It’s been a few months since we had a new kiln carving pattern. After nearly 3 years of drawing these, I hit a creative slump and just couldn’t think of anything new and interesting to do. After a couple months off though, I have ideas! Here’s one for May, and June’s is already in progress.
Step 1. Download the pattern. Some of the underlying code of the website has changed, so to download the pattern, visit the online Shop and select the May 2014 pattern. (link opens in a new tab). Print the pattern out after the download is complete.
Step 2. Pin the printed pattern over a piece of fiber paper large enough to accommodate the whole pattern. This pattern doesn’t have a border, so make sure your paper is larger than the piece of glass that you’re planning to use. (don’t worry, it will be clear later in the process)
I’m using 1/16″ fiber paper and pinning both layers to a cardboard sheet to protect my work surface.
Step 3. Carefully remove the gray area of both the pattern and the fiber paper underneath. I find it easiest to cut the paper, peel it out, and then run my X-acto knife around the edges of the pattern, this helps prevent tears in the fiber as you pull it out.
Keep doing that until all of the gray areas are removed:
Step 4. Once the whole thing is cut, discard the paper pattern. You’ll notice that the base of the tree may not stay attached to the rest of the pattern. This is okay, you can line it up when you put it in the kiln.
Step 5. Place the whole pattern on a prepared kiln shelf.
Step 6. Add glass on top of the pattern. I’m using the bottom of a large blue bottle. You can scale the print out of the pattern to fit other sizes of bottle bottoms if you wish. Fire to a full fuse.
Step 7. After fusing, drill a hole in the top edge for hanging, or slump into a shallow dish for jewelry or keepsakes.
This may be a stupid question, but how do I slump it? Face up or face down? If I slump it face up, it seems like I’ll lose the tree, but if I slump it face down, the design will be indented into the surface of the inside of the bowl.
fxblf that’s not a dumb question at all. I’ve done both. The pattern will flatten *slightly* when you slump it, but will still be quite visible. My sort of rule of thumb is I slump design side up (inside the dish, ceramic mold) if the glass is dark colored and design side down (outside surface of the dish, ceramic mold) if it’s clear. I think it’s easier to see the pattern in clear glass if it’s on the back. It would also depend on what you’re using it for. Obviously you wouldn’t want the tree on the inside surface if you’re using it for sushi, the pattern might be hard to wash food out of. If it’s a jewelry dish, then it would be fine. Does that help? I can post photos of both if that would help you, just let me know.