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Glass disasters

4/19/2017

 
Today we are checking in on what's going on in the glass studio and mostly we're talking about disasters.

When I first started doing glass I agonized over getting pieces perfect but I have since learned that with glass, like quilting, you can almost always fix something or, worst case, use it for scrap. Some of the scrap projects, again like with quilting, are some of the most fun and most interesting.

​I don't usually share my "disasters" but I've had quite a few lately so thought I'd show them and tell you what I'll do with them.
vicki welsh fused glass
We'll start with the pretty set of sushi plates that I promised for a friend LAST YEAR! I have to get a kiln full of glass to work on these and I can only slump 2 at a time so that's one reason they are taking so long. But I was down to the last orange one this weekend and was looking forward to emailing her this week to tell her they were ready.
vicki welsh fused glass
Oh my, what the heck is this? The back of the plate has picked up some kiln wash or something and it's permanently fused to the dish. There's a small spot on the front too. So, what to do?
I'm going to first run it through a full fuse to flatten it out. Then I will use some wet sanding pads (specifically for glass) to sand the back of the plate and the one spot on the front. Then I'll full fuse it again to bring the sheen back and then slump it. It's got 3 more trips through the kiln before it's potentially done. In all honesty I'm probably also going to make another one just in case the repair doesn't work. Regardless, it's good for me to learn how to fix these problems.
vicki welsh fused glass
Next up is this bubble plate. It has iridized glass on the bottom and you can see that it's taken on a distracting texture.
vicki welsh fused glass
Here's a better look from the back. That's called pitting. I have now learned why this happened and consider it a miracle that it hasn't happened to me before because I've been fusing the irid glass wrong all along! I'm going to send this through the kiln once with the irid side up to see if it fixes itself. If that doesn't work I may grind the irid off to leave myself with a nice amber bubble plate.
vicki welsh fused glass
This is one of my quilt blocks suncatchers. I've been working on this thing FOREVER! After the first fuse I felt that the hooks for the hanger were not fused in well enough so I sent it through again to add a bit of clear so they would be seated better.
vicki welsh fused glass
This one worked perfectly.
vicki welsh fused glass
This one not so much! I will need to grind the clear away from the hole of the hanging loop and then fuse it again, hopefully for the last time. I'll use a Dremel with diamond bits for this and I'll keep the surface wet while I'm grinding.
vicki welsh fused glass
I want the kiln full every time I fire so I got a school of fish bodies ready (tails glued to bodies) and will get them "decorated" so that I can fill in the spaces between my other project with these. All of these fish will be swimming on my dye sink backsplash.
vicki welsh fused glass
Also, people have been bringing me bottles so I spent a lot of time washing and removing labels from bottles this past weekend. I do these inbetween other firings. This is a particularly good batch. There are lots of clear ones to use with my tree of life and swirl molds.
Linda Swanekamp link
4/19/2017 01:48:25 pm

Yikes, I have a hard enough time with fabric disasters.

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:31:17 am

LOL! They are all the same no matter the medium.

Nancy Sumner
4/19/2017 04:43:17 pm

Always fun to see what you're up to. Thanks for sharing the good and the not so good (they all look pretty darn awesome to me though!)

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:31:46 am

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Connie Robison link
4/19/2017 08:11:33 pm

I love those fish. I can't wait to see your backsplash

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:32:13 am

I can't wait to get enough fish made to get started on it!

Gene Black
4/19/2017 09:11:31 pm

That is really interesting. I know how to fix problems at a loom or in a quilt but I had no idea that glass could be fixed so many ways.

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:32:44 am

I expect that all mediums have their dirty little secrets!

Sylvia Anderson
4/20/2017 07:55:42 am

I would think if we made too many oops. and could not fix them, we would get very disenchanted, so, fortunately there are ways to recycle, or repair almost everything. It was very informative to see how you handle the glass oops that happen in the kiln. Having taught ceramics in a life before quilting, I can sympathize with what goes on inside of one. That quilt block sun catcher is beautiful!

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:34:05 am

Sometimes I can't figure out what went on inside of the kiln. They are kind of like when our sewing machines have mysterious tension problems that sort themselves out overnight.

patty
4/20/2017 09:27:08 am

What a variety of issues. If it was easy everyone would have a kiln!

Vicki link
4/20/2017 10:36:13 am

Well, that and the expense. I was lucky to get mine off Craigslist but I still had to put in special electricity and make sure I had ventilation. Much more involved than buying a new sewing machine/ Can't set it up on the dining room table!

Sue H link
4/20/2017 11:32:10 am

Having done stained glass in a previous life, I really enjoy your glass posts. I still have a ton of glass, and it makes me want a kiln...but I'm so behind on everything already! Thanks for sharing your experiences and fixes.

Deborah Levy
4/20/2017 03:23:53 pm

Can't wait to see your fishy backsplash!

Mary Anne link
4/21/2017 06:16:24 pm

Out of curiosity - does repeated firing weaken the glass in any way? I always learn something when you do a glass post Vicki - this time it was that you can sand glass. Would never have guessed that.


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    About Vicki

    I'm Vicki Welsh and I've been making things as long as I can remember. I used to be a garment maker but transitioned to quilts about 20 years ago. Currently I'm into fabric dyeing, quilting, Zentangle, fabric postcards, fused glass and mosaic. I document my adventures here.

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      • Testing Soda Ash in fabric dyeing
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