Square Bowl with Tack Fused Stripe Pattern

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This fused glass project was a bit more of a task than I expected, but I do think it was all worth it. I can say that now it is completed, but cutting all those strips of Bullseye glass did make me dig deep looking for the patience to continue.

The basic idea was to create a clear bowl decorated with a very geometric pattern of stripes. I like geometric designs and texture so thought a tack fused strip design would do the trick.

To start, I decided to draw up my pattern on paper so I could use it to cut all the small strips and grind the ends to the correct angle. You can see what I mean in the photos. It looks a bit of a patch job but it worked.

Cutting the strips and then shaping the ends through cutting and grinding took quite a while.  If I was selling this making a buck could be a little difficult.

Once they were cut I first cleaned everything and started laying it up. Placing the plan under the clear glass was a huge help as I did manage to mix them up a little and ended up with a jigsaw puzzle.

The base is a piece of Bullseye 3mm clear, 275 mm square. The diagonal stripes are made from 8mm strips of 3mm Bullseye  opal. My colour choice was Bullseye 0024 Tomato Red, but you could use almost any good contrasting colour.

The final layup was then tack fused using the firing schedule below. I watched the tack fuse closely but did still manage to fuse it a little more than I had planned.

You can see in the photo that the edges were a little untidy so I did do some grinding to square the plate up nicely and ensure that all the strips finished cleanly along the edge.

To finish this I decided to do a quick fire polish to clean up the edges, but I honestly don’t think you need to do that. During the slump the edges will polish quite nicely as long as you have not ground too coarsely.

Then it was on to the mold and into the kiln for a slump. The firing schedule is below.

I am happy with the end result, though it wasn’t quite what I expected. A shorter tack fuse would have given a crisper look to the piece, I think.

Anyway, give it a go and I would love to see your version if at all possible.

Firing Schedule

Tack Fuse

Please be aware that all kilns fire differently and this schedule may not produce the same results in your kiln.

Segment	Rate (C/hr)	Target (C)	Hold (mns)
1. Release	222	537	30
2. Process	333	760	0
3. Anneal	Full	516	90
4. Cool	83	371	10

Slump

Segment	Rate (C/hr)	Target (C)	Hold (mns)
1. Process	167	655	0
2. Anneal	333	516	90
4. Cool	83	371	10