It’s been a long cold winter here in Salt Lake City, then, suddenly, it’s SPRING! Ah well, I daresay it will snow soon. For the kiln carving pattern this month, we’re going to kick things up a notch and make the pattern a little more complex. Not to worry, there are lots of photos and I’m sure you all will have no trouble whatsoever! (more…)
Welcome to Q & A Monday, which is all about answering reader questions. I’m presenting a demonstration about making your own texture tiles this coming weekend for the Glass Art Guild of Utah, so all our questions today are about molds. If you have a question, send it on over, I just may have an answer! (I’ve removed personal details and names for privacy. If you asked a question and would like your name listed with a back link, just let me know.)
One of the really cool parts about this blog is I get asked a lot of really great questions, some of which I even know the answers to. Since the answers may help others as well, I’m posting them here. If you have a question, don’t be shy, send it on over! (I have left off the names of the question senders for privacy. If you sent a question and would like attribution and a back link, let me know!)
One of the really cool parts about this blog is I get asked a lot of really great questions, some of which I even know the answers to. Since the answers may help others as well, I’m posting them here. If you have a question, don’t be shy, send it on over! (I have left off the names of the question senders for privacy. If you sent a question and would like attribution and a back link, let me know!)
Slumped glass vases are fun to make and really quite lovely. It’s fun to see the random draping of the glass. But, what if you need a more clearly defined drape, or you’d like a more wide open shape. It is really quite easy to make your own custom floral former using a terra cotta pot, fiber paper and a stapler. (more…)
Here are a few of the questions that were sent my way last week, the answers may help others as well, so I’m posting them here. If you have a question, don’t be shy, send it on over! (I have left off the names of the question senders for privacy. If you sent a question and would like attribution and a back link, let me know! J)
Question: I have a ceramics kiln that will follow your schedules but I am scared to use glass in it for fear of wrecking the kiln itself. I’ll stick to simple fusing and melting for now until I get used to the process- as opposed to pot melting and molding. So my questions are: Are you using a glazed bowl for slumping prepared with kiln wash inside and out or do you use unglazed bisqueware with kiln wash? What is the chemical you spray on glass to keep it from going cloudy? We are in New Zealand so chemicals, not brand names are more useful. Will slumping a wine bottle or even fusing it ever make the bottle liquefy so much as to run off the edges of the kiln shelf- assume I put it at least three inches from the edge. How thick does the kiln wash need to be? (more…)
Sometimes a girl just has to melt a whole bunch of glass. I’m working on samples for a possible project, so thought I’d give a quick run through of setting up and firing a bunch of pot melts. The end goal is 4 large pieces and 2 color samples. I’ll be casting 4 solid colors and 2 mixed colors.
This is the saucer for the bottom layer. I need to use this for two different colors, and keep them separate, so I’ll put in a kilnwashed divider made from a strip of old kiln shelf. (more…)
When you are fusing with recycled glass and metal, don’t forget that you can mix metals, both types of metal and different forms of the same metal. Here is a walk through of a recent project that I did using copper sheet and copper wire. This is also a great example about how to use glass with hard water deposits.
