Fusing glass to texture mold without bubbles forming
Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:55 pm
Forgive this long post, but I need help fast.
I'm relatively new to kill forming. I've got an art exhibit opening the Friday night and things coming out of the kiln have bubbles. I'm in a panic. Specifically, one texture mold in particular is creating lots of bubbles that when I slump the piece in a slump mold, they burst and make craters.
I'm using a Fleur d'Lis mold that is 7" X 13". I put a piece of Bullseye amber glass on the bottom, and have tried two different types of COE 90 clear glass on top. Both made bubbles, but the Uroboros glass (90 COE supposedly compatible with Bullseye) that a salesperson told me didn't make bubbles as badly as Bullseye clear made even larger bubbles. I think the texture tile is made by Creative Paradise, so I used their firing schedule below:
Rate 1 - 300 Temp 1 - 1360 Hold 1- 20 minutes
Rate 2 - 300 Temp 2 - 1465 Hold 2 - 1- minutes
Rate 3 -9999 Temp 3 - 960 Hold 3 - 60 minutes
Rate 4 - 100 Temp 4 - 825 Hold 4 - 0 Minutes
I'm thinking that the mold is the problem in that it has so many ups and downs - it is tiled with a number of raised fleur d'Lis'.
One other fusing onto a tile with patterns not nearly as high seemed to do fine.
The problem is that I live in Saints territory and I think that these trays would do well, and besides, I really like it. Plus, the first mold broke so I use half of it for small plates and bought a new one for larger trays. I've got quite an investment in those molds. They would be so pretty if they didn't have holes and if I knew what I was doing.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I could do to reduce or eliminate these large bubbles? Also, with the piece that has the bubbles that haven't popped into craters, should I drill them and hope that the glass slumps back into the craters while slumping on my slump mold?
I'm relatively new to kill forming. I've got an art exhibit opening the Friday night and things coming out of the kiln have bubbles. I'm in a panic. Specifically, one texture mold in particular is creating lots of bubbles that when I slump the piece in a slump mold, they burst and make craters.
I'm using a Fleur d'Lis mold that is 7" X 13". I put a piece of Bullseye amber glass on the bottom, and have tried two different types of COE 90 clear glass on top. Both made bubbles, but the Uroboros glass (90 COE supposedly compatible with Bullseye) that a salesperson told me didn't make bubbles as badly as Bullseye clear made even larger bubbles. I think the texture tile is made by Creative Paradise, so I used their firing schedule below:
Rate 1 - 300 Temp 1 - 1360 Hold 1- 20 minutes
Rate 2 - 300 Temp 2 - 1465 Hold 2 - 1- minutes
Rate 3 -9999 Temp 3 - 960 Hold 3 - 60 minutes
Rate 4 - 100 Temp 4 - 825 Hold 4 - 0 Minutes
I'm thinking that the mold is the problem in that it has so many ups and downs - it is tiled with a number of raised fleur d'Lis'.
One other fusing onto a tile with patterns not nearly as high seemed to do fine.
The problem is that I live in Saints territory and I think that these trays would do well, and besides, I really like it. Plus, the first mold broke so I use half of it for small plates and bought a new one for larger trays. I've got quite an investment in those molds. They would be so pretty if they didn't have holes and if I knew what I was doing.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I could do to reduce or eliminate these large bubbles? Also, with the piece that has the bubbles that haven't popped into craters, should I drill them and hope that the glass slumps back into the craters while slumping on my slump mold?