Kiln and Scrap Glass Questions

[glasscutr]

Questions on two different topics:

Kiln Question

I am totally new to fusing and slumping glass.  All I know is that glass is heated to achieve desired results.

Two years ago I purchased the entire inventory of a stained glass studio that went out of business.  As part of the deal I acquired a Paragon Fusion 7 kiln.  I have not used this kiln or know anything about it.  My question about this kiln is about the round hole on the side of it.  What is this hole for?  Is there a part for the kiln that is suppose to be placed inside this circular hole?  Or is the hole just for venting?

Scrap Stained Glass Question

I have several thousand pounds to scrap stained glass that have been accumulated over 30 years while in the business.  Can this glass be used for fusing & slumping?  Or is it only good for mosaics?  I suspect the latter would be the answer since typical stained glass is not meant for slumping.  Any other suggestions on what I can do with this glass aside from discarding it and using it for mosaics?

[Anonymous]

Thse holes don’t have much purpose for glass fusing.  They rarely line up with what you want to see so they make lousy peep holes. They help with venting but only slightly.  There was propbably once a conical ceramic plug that fit it – but you can jam some used fiber paper in or just leave it open.  Heat loss by convection (air movement) at fusing temps is minimal since the air is so expanded and thin.

As for the stained glass, you can:

1) usually fuse a piece to itself

2) slump single pieces (lots of nice hankerchief vases

3) start testing pieces to see if you can discover which are compatible with each other

Keep in mind that a lot of stained glass doesn’t behave well when heated (ugly color shifts, lots of devitrification, even streaky glasses falling apart).

Many people find that using it ends up being more trouble than it is worth.

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Paul
FusedGlass.Org
Helios Kiln Glass Studio
PaulTarlow.com

 

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