Is this really a spoon rest? I’m not sure but I’m using it in this glass fusing project as a mould to make a fused glass spoon rest. The glass I’m using is something I had fused up previously, waiting for a suitable project.
In this video tutorial, I’ll work through checking whether a stainless item is suitable for a glass fusing mould, cutting glass with a ring saw, and slumping the glass into the mould.
Project Information
In the YouTube video, you will find links to related videos, a chapter list with time stamps, and links to more resources.
All of the glass, I’m using is Bullseye 90 COE glass. I normally use Thinfire fiber paper on my shelves and boron nitride spray, on moulds.
This video tutorial covers the use of a repurposed stainless steel object as a slumping mould for fused glass, the cutting of glass, and the slumping process.
The glass was cut on a ring saw using an omnidirectional diamond blade. It was then coldworked on a large flat lap, prior to slumping. The ground edge was not fire-polished. It was left as is to obtain a matt-like finish to the edge.
There are many stainless steel items you could use for glass fusing moulds. Some are obvious, such as stainless steel bowls for both slumping and draping. But occasionally, you’ll find something a bit odd. That’s the case here. I wasn’t sure what it was but could see the potential as a spoon rest mould.
If you do find something suitable, I advise that you thoroughly clean the item and then fire it up to slumping temperatures to burn off any oils and check it is suitable. It shouldn’t flake off as normal steel does. It will discolour, but that’s fine.
You will see in the video there was a slight issue with the edges of the mould. Keep this in mind and always think about how the glass will behave when it softens.
When coldworking the edge of the glass it’s important to keep the piece at right angles to the lap to maintain that square edge, unless, of course, you want a rounded edge.
When slumping, always keep an eye on it when it’s close to the slump temp. You noticed what happened to me after some distraction. Normally, I’ll set a higher hold time than I think it will need, then stop the hold when I’ve achieved the result I wanted. Sadly, my estimated hold time was wrong and I wasn’t watching. If I had been I would have extended the hold time to get more slump.
Hope this all makes sense and helps. Any questions please ask in the comments section on YouTube.
Slump Firing Schedule
- #1 – 167 C (333 F) up to 630 C (1166 F), hold 10 minutes
- #2 – Full down to 482 C (900 F), hold 60 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