Fusing a Part Sheet Platter ‘Magic Flying Carpet’

Wishful thinking on my part! Always wanted a magic flying carpet. Off to mysterious lands and all that. Well, this glass fusing tutorial for a platter, that includes a section from a part sheet, may not create a real flying carpet, but it satisfies something inside me.

So, I had this part sheet I made back a bit (see this post Making a Fused Glass Part Sheet), and the pattern just reminded me of an oriental carpet. That’s the inspiration. So here’s how I put it together.

Just to let you know, all the glass I use is Bullseye 90 COE, 3mm. I fire on Bullseye Thinfire paper and fire polish on Boron Nitride.

The Design

First thing, decide on the accompanying colours. That wasn’t so difficult if I wanted to stick with the carpet theme. The final decision was Deep Red (0224) and Tomato Red (0024) opal glass.

Surrounding the part sheet on top would be a Tomato Red border with contrasting Deep Red stripes on the end, while the back of the piece would be all Deep Red.

The overall size of the piece would be 260 mm (10.2 inches) long by 130 mm (5.1 inches) wide.

If you have a look at the photos below you’ll be able to identify the pieces as I mention them.

The central part sheet was cut to 110 mm (4.3 inches) by 200 mm (7.9 inches). This is surrounded but 4 strips of Tomato Red. Along the sides, the strips are 200 mm by 10 mm (0.4 inches). At the ends, they are 130 mm by 10 mm. This gives a 10 mm border around the central feature. On the ends, I then placed a 130 mm by 10 mm Deep Red strip and lastly another 130 mm by 10 mm Tomato Red strip.

The bottom piece of Deep Red was, of course, cut to 260 mm x 130 mm.

Layup

The shelf was prepared with a sheet of Thinfire paper, and all the glass was thoroughly cleaned and dried.

To keep the lines formed by the part sheet and the Deep Red strips on the ends nice and straight, I decided to first fuse the piece upside down. That’s with the part sheet and surrounding strips face down, and the full-size Deep Red piece on top.

This is a common practice when fusing pieces that have straight lines formed by adjacent pieces. If you fuse with those facing up the lines have a tendency to wander as the glass melts and moves.

In these photos, you can see that first layer is all laid up and facing down. The centre part sheet is all white, because the pattern on the sheet, which is facing down, was applied on white opal glass.

In the close up you can see I have then capped this with a sheet of Deep Red.

You can also see how the end strips have been positioned.

First Fuse Result

This was then fully fused. The firing schedule is below.

Out of the kiln, you’re now looking at the bottom of the piece and you can see the lines are nice and straight. All the pieces have fused together and formed a single piece. However, the surface has some texture because it was in contact with the shelf.

In the other photo, you can see the solid Deep Red back of the piece with a polish. There is a little devitrification but that was easily fixed with a quick sandblast. You could also refire with a layer of fine clear frit or maybe use fine diamond pads to remove it.

Something to keep in mind here, if you have a need to sandblast the front (top) of the piece where the part sheet is showing, you will need to mask up the part sheet.

The pattern of the part sheet, in this case, is thin because it was created with fine frit. Sandblasting will remove the pattern. If you’ve made a part sheet with solid pieces of glass, you won’t have a problem.

If I have to do this, I usually use tough tape, like duct tape. This seems to last in the sandblaster, as long as you don’t hover over it for too long.

Fire Polish & Slump

After sandblasting and a clean I then performed a fire polish of the piece with the face-up. Obviously, face up so I achieve a nice polish on the top of the piece. After all, this is what everyone will first see.

The firing schedule is below.

This results in a nice polish on the top surface and a little texture on the bottom. Sorry, but forgot to take a photo of the result.

The mould was then prepared with boron nitride, the piece added, and into the kiln for a slump. The firing schedule is below.

Summary

I love this piece. The complex part sheet pattern with the simple border seems to work well.

Of course, make your own part sheet and let your creativity reign. Just try things. You’ll be surprised by the result. Almost any pattern will inspire some design.

Other than the little bit of devit, I didn’t have any problems with this piece. Just remember to perform the initial full fuse with it facing down.

Any questions, please ask in the comments below and I hope you give it a go.

Firing Schedule

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

Full Fuse – Magic Flying Carpet

Segment	Rate ºC (ºF) /hr	Target ºC (ºF)	Hold (mns)
1. Release	200 (392)	535 (995)	30
2. Bubble	200 (392)	675 (1247)	15
4. Process	Full	805 (1481)	5
5. Anneal	Full	482 (900)	90
6. Cool	83 (181)	370 (707)	0

Fire Polish – Magic Flying Carpet

Segment	Rate ºC (ºF) /hr	Target ºC (ºF)	Hold (mns)
1. Release	222 (432)	535 (995)	30
2. Process	333 (631)	725 (1328)	15
2. Anneal	Full	482 (900)	90
3. Cool	83 (181)	375 (707)	0

Slump – Magic Flying Carpet

Segment	Rate ºC (ºF) /hr	Target ºC (ºF)	Hold (mns)
1. Process	167 (333)	630 (1166)	5
2. Anneal	Full	482 (900)	90
3. Cool	56 (133)	375 (707)	30