Yes, this is my second go at making a fused glass drop vase using a ring mould. The first didn’t work out very well, but this one may.
In this video, I’m using another failed project as the base glass. This is then decorated and fused into the main price of fused glass that will be used to slump through the drop mould.
The Video
In the video description, you will find links to related videos, a chapters list with time stamps, and links to more resources.
WATCH THE VIDEO
Project Information
If you watch my videos regularly you will remember a previous video on making a drop vase. It really didn’t turn out well. So I had to have another go at making one.
All of the glass, I’m using is Bullseye 90 COE. I use Thinfire fibre paper on my shelves and generally use boron nitride spray on moulds, though not on this mould. In this case, I used a piece of Thinfire over the mould, mainly because the boron nitride is very slippery and I wanted some resistance to the glass slipping.
The square of glass used is from a previous 6 mm thick project that didn’t work. This was then decorated and refused. After that, it was capped with another sheet of 3 mm clear to create a final thickness of 9 mm. For a drop vase of this height, you will need more than 6 mm of glass. I believe 6 mm would result in a very thin-walled vase. So I went to a 9 mm thick piece. You will see in the video this is a good idea.
The decoration was simple but you will see that even a simple design is transformed after being stretched during the processing.
The slump schedule for the drop can’t really be well defined. I originally decided to go to just 610 C and see if it would drop enough with time. This didn’t work so I eventually raised the top temp to 670 C and watched until the drop was completed.
In the future, I believe I’ll just set my processing temp at 670 C and just watch until the drop is completed. I suggest canceling any hold or segment just before the vase touches the kiln shelf to reduce the risk of it dropping too much.
Full Fuse Firing Schedule – For decorating
- #1 – 222 C (432 F) up to 535 C (995 F), hold 60 minutes
- #2 – 333 C (632 F) up to 670 C (1238 F), no hold
- #3 – Full up to 805 C (1481 F), no hold
- #4 – Full down to 482 C (900 F), hold 120 minutes
- #5 – 65 C (149 F) down to 425 C (797 F), no hold
- #6 – 132 C (270 F) down to 371 C (700 F), no hold
Full Fuse Firing Schedule – For capping
- #1 – 222 C (432 F) up to 535 C (995 F), hold 60 minutes
- #2 – 333 C (632 F) up to 670 C (1238 F), hold 30 minutes
- #3 – Full up to 805 C (1481 F), hold for 15 minutes
- #4 – Full down to 482 C (900 F), hold 120 minutes
- #5 – 65 C (149 F) down to 425 C (797 F), no hold
- #6 – 132 C (270 F) down to 371 C (700 F), no hold
Slump Firing Schedule
As my firing schedule for the slump is not well defined, I must clarify this schedule. I set my processing to 610 C but did change this to 670 C during the processing as the slump wasn’t really happening. Hence that is what I’ve defined in the schedule. I also cancelled any hold when the drop was close to touching the kiln shelf.
- #1 – 167 C (333 F) up to 670 C (1238 F), hold until processed
- #2 – Full down to 482 C (900 F), hold 120 minutes
- #3 – 65 C (149 F) down to 425 C (797 F), no hold
- #4 – 132 C (270 F) down to 371 C (700 F), no hold