Fusing in a Microwave Kiln

[KathC]

Hi. I have just bought a Paragon microwave kiln and am completely new to glass fusing.  I find the instruction book that came with the kiln is not extensive and I have many questions.  One is ‘Where am I going wrong in keeping the sides of a square cut glass pendant straight? When I remove the kiln from the microwave and check the piece after the required time, I find that the sides of the piece have kind of bowed. I have lovely rounded corners but curves instead of straight sides.  HELP!’

[Vernelle]

Are you using two layers of glass?  You usually get the bowed sides when you either fire too hot or only use one layer of glass.

[KathC]

KathC

Hi. Thanks for coming back to me.  Yes, I am using two layers of glass.  I got some fusible glass mini packs when I bought the kiln, but am wondering if the top clear layer should be a thinner glass.  I have more success when making oval and circular shapes.

 

[wordana]

The nature of glass in its liquid form is to round out. If you think about a drop of water sitting on a flat surface, you can try all you want but you are not going to be able to coax that liquid into a square:) Its natural tendency is to form a round drop — glass is the same.

You can try reducing the firing time, but glass fusing really works best with careful monitoring during firing. That’s not something you can achieve with a microwave kiln, unfortunately.

Regards,

Dana W.

http://www.jestersbaubles.etsy.com

jestersbaubles.blogspot.com

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