Glass Process
-
Once I have decided on my colors and design, I then use a glass scoring tool to "scratch" a continuous line onto the surface of the glass.
-
After the glass has been scored, I then use a pair of specialized pliers to break the glass into the designated shape made by the scoring tool.
-
Once all the pieces have been scored and cut I then layer the pieces of glass on top of one another to assemble my creations.
-
Each piece is then placed onto a pre-washed kiln shelf that is carefully put into the kiln and slowly brought up in temperature to approximately 1500 degrees Fahrenheit where the glass melts together and becomes one piece.
-
Once the desired type of fuse has been achieved, I then bring the kiln down to 970 degrees Fahrenheit and hold that temperature to "anneal" the glass. This process gives the glass strength and durability by removing the stress from the glass. After the glass has been properly annealed, I then allow it to cool down slowly to room temperature.
-
Once cool enough to touch I can then proceed with any coldworking (including: drilling, grinding, sawing and sandblasting the glass) before firing it one last time. This final firing is referred to as 'fire polishing', and is a cycle in the kiln just hot enough to round the edges and give the surface a nice polished shine.