rgilbert

Are you using the photo paper that you print yourself? What is the firing schedule?
There’s lots of ways to go about this, but you need to keep records of what works and what doesn’t.
1. Make the cabs and then refire to 1350 degrees.
2. You can sift clear frit onto the glass and fire to 1400. If you don’t cover it well the first time, you might…[Read more]

Generally, the silver bezel wire is added to the pre-fused glass, fused and voila, ready to go once fired. If the bails need to be cleaned, a polishing cloth or silver polish will do the trick.
–Roxane

Unfortunately, the debate over whether it’s art or craft will more than likely continue. Because of the proliferation of fused glass jewelry, I would guess that success has created its own monster.
I think it would be an interesting exercise to create larger pieces in glass of fused delights and see if those will pass muster with the same juried…[Read more]

What kind of base are you thinking about? Is it to be incorporated  into the design or is it something that can be done separate?
I know you can mold a three-dimensional piece and include a base easily enough. You can also blow such a piece as you’ve described where the glass cools enough to maintain its shape, but not enough to melt.  You can a…[Read more]

The line between art and craft is arbitrary and ill-defined. Alexander Calder made the most unwearable pieces of jewelry that are considered as artistic as his large-scale mobiles and sculptures. Ansel Adams makes a photo of a mountain and it is art; Joe Schmoe does it and it is a snapshot.
Where to draw the line? There is craft in creating the…[Read more]

I’m by no means an expert. Key to becoming better at anything, as you know,  (stealing a line from Nike) is to just do it. As Paul pointed out in his Ten Commandments, the key to proficiency is not in how many years one has been working at something like fused glass, but in how many firings you have learned from. If you fire  regularly and keep n…[Read more]

You don’t really say what you are doing or what the outcome is. Do you have a washout of light or just not enough? Are you shooting digital or film? What kind of camera — a camera with the ability to alter the aperture/shutter speed or not?
Using the program is fine, but first thing about to consider is where the light is coming from and the…[Read more]

When I had a mold fail, I had a similar problem. I gave up on the glass piece and used a diamond saw very carefully to cut the glass away from the shelf. It worked since it wasn’t a large shelf and the glass was on the edge. I was able to remove some of the glass on the top with light raps from a hammer, but the bulk of the clean-up was with a…[Read more]

You can check out http://www.cwc.org/gl_bp/gbp3-0401.htm for information to start.You might also try http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/bottle-glass.html for general info.
Are you recycling bottles and the like or are you recycling art glass?
If you’re going to slump bottles, there was an earlier thread devoted to that topic.
I can tell you my…[Read more]

There’s another thread on this forum regarding plaster molds– http://fusedglass.org/node/291. I can only add that it might be better to make a positive from the mold and recast the positive in clay  which would then become your casting mold.
I was given boxes of plaster molds that I essentially use for molding glass using cmc as the binder or…[Read more]

The best part of the Inland Swap top is that it can be several machines in one. The one I’ve used was tempermental about supplying water to the work area.I used both the flat lap and the grinder with it– it worked fine.
The key questions you’ll have to ask yourself is if you are interested in grinding the bottoms of bowls or vases flat? Are you…[Read more]

In an attempt to save money on molds, I went to the local ceramic store, bought a shallow bowl and have used it for many firings. It works.
Pick out a mold that is not too complicated, detailed or deep. I started out with a shallow bowl and have added a plate. I’ve found that something which requires a gentle slump or has a rim and gentle slope…[Read more]

Hi
It’s a mad mad mad mad market out there. There’s any number of places that sell silver bezel wire– Metalliferous, MonsterSlayer, Rio Grande, etc. Fire Mountain Gems has a $5, stuff the box deal that is reasonable, but you’ll have to balance postage with upcharges on the bezel wire.
Roxane

Instructions for so many glass items are online, thank goodness. I just bought a used Diamond Laser saw and the online instructions have been invaluable.
Try this http://www.inlandcraft.com/Uguides/UGarchive/UGstrip.htm

I try to make it as low-tech easy as possible. Like one of the earlier responses, I’ll fold over flat silver and sandwich that into the glass when I fuse. I split the flat pieces into a V to add a little more interest to the pieces. I’ve also been able to stamp on the flat silver and add a bit more interest to the piece.
The wire doesn’t cost much…[Read more]

I like the rubber cement idea– it works. I have ironed my pattern pieces onto the freezer paper you’ll find at the grocery store. The plastic in the paper preserves the pattern pieces a bit longer than if they were straight paper.
I’ve also drawn the pattern pieces directly onto the paper and then ironed the pieces onto the glass. The plastic…[Read more]