firing surface

gbdugan · Post by **gbdugan** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 10:10 am

just curious, how many fire fused glass projects on 1/8th inch fiber paper or directly on a kiln- washed shelf are there advantages , disadvantages? I've noticed the pieces fused on fiber paper are generally cleaner and cool better. just wondering what y'all find better. thanks

lohman · Post by **lohman** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 2:25 am

At just the right fusing temp (I don't have notes in front of me) and by not firing hotter than necessary, I get 2 or 3 firings on a sheet of 1/16 inch fiber paper.

You can get a few more if you sift a dry diatamaceous earth/plaster mix evenly on the paper before firing. By pressing the glass slightly onto the well dusted paper and being careful not to kick up any dust, you can get a very smooth bottom surface and fatal bubbles are less likely.

Firing on a kiln-shelf that is only kiln-washed can produce large bubbles between the glass and the shelf. They are not good bubbles.

I prefer at least thinfire paper to help prevent those big bubbles.

Tim Swann · Post by **Tim Swann** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 8:59 am

Nearly everything I fuse is with fiber paper. Both methods will give almost the same finish, but I perfer the connivance and quicker turnaround that fiber paper allows.

Tim

Ron Coleman · Post by **Ron Coleman** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:18 am

Everything I fire is on a freshly kiln washed shelf. I almost never refire a shelf 2 times without redoing the wash.

Kiln wash is a little messy until you develop a method and learn to work with it. I spray it on with an airbrush.

Tony Serviente · Post by **Tony Serviente** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 10:14 am

I use thin fire paper exclusively. Haven't washed a shelf in 10 years. For my situation it is much more economical to use paper. Problems I had with wash was the required manhandling of the shelves, and the time to prep. Other issue was that if it was not done properly, the glass stuck and I lost a piece and the shelf was pockmarked too. And then there is the bubble issue...Disadvantage of paper is the clean up. It can't be treated casually. I use a Hepa vaccuum cleaner as well as a respirator. Some may cite the cost of the paper as another disadvantage, but considering the time saved it is cheaper for me.

Tyler Frisby · Post by **Tyler Frisby** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 10:18 am

I've tried all three methods, when you Air brush you get a relly nice finish. Worth a try if your used to thinfire. Patience is a virtue in this method , you actiually gota like airbrushing. It takes a while

Barbara Cashman · Post by **Barbara Cashman** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 10:40 am

We use fiber shelves, mostly, with a couple of instances where a smoother surface is needed, and the shelf is mullite or RS100. Only thing I have to adjust is the firing time. Glass on fiber fires hotter than on ceramic, so firing time/temp is less. So we always have different firing schedules for either board, AND for each kiln. There is a long firing list posted in the studio for each product line. Once you work it out, it's fine, but the challenge is getting to that point. - Barbara

Amy on Salt Spring · Post by **Amy on Salt Spring** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 1:29 pm

Never used anything but good ol' BE kilnwash. Never had a problem with bubbles. Fire maybe 6-7 times on one wash depending of the temps of the firings and the glass I am using. I guess you can see from these answers that there are no hard and fast rules in kilnworking!!!
Amy