Photo transfers kiln-fused onto glass

Okay.  I think I've finally gotten this part of glass fusing right.  It's taken me since before May to figure out I was using the wrong decal transfer paper in order to fuse laser-printed black and white photos onto glass.  Papilio brand decal slide paper works only if you are using your home oven.  The decals blister, pop, and end up looking like smallpox scars if you put it in the kiln.  So...after ruining a lot of nice glass pieces I think I've finally gotten the knack of this.  This time I used "Fired-On" photo fusing decal paper.  Next time I'll remember to use a real camera instead of my cell phone and use a white background instead of my desk at work, which is a dull gray.  Ick.  It really looks better than this!

Galaxy bowl pics

Here is how the galaxy bowl turned out.  The center is a piece of dichroic and the shiny bits are the left-over dichroic I smashed with a hammer into frit.  The bowl looks different, depending on the color surface it is placed.  This bowl went through 3 firings--2 to fuse stuff, one more to slump it into the bowl shape.

The dichro frit was fused at full fusing temperature for 10 minutes, but it didn't melt into the glass completely.  Hence, the 3-D look, Star Warts look. 

Isn't the center of the galaxy fun?  I love dichroic glass!  

Pink and green confetti plate

Wavy plate, 10" square, made with 96 COE clear pink and green and pink confetti glass with black streamers.  The center (confetti glass) reminds me of green leaf bits and pink petals.  Definitely a spring time plate!  It's backed on 96 COE clear glass, so the total texture is smooth and it is food-safe.

Cost:  $120.00

Theory of Gravity Bowl

Phil said, "That's one huge black hole!"  I said, "Yes.  It is.  I wanted to see what one looked like."  "You can't see them," he said.  I replied, "Sure you can.  Look at this one."

This bowl was made out of 90 COE Bullseye black irradiated ripple glass.  The design was made with finely ground, multi-colored frit and Glassline Pens.  I fused the frit and Glassline colors in one 1465 df firing, then added the brightly colored glass beads as an after thought.  I tack fired the beads at 1300 df.  The third firing was to slump the glass, at 1265 df.  

Price:  $250.00 (it took a lot of man hours!)

I'm stuck on plaid!

8.5" wavy plate out of purple, red, yellow, aqua and black strips of glass, and 4" square dichro on black center.  Cost $120.00

9 5/8" wavy edge plate

 Plaid ribbons with "electric" dichro square set in the middle, slumped on a wavy plate mold.  Designed, fused and slumped over a 4 day period, this 9 5/8" square wavy plate is by far the craziest, useful piece of glass I've made in a while.  AND it didn't crack or break in the kiln.  I learned that I don't have to use Elmer's glue to hold the design together, and therefore I don't get bubbles or "burned" inclusions from the glue trying desperately to burn away.  I framed this during construction, using a large carpenter's square and built it on a very thick, portable piece of cardboard.  That way I was able to move the entire thing outside to the kiln and then reconstruct it on the kiln shelf using the carpenters' square.  

Fusing schedule looks like this:  500 dph to 1000 degrees with no hold; 1000 dph to 1465 degrees with a hold of approximately 20 minutes; 9999 (as fast as possible) dph to 1000 degrees with 10 min hold; 300 dph to 965 degrees and hold for 20 min (annealing stage); 800 dph to 300 degrees with no hold--don't open the kiln until everything has cooled completely.

Slumping schedule looks like this:  500 dph to 1000 degrees with no hold; 1000 dph to 1300 degrees with a 30 minute hold; 9999 (as fast as possible) dph to 1000 degrees with 8 min hold; 300 dph to 965 and hold for 20 min (annealing stage); 800 dph to 300 degrees with no hold--don't open the kiln until everything has cooled completely.

If you want to buy this, the cost is $199.00

Coasters, tiles and dishes, oh MY!

Moss green clear 1/2 inch strip border
around a 4" x 4" dichro on black square.
Four small clear rubber dots placed on
bottom of tile to keep it from skidding or
scratching the surface of tables.

black 1/2 inch strip border
around a 4" x 4" plaid center tile.
Plaid is labor intensive.
It is created by fusing 1/2 inch clear
colored strips of glass together in
repeating and alternate
directions.  This dish is slightly
curved.