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.

Wine Bottle Votive Lantern

Garden mood lighting is a category that I completely forgot about until we started updating our patio and seating areas this year.  A few of these lovely lanterns with candles (I like battery powered ones) make a soft friendly flickering light that encourages relaxing...

Gold Lusters on Glass

Gold and Palladium Lusters on Glass Lusters Lusters are a ceramic product used to add precious metal accents to porcelain or china (think the gold rim on plates).  However, they can also be used on glass.  Today we’re adding Gold and Palladium polka dots to already...

Adding Mica to Fused Bottle Bottoms

If you’ve been following my adventures in glass at all, you’ll know that I love mica and will add it to just about anything!  Today I’m adding mica to the raised designs of fused bottle bottoms.  These have all been fused on bottle bottom molds, for reference, you can...