What is fused glass?

 

 

My art work is created by melting, or fusing, specially designed glass in a kiln.  This is called fused glass, warm glass, or kiln formed glass. Full fusing temperature is 1475 degrees Fahrenheit.  This temperature is reached incrementally to avoid thermal shock and prevent large bubbles.  The temperature is then reduced to 960 degrees to anneal the glass.  This process produces a flat slab of glass. After fusing is complete, cold working will be done.  This involves using wet saws, grinders, sanders, sandblasters, and other tools to achieve the desired effect.  A second firing may be done at this point to remove any cold working marks.  This is called fire polishing and is done at 1350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Any shaping of the glass is done in a subsequent firing at the lower temperature of 1175 degrees Fahrenheit. The flat slab is placed in a ceramic mold or draped over a stainless steel form.  Each firing takes about 14 hours.  Small bubbles, or “champagne” bubbles are characteristic of fused glass.