How to Design Fused Glass

Fused glass is an art form that is used to make decorative pieces such as bowls, plates, and trays, and jewelry items. You will need a broad selection of supplies in order to fire fused glass pieces in a kiln, but to design them you only need a few simple safety items and a selection of glass. Design your own fused glass items at home or in a class or specialty studio, then fire them up and display them with pride.

Instructions

1

Choose your glass pieces. When making fused glass, the pieces of glass you choose must all have the same coefficient of expansion, or COE for short. This means that when the pieces of glass are heated, they will expand at the same rate. If you choose glass pieces with different COE measurements, your finished piece may not turn out the way you want it to because the glass will heat and melt at different rates. As a result, your glass could crack.

When choosing glass pieces, select a size and shape that is compatible with your planned project. You may want flat pieces for a bowl or dish, or you may experiment with tubes or balls of glass in jewelry designs. Sketch out your design on paper first and then you will have an easier time finding glass to fit that design.

2

Use a commercial spray glass cleaner to clean the glass. Try to hold the glass by the edges only after you have cleaned it. Not cleaning your glass can lead to problems, because small particles of dirt can get into your glass cutter and dull or clog it.

3

Score the glass pieces for cutting. Before scoring or cutting any glass, put on your protective gloves and safety goggles. They will keep small shards of glass from cutting you or entering your eyes. Lay the glass pieces on a flat table covered in newspaper, and use a glass cutter to score (etch a strong line) into the glass in the shape you wish to cut. This is the method you will use for flat glass; for thin strips or sticks of glass, you can use breaking pliers to cut the pieces you want.

4

Finish cutting the glass along the scored lines. Hold the glass with running pliers on either side of the scored lines and apply even pressure. This will begin the process of cutting the glass along the line you have scored; the glass should continue to break on its own. If you have rough edges or small sections left over after this, use breaking pliers to clean up those edges.

5

Assemble your pieces according to your design. Layer flat pieces of glass over one another to fuse them together; overlap at least one section of the glass in order for fusing to occur. Arrange smaller pieces on top of larger ones, and then put your piece into the kiln to fire. Your fused glass design is complete and ready to become a finished creation.