This question was originally posed by Susan G.:
I enjoy your website. I am a beginner with fused glass. I was very excited to find someone who uses reclycled window glass and bottle glass ro work with.
Can you tell me:
1. the maximum temp to fire window glass and bottle glass
2. can window glass and bottle glass be fired together to make one piece?
thank you
Susan
Hi Susan;
The maximum temperature ranges from between 1375 for a slump to 1590 for a cast piece. The holding time varies as well, based on what you want to do. Different thickness and age of window glass all play a part. Different colored bottles melt differently as well. Generally I have found that newer windows melt more smoothly, and the darker the bottle glass, the lower the melting point.
I heard once that sky vodka bottles (the blue ones) and float glass are compatible. I tried them and have one piece that “worked”. It didn’t explode, but it did develop a crack about a year later. I’ve been meaning to try it again, but have been following other tangents. It also is possible to fuse the two together if you grind the glass into powder, the super tiny surface area generally eliminates the surface tension. There is a piece on my blog made with this technique, scroll down to August 28 to have a look.
Here is a good website to get you started: http://www.cwc.org/glass.htm
I also highly recommend the glass fusing books by Boyce Lundstrom. They contain really good firing schedules to start from.
Good luck, do let me know how things are working out for you and if I can help with anything else. You can actually watch me make two pieces with recycled window glass on HGTV’s “That’s Clever” show my segment is airing today.
Jodi