Tips for Removing Bottle Labels

Tips for Removing Bottle Labels

Removing labels from bottles before fusing is always a chore! I’ve found one way to make it somewhat easier is to do the bottles in batches. Start with a bunch of bottles, this is just part of my stash: Bottles ready to be processed I prefer to cut the bottles before...
Polariscope  – Polarized Film Uses

Polariscope – Polarized Film Uses

Polarized Filters (or a Polariscope) can be used to detect internal stress in glass.  The plastic sheets have grooves that filter the light in one direction.  To use them, place one sheet on a light source, add your glass, and place the second sheet on top, with the...
Reusing Kiln Carving Paper

Reusing Kiln Carving Paper

Kiln carving is a terrific technique that allows you to make custom designs out of fiber paper and impress them in the glass during fusing.  The down side is you typically can use your fiber paper kiln carving pattern only once.   However, if you kiln wash the cut...
Manufacturing Marks on Bottles

Manufacturing Marks on Bottles

Most bottle factories mark their bottles with a series of symbols and/or numbers.  These are called Punt Marks.  If you have bottles with identical punt marks, it is a pretty safe bet they came from the same batch, and would therefore be compatible.  Let’s have a...
Diagnosing Cracks in Fused Glass

Diagnosing Cracks in Fused Glass

One of my least favorite things in the world is opening the kiln and finding a cracked piece of glass!  Today we are going to look at a few of the causes of cracks in fused glass, and what we can learn from them. One of the most common cracks that you see in recycled...