tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65358894390702443252026-04-15T14:15:48.247+01:00Information on stained glass, fusing, kilnforming and glass working Stephen Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17854964450984329333noreply@blogger.comBlogger1312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535889439070244325.post-54002835714665260422026-04-15T07:00:00.033+01:002026-04-15T07:00:00.138+01:00

 Initial Discussions Once the clients decide they want something give them your time. Find out what they like about it, what they don't like, what space it's going in - is it on the wall, on a plinth? The time spent will pay dividends as the most important thing is your time and they'll remember it afterwards. It is part of the cost of doing business and forms the basis of the written

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  "No need to anneal dots assuming they’ll be used in projects." Because dots are small they anneal in a short time, therefore no need for an anneal *hold*, but still the dots anneal. The larger the dots become – to cabochon size – the more important it is to have a temperature equalisation soak. This is what is usually called the anneal hold. If the dots didn't anneal, they would break.

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The shape glass takes up during a drape seems to vary depending on whether the glass is a square or a circle at the start. The square often forms a taco shape before the “horizontal” ends soften and fall, pushing the glass into four drapes. The angle of these drapes will move more toward being straight down with additional time or heat. Circular draped glass tends to form three drapes, which

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This is a question which always has two entrenched sides.  One for always doing it; one for grinding only when necessary for shape. Some facts: The glue on foil is an impact adhesive. Impact adhesives stick most securely to smooth surfaces, and resins stick well to roughened surfaces. The adhesive is severely weakened by the heat of soldering. It is a misconception

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Why is the stress not relieved after the strain point when slumping? The answer relates to whether it is on the cool or on the heat up. Cooling The annealing occurs at a higher temperature than the strain point. The aim of the annealing soak is to even out the temperature within the glass to be equal to or less than 5°C/10°F (∆T=5C). When this small differential in temperature is achieved, there

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From time to time the assertion is that a break during the heat up of a blank while slumping is the result of residual stress remaining in an under-annealed blank.  Is there a relationship between inadequate annealing and slumping breaks?It seems to be the general consensus that it is true. It is clear that poorly annealed glass is more likely to break.  The assumption is that the

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Is there any cutter that fits all people? Probably not, given the number varieties there are on the market. Cutters seem to fall into two groups – the straight or pencil cutter and those with grips. Some examples of cutters The pencil cutter gives the most freedom of movement. It is very versatile, and direct in use. However, many do not have the grip strength to use the pencil cutter for long

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 Enhancing Glass Bonding Characteristic with Silanes and Polymer Coatings Although glasses are often valued for their chemical inertness, this property also presents challenges when attempting to form strong chemical bonds with other materials. Silanes and polymer coatings offer effective solutions by enhancing the bond between a glass and other materials in a composite. The

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 Cutting strips is repetitive, but requires accuracy. This can be achieved with expensive tools that do the job very well. It can also be done with only a few tools – most of which you already have.This photo shows some of them.The adjustable try square is really useful, as once it is set, you can be sure all the distances will be the same. The distance should be the width you require plus

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 Annealing Includes Cooling Often people recommend a long anneal soak for potentially difficult pieces followed by an arbitrary 55C/100F cool rate to 371C/700F or 319C/600F. It is arbitrary because the same rate is frequently recommended regardless of the length of the anneal soak. It does not have to be guesswork. Bullseye has provided us with the science of the anneal/cool in an

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Selection Diamond discs for flat laps are expensive and the temptation is to buy as cheaply as possible. There are a number of relatively inexpensive sintered and bonded diamond steel base discs. These are acceptable up to about 220 grit, but the finer grits can leave deeper scratches. It seems to be the grit size is not closely controlled, allowing coarser grits into the bonding process. My

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A flat lap is a horizontal spinning disk to grind and polish flat surfaces onto the fired glass piece. Many desire one of these but are put off by the expense and sometimes the space they occupy. There is a do-it-yourself alternative that I have used. This is to use potter’s wheels as flat laps. Table top versions are useful as they are moveable to a storage shelf when not in use. Mine

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 Peptides as a glass. Thanks Susan Walpole for the link to a YouTube video.youtube.comA glass that builds and heals itselfResearchers have discovered that a peptide, when mixed with water, can self assemble into a rigid 

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 I was accepted along with others on the basis of a proposal to exhibit with a travelling exhibition organised by the Scottish Glass Society.This will be packed and unpacked by other people at least four times during the exhibition year. My experience with helping to pack up the Collect work exhibited by craftscotland showed me the need to prepare the packing properly.I

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“I want to tack fuse [6mm thick crescents to] stand erect...[on] a base. I need help thinking this through. … Is there a way to fuse them erect without forming a puddle of glass?” It is correct that at tack fuse the crescents will deform. It is, after all, above the slump temperature. You could use fibre blanket packed between the crescents arranged in a fan formation. This requires assembly on

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 This is a presentation I gave a while ago on why and how to test for stress without risking the piece, that is, non-destructive testing.

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How to get stuck glass out of a reusable mould?The material is important to the method of removing stuck glass. Metal expands and contracts more than glass. Ceramic expands and contracts less than glass. Mechanical methods Metal moulds can be hit relatively hard to break the contact between the mould and glass. Ceramic moulds should have only gentle taps, as they are more fragile

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Sometimes the ideal colours for your project are reactive with each other, but a reaction line, or area, is undesirable. Bob Leatherbarrow has demonstrated the possibility of avoiding the reaction. This works most clearly when using frit to blend one colour into another. Lay down the first reactive colour, then add clear frit or powder to cover the overlap area before adding the second reactive

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 Artist-led exhibitions make me realise why we pay commissions to galleries.I spent a whole of a day making table-like plinths for the exhibition.These are simple objects that require stability, must be plain to avoid competing with the object(s) on it, and - in our case - must be flexible and easy to store.Based on two different design suggestions, I have constructed a table supported -but

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  vitrification processImage credit: radopactovotu/eu.comExpanding Nuclear Waste Vitrification Strategies with Customizable Glass by Rebecca Straw. Nuclear power plays a key role in sustainable energy generation, offering a long-term solution with its extended operating life and low greenhouse gas emissions. As of 2025, nuclear energy supplies approximately 10% of the world’s electricity,

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There are many opinions on how glass cuts when cold.  Some report cutting outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures, others that only warm glass cuts well.  I decided to see what scientific information there may be on this idea. The Science The scientific literature mostly concentrates on the effects at higher temperatures than we are concerned with.  However, there are some things

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  Using Glass to Optomize Composite Materials for Battery Applications by Rebecca Straw Polymer-based resins, such as epoxy, polyurethane, and silicone, are commonly used for sealing and potting applications in batteries. By filling voids within a battery enclosure, these materials help to promote heat dissipation and electrical insulation while offering protection against mechanical stress

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Example used with the maker’s permission Piece in kiln ready to fire Description of the piece. A commissioned piece made up of Bullseye glass, 38cm/15” diameter, 3mm base with 2 and 3mm strips laid on top to a 6mm maximum depth, fired on a “standard” full fuse at 795°C/1463°F, annealed for 3.5 hours. The piece took up the whole of a newly primed shelf. The fired piece  The

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"Why do the ground edges of my glass appear on top of the glass?" The scum from grinding edges, which promotes devitrification, often appears in in fusing. But why does it appear on the surface? There is a lot of movement of glass edges during a firing. On the way up in temperature, the glass is relatively stiff and expands with a vertical edge during most of this phase.  At

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There are many aspects to drilling into glass.  This post reviews the major aspects.Keeping Things WetWhen drilling glass it is important to keep the drill bit and glass wet always, otherwise the glass gets too hot and will break and cause the bonding of the diamonds on the bit to deteriorate. There are a variety of things you can do to achieve this:Drill with the glass

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