Fused Glass Project Ideas for Coldworking Scrap & Cut Off

There are many of you who have been following this blog for a long, long time...and AAE Glass thanks you for that. For those of you who have been loyal readers, you know how eloquently Mark writes this blog. He is the writer of the family and alas, I have no writing skills what-so-ever. I am the fused glass artist and instructor and writing is not my game. I am not even sure I have ever written in this blog! That being said, stay tuned for some "reader's shock" followed by missed words and probably a lot of run on sentences...as this is how I talk. I DO however, have some really creative ideas on how to use the scrap glass cut offs from your tile saw with the methods I have taught many of you! I feel it is best and less confusing if I just list the projects and then steps. If you have any ideas please contribute them here! (Check back often as I will be updating this with pictures and more ideas.)

BACKSPLASH TILE OR COASTERS OR PENDANT BLOCK OR PLATE OR.......:

1. Gather all of your fused glass cut offs that you sliced with your tile or ring saw. We put all of ours in a bowl as we cut them.

2. Place the scraps in a pot of water on the stove. *I'm not kidding*

3. Drop 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in the water and bring it to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes.

4. Drink the water *NOW I'm kidding!* -Dont drink the water....

5. Drain the pot into a strainer outside in the lawn.

6. Place your freshly boiled and now VERY cleaned scraps into a freezer bag. Start nipping away with your mosaic nippers and create small pieces of fused glass cut offs.

7. Cut a piece of Bullseye Glass 2mm thin clear (or play with other transparent colors for bases) to the size of your tile choice. Let's say 4 x 4" for a coaster. Build this coaster directly onto your kiln shelf.

8. Dam the glass with kiln furniture, fire bricks, cut up kiln shefs or damz. Make sure you have kiln washed your damns or use fiber paper to line the the inside of the dam. Place additional kiln furniture around the outside of your dams so the glass does not push away your dam. You dam is to contain the flow of your glass. So, your coaster will be about 1/4-3/8" depending on how thick your jewelry was.

8. Using Bullseye Glasstac glue and a pair of bead tweezers, start placing your cleaned bits that you boiled in a randow pattern on your 2mm thin clear glass base. Push the pieces tightly together, but you do want tiny gaps between the bits as they will not fit together obviously.

9. Let this dry overnight.

10. The next day, choose one or several colors of Medium glass frit. Take a dixie cup or frit scoop and literally "grout" the tile and let the colored frit fall between the gaps. You are not going to clear cap this piece. Full fuse at the following schedule (the larger the piece, the slower you go and longer anneal!) The following schedule is my RECCOMMENDED schedule. Start here and adjust according to your kiln. This schedule is for Bullseye Glass.:

1. 300 DPH 1000 HOLD 60 MIN.
2. 100 DPH 1220 HOLD 60 MIN.
3. FULL 1515 HOLD 22 MIN.
4. FULL 900 HOLD 120 MIN.
5. 100 DPH 750 HOLD 6O MIN.
6. 150 DPH 75 -NO HOLD


SIMPLE PROJECT:

Throw all your scraps into a potmelt and fire to the following schedule: The following schedule is my RECCOMMENDED schedule. Start here and adjust according to your kiln. This schedule is for Bullseye Glass.

1. 1000 DPH 1000 hold 30 min.
2. 200 DPH 1180 hold 30 min.
3. 1000DPH TO 1650-1700 Hold 90-110 min.
4. Full to 1505 hold 60 min.
5. Full to 900 hold 60 min.
6.150 DPH to 750
7. Turn firebrick kiln off.