Repair of chip in edge of fused glass

[Carrie Loosz]

After fusing a 10" round piece to 1/4" thickness, I lifted the kiln lid and discovered one of the heating element metal pins had dropped from the lid onto the edge of the piece during a full fuse cycle. I easily removed the pin, which was partly embedded in the glass, but it left a 1/4" long x 1/8" wide x 1/8" deep impression plus some of the glass around the pin came up with it leaving what looks like a chipped area. See photo for reference. There was also soot or some residue embedded in the glass (left by the pin) that I removed with my engraving tool. I also ground off a large protruding area at the edge. I had read that fused surfaces with popped air bubbles could be repaired by filling them with frit powder and re-firing the piece. The chip in my glass has a little gully that runs right off the edge, so I don't know the best way to fix it. Maybe I could glue a few pieces of clear medium frit into the chipped area or use glue mixed with clear frit powder to fill it? I think I would then need to re-fire the piece to at least a contour fuse or would it be best to take it to a full fuse again? I will be draping this piece over a floral former in the final firing, so the repaired edge needs to be smooth and rounded like the rest of the piece. So, if anyone has had any experience with repairing chipped edges in their glass work, I'd love to hear how you accomplished it.

[Marian]

Sand off all the discolored area from where the pin was embedded, add a little frit and refire to full fuse. White is hard to repair, there may be a mark there from the additional glass. Refusing could soften your design lines, or look at it as a chance to add more elements to the piece and make it more interesting.

[Carrie Loosz]

Thanks, Marian. Forgot to mention that the edge is actually clear glass and the piece was photographed on a white background. So, I think filling with clear frit will work well. I really like your idea about adding more design elements for camouflage and will keep that in mind if I ever need to repair a piece where the lines might show.