Fire Polishing schedule help

[Carrie.L]

I need some advice on fire-polishing a piece as I have never done this before. It was fully fused to 1/4″ using System 96 transparent and opal glass. Finished size is about 9 1/2″ diameter. The edges were uneven, so I used a fine grinding bit all the way around to even them out. I then cleaned the entire piece and used a soft toothbrush on the re-worked edges. I understand that fire-polishing is the best method to remove the grinding marks and give a glossy rounded finish. Would someone be able to provide a fire-polishing schedule? The one’s I have found on-line use anywhere from 3, 5 to 8 segments. With so many variations, I’m a uncertain which one to use. Your help would be most appreciated. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Hi Carrie,

You can find a schedule on this site here:

Firing Schedules

Here are some additional tips:

• Remember that all kilns fire differently AND every type of glass has a slighly different melting temperature.  For the best results, run some tests in your kiln on the same kind of glass to find the ideal top temperature.
• When firing a piece with ground edges, avoid shelf and fiber paper in the kiln. The smoke that is created when the binder burns off can cause hazing on ground edges.  A freshly kiln-washed shelf works best.

Good luck

---

Paul
FusedGlass.Org
Helios Kiln Glass Studio
PaulTarlow.com

 

[Carrie.L]

Thank you, Paul, for the link and the valuable tips.

Carrie

[dpfans]

I have fired my kiln for a whole 5 days so far and am pretty much clueless but it is going pretty well.  These schedules should help immensely!  Thank YOU!

[Author]

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