MAKER SPACE FUSED GLASS SIGN

Every MakerSpace should have a variety of cool signs, and this one is made of fused glass.

Step 1: Cut Little Squares Out of Fusible Glass

I used COE 90 glass, bought at a local glass store. It's important to use glass tis compatible when you fuse a project, so ask your local glass store for help if you have questions. Since our MakerSpace colors are blue and white, I used a glass cutter to cut small squares (1/4'') out of white glass.

Step 2: Always Wash Your Glass Before You Put It in the Kiln

Before you go through the trouble of making 'dots' in your kiln, make a mock-up so that you're sure your sign looks the way you want it.

I use glass cleaner with a soft cloth to wash away fingerprints.

Step 3: Time to Fire

I placed some kiln paper in a small ceramic kiln, then placed the glass squares on the paper. One layer glass will not spread out, but instead will get a little taller, so you don't need to put too much space between the glass pieces.

Step 4: Dots!

I don't have a working temperature gauge on this kiln, so I turned the kiln on Medium (glass is worked at lower temperatures than ceramic), and checked every 1/2 hour or so until the kiln paper turned gray, about 3 hours. Then I turned the kiln on High for about 20 minutes, until the squares looked the way I wanted them. At this point, they were a very nice red, but looked the right shape. I then turned the kiln off and didn't touch it for 24 hours. Every kiln is different, and making 'dots' is a good way to get to know your kiln.

Step 5: Put Your Sign Together

I cut two large squares, on of blue glass, and one of clear glass. Two layers is optimal when fusing glass, since there will be less deformation. I placed the clear glass on top of the blue glass, then placed my white dots on top of both to make my sign.

Step 6: First Run

I fired this glass on low for 1.5 hours, then on medium for 4 hours. As you can see, it didn't fuse very well, and there are little bubbles in between the two layers of glass. Bubbles are little pockets of trapped air and can happen for a number of reasons. If your glass is heated too rapidly, the shelf on the kiln is not even, or your piece is heated unevenly, you can get bubbles. I think since I was working on a small kiln and the piece was large, that contributed to bubbles. I decided to fire the piece again, since I had nothing to lose.

Step 7: Finished Piece

I fired the piece on high for 3 hours, and it turned out better than before. I had two corners handing down which turned out to be pretty hand little legs so I could put some LEDs under my piece and make it extra shiny.

Step 8: Finished Piece