Fusing individual 4x4 tiles together to form a platter

[Michellewoy]

Hi - I'm new to melting and firing glass in the kiln. I would like to take several 4x4 tiles (2 layer - made by six different people) and fuse them together to make a platter. This is a gift for our boss who is retiring. I plan to fuse our individual tiles seperately then I would like to fuse all tiles (6) together to form a platter. I was thinking I might arrange them on a clear glass base - filling spaces between tiles with 2 layers of clear glass - to make an even overall 3 layer project. I would then fire the 3 layer platter. Has anyone done anything like this before? Does anyone have a firing schedule on a project like this? Or would I follow the same schedule as the individual 4x4 tiles? Does anyone see any potential issues with this project? Thanks so much for your help!! I appreciate it. Michelle

[Michele gh]

Verify that all of the glass is compatible and fire much more slowly.

[Brock]

It would be best to dam this project. You don't need clear glass between the tiles, unless you want it that way. There can be a problem with spaces between the tiles, the bottom layer will heat faster through the clear glass spacers than the tiles and it's possible to thermal shock the base.

I hesitate to give schedules, but you could try:

250 1450 30 * **
200 900 120
100 600 30
Off

* (Or less, but 250 always worked for me)
** (Look if possible, various colours have different softening points)

[Michellewoy]

Thanks! The reason I was going to put the clear glass between the tiles is to make the platter bigger than the six tiles would allow. I was going to put them in a circle pattern around the edge of the platter. I was going to make sure that all the glass is the same compatability. I really hope this works. I am open to any and all feedback that others have on this topic. Michelle

[Brock]

If you're going to cut pieces of clear to fit around the tiles, be aware that clear pieces will usually show where they were joined. It may be better to fire a 2 layer clear blank, then tack fuse or full fuse the tiles on in another firing.