Glass Fusing Made Easy Fire Polishing Fused
Begin Glass Fusing
Begin Glass Fusing
Want to try the art of fusing glass? Start here!
We understand that it can be difficult to know where to start with glass fusing. It is actually very easy to create beautiful works of art with glass. Let us show you how.
What is fused glass anyway?
Fused glass (sometimes known as 'kiln-formed glass' or 'warm glass') is an artistic technique where clear and/or coloured glass is melted or fused together in a kiln to produce a huge range of art pieces, from jewellery to bowls, sculptures, panels and ornaments.
Kiln-formed glass can be split into three basic techniques: Fusing, Slumping and Casting. Once these simple processes are mastered there is really no limit to the creative potential of this amazing material. A wide variety of techniques have been developed by artists over the years offering endless inspiration to the new glass artist. We provide materials, advice and learning on all aspects of glass fusing. If it involves putting glass in a kiln, we can help!
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Glass fusing - the technique of joining two or more pieces of glass by heat in a kiln.
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Glass slumping - to heat glass sufficiently so that it bends under its own weight, taking the shape of the mould on which it rests.
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Glass casting - filling a mould with glass, then heating until the glass is molten so it fully takes the shape of the mould.
What do I need to get started?
To get started you need glass, cutting tools and a kiln. We sell a Glass Fusing Starter Kit which has everything you need to set up a home studio except the kiln, but we can help you with that too. We sell the best quality glass kilns available and provide a lifetime of free advice on buying, setting up and using it.
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Glass Fusing Kit - all you need to get started (except the kiln)
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Kilns - we can advise you on the best kiln for you, and how to use it.
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Learn more about glass types and why we recommend Bullseye Glass
First Projects:
These three kits are each a great introduction to the art of glass fusing. They are easy and produce great results. They each come with all the glass you need and full instructions to complete the projects.
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Coaster Kit (comes free with any kiln you buy from us)! Make four glass coasters and gain confidence with the three key skills of cutting, layering and firing.
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Dichroic Cabochon Kit - create beautiful pendants with this introduction to dichroic glass. Learn more about layering and how to turn your glass cabochon into finished jewellery.
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Kiln Carving Kit - use the power of your kiln to 'carve' designs into your glass with ease. Understand how glass changes in the kiln.
Building Skills - Introducing reactions, frit, powders and stringers
Once you have got to grips with the basics of fusing, try these projects to add new skills and learn more about working with accessory glass.
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River Rocks Reactions Kit - learn about frit, as well as the reactivity of certain glasses and how to use this to your advantage.
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Glass Cityscapes Kit - use glass powders to create a cityscape in glass. Learn how you can 'draw' with glass powders.
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Experimenting with Stringers video tutorial - learn about the different ways to incorporate glass stringers into your work.
Taking Shape: Using different types of mould for slumping and casting
Now you are gaining confidence, try using moulds to shape your glass to create bowls, vases and cast glass pieces. Take a look at the moulds we offer, each one comes with its own instructions and firing schedule to get the best results. It's a good opportunity to play with your kiln controller. Remember, for slumping and drop out moulds you must fire your flat piece (usually to a full fuse) first before putting it back in the kiln on the mould to re-fire using the appropriate schedule:
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Basic slumping moulds - turn your pre-fired flat glass piece into a bowl, plate or curve using a slumping mould.
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Drop Out Moulds - create vases by allowing the flat glass blank to drop through a mould ring during firing. The tricky bit is catching the 'drop' at the right moment in the kiln! This is quite an advanced technique.
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Glass casting moulds - instead of creating a flat piece first, fill a casting mould with glass frit or billet and fire it until the glass melts to take on the shape of the mould.
That's just the beginning...
There are so many other technique you can learn once you are confident with the basics:
Learn More:
We are here to help you. Learn more in the following ways:
- Take a look around our Knowledge Base
- Come on a course
- Buy a book or e-book
- Join us on Facebook
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
- Sign up to the Bullseye Online Education Programme
- Buy what you need to get started
Welcome to the glass fusing community!
Source: https://warm-glass.co.uk/begin-glass-fusing-cms-278
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