layout

Well as some of you who read this may have noticed that I changed the layout. The other one was really nice and clean but it wasn't me and I didn't really like it that much. So now I have chosen this one which reflects myself a little bit better and it is still clean and easy to read.

I have also started to change my font and all of that jazz so hopefully I remember to change it everytime I post!

New fused glass photos

I have updated some photos in my fused glass album on Flickr. You can go to see them by clicking on the title of this post or by clicking on one of the photos to the right under 'fused glass photos'.

Hope you like them!

I thought I would add a photo of some of the glass that Natsprat has given me when I visited her a couple of weeks ago. This is all 104COE which isn't what I usually use but I have read up a couple of techniques I can use this rod offcuts to make jewellery. I have had a little play with it but just melting it down and seeing what temps and times I have to use it at.

Loads of glass!!

On Saturday I was visiting one of the ladies from the Beading Forum, Natsprat as she said she had some 96 glass which she had that she cannot use. Sheesh, by the time I got out of there I had had a mini lampworking demo, given tonnes and tonnes of glass, given silver bits, glow in the dark dust, and lots and lots of other stuff! Not only this but Nat also has offered to anneal my pieces for me in her kiln as I am unable to do it myself. Very very generous lady! Oh and also to add she gave us a dozen eggs! I haven't had one yet because I was very crook over the weekend and didn't wanna mess with my stomach but I'll be having one soon!

Can't wait to get my pieces back so that I can start taking some decent photos of them to put up on my flickr.

My Steps in Fusing Glass

Since starting this new venture I thought I would do a mini step by step process to show how some of the fused glass pieces are made.

Step 1

Here you can see that I have already cut out my glass that I have wanted to use. I have a plain black base, three odd pieces of dichroic glass and then a clear glass over the top. This is slightly bigger then then the black to stop the bottom from melting up the sides.

This is just a side on view for you to see how the glass is stacked. Unless you want to try and get an exactly perfect pattern then the glass doesn't have to be even. Sometimes I like to melt different things just to see what effect I get.

Step 2

I have put my piece into the microwave on the kiln base. I do have a piece of thin kiln fire paper down underneath the glass pieces so that no sticking occures.

Step 3

This is after I have started melting/fusing the glass. This was right at the end once I was happy with the outcome. You can see that its glowing a really bright red. It is very important that when looking at this stage not to stare at the glass for too long as it can do some damage to your eyes.

Step 4

From here I let the glass set for approximately an hour or so. I find that if I leave the glass in the microwave to cool then it can take up to 90minutes for it to be cool enough to take out of the kiln. If I leave the glass in the microwave for approximately 30minutes and then take it out and place it somewhere to cool then I can generally take it out of the kiln at around the 60minute mark.

Step 5


This is my final product. You can see that a little air bubble got trapped in the middle of the cab.