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 fiber paper pattern prior to fusing with it, it often will lift cleanly away from the glass and you can use it again.
 
For example:
 
Here are two little peace signs, the one on the left is kilnwashed, the one on the right isn’t:

After firing, you can see the kiln washed fiber paper easily and cleanly pops out, ready to be used again.  The fiber paper does get progressively thinner and more fragile as you fire it again.  It’s best if you can leave the pattern in place in the kiln and just add new glass to it.  Although I have been able to use some patterns 3 or more times, I prefer to keep it at 2 firings because the details stay clear.

Shelf Paper Burnout Time Lapse

If you’ve ever wondered why your shelf paper smells when you fire it, you are in luck!  We’ve made a time lapse video showing the organic binder burning out of the shelf paper as it fires.  Notice how the paper turns black and then white again, when the paper is white...

Nichrome Wire Gauges and Uses

Nichrome wire is a very useful thing in the glass fusing world.  Nichrome is shorthand for Nickel Chromium, which are the two main ingredients in Nichrome Wire.  There are several different types of Nichrome, with different capabilities. These specs are from the...

Triangle Bead Mold Instructions

The Triangle bead mold kit is easy to use and versatile, you can change the size of the beads easily, as well as embellish them with paint and mica.  The basic instructions for triangle beads are included here. Step 1: Prepare Mandrels by dipping in bead release and...