Stack ’em!
For this two tutorial I’ll show you the making of two puddles. Each one includes seven 1/8″ thick layers of 3 X 3 inch glass.
Place the stack(s) of glass in your kiln as shown. The glass is going to spread, so be sure to leave plenty of empty space around each stack.
Fire the kiln using the following schedule (which should work fine for 90 or 96 COE glass):
Segment | Ramp | Target | Hold |
1 | 500° F / hr | 1225° F | 1 hour |
2 | FULL | 1500° F | 30 minutes |
3 | FULL | 950° F | 1 hour |
4 | 150° F / hr | 725° F | none |
As with all firing schedules, you may have to adjust this one for your kiln and/or project. If you are firing layers that are much bigger than 3 X 3 inches you may need to slow the ramp in the first segment to avoid thermal shock (especially if your kiln has side elements).
If you happen to peek when the kiln is at full-fusing temperature, you should see something like this:
Your seven layers of glass should spreading to about one third of the orginal height.
Here’s what the glass looks like when the firing is complete:
Take your fully cooled puddles to your work table for the next step…