Thursday, August 18, 2011

size matters

I have a new toy, a swell tile saw that I can use to cut through my 1/2 inch glass pieces lickety split. Fused glass is a fiscally demanding endeavor.

So, I made this new piece. As is always the case, I learned a bunch from it.

The piece has four+ layers. I started with a vanilla-colored opalescent base, as I wanted a neutral background for the layers to follow. Next came two layers of clear transparent. Then the large wavy shapes came, each glued down to the transparent glass so they would stay put during the firing stage.

The small black lines came next, and then a problem popped up. I didn't know whether I could leave the open spaces between the glued-down wavy pieces of glass. It was possible that the shapes would be lost in the fusing process, melting into each other into one hot mess.

A solution would be to cover the area with frit, a type of crushed glass. This would fill in the spaces and, I hoped, preserve my design.

Frit comes in many sizes. I used the wrong one. The result is...yes, my shapes are preserved, but there are bubbles, which some might opine take away from the overall effect. (Frit) size matters.



I have not decided yet what to do with this piece, whether it's worthy of further working. I do know that next time I go to the glass store, I will buy some large-sized frit.

2 comments:

Tina said...

Love the new ability you have now to choose the dimensions on your pieces! Can you tell me a little more about the tile saw? I'm always looking for new tools for cutting glass. What I have is not the best for some applications? What's the name of the saw, and where could I get one (assuming it's within the budget!)?

Pamela Price Klebaum said...

It's an MK Diamond 370EXP. From recommendations of other fused glass people, this seems to be the best. The blade is MK-215GL, made especially for cutting glass. I found a local distributor on Google. You can also get them from the MK Diamond web site http://www.mkdiamond.com/tile/saw_370exp.html
Good luck!

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