Nuggets

[Deb Lewis]

Easy, easy!

By cutting small squares and layering them 2-3 layers deep you can get nuggets of varying sizes. One quarter inch squares one layer thick will ball up nicely. You can stack larger ones 2 layers thick, alternating the stack so you have a "star." Really large pieces may need 3 layers of glass.

Fire AFAP to fusing temps (til you see they're round) drop AFAP to 950, cool to room temp. NO need to anneal.

If I want really tiny ones I'll just nip off tiny pieces in a rough cut with my glass nippers. You can get great little dots. I'll fire my little kiln full of varying colors and sort them to use when I'm designing. Very handy.

You can also buy glass rods and just nip them, but the dot size is limited by the rod size, so I prefer to make my own.

[Lynne Chappell]

You can also buy glass rods and just nip them, but the dot size is limited by the rod size, so I prefer to make my own.

Oh, but the size of the dot depends on how thick you nip your pieces. Also, bear in mind when you are firing squares to make circles, that there is a big difference between Bullseye and System 96. Really small squares or even irregular shapes will work with either, but once they get up to about 1/2", with a single layer the Spectrum makes chiclets instead of circles. Not as much surface tension.

[Valerie Adams]

You can also just sprinkle coarse frit in the empty spaces on your shelf between items you're fusing. Spread them around so they're not touching. You'll get lots of tiny balls.