retaining patterns in dichroic at high heat

ggwiz · Post by **ggwiz** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:16 am

i am trying to pull round circles 1/2 inch. 3 layers of glass and fire wire with out floating? or distorting the pattern. i do etch my own dichro (sand blast) maybe that's the problem...i have seen perfect circles with pattern dichro . this is really bugging me.
my process is 1500 for 5-10 min. with 3 layers stacked, kiln wash or paper is still inconsistient...i will do this

mark slaven

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 8:56 pm

Mark,

the reason your design is breaking up and floating is 'cause dichroic is a coating on the surface, the more tension and movement the surface has the more your pattern will move. Try slowing the heat down by about 75 degrees and soak longer. it took me quite a while to find that sweet spot where my glass moves and my image doesn't.

good luck,

Sara

ggwiz · Post by **ggwiz** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 11:05 pm

Sara wrote:Mark,

the reason your design is breaking up and floating is 'cause dichroic is a coating on the surface, the more tension and movement the surface has the more your pattern will move. Try slowing the heat down by about 75 degrees and soak longer. it took me quite a while to find that sweet spot where my glass moves and my image doesn't.

good luck,

Sara

thanks for the help Sara. i'll give that a shot, but i doubt i can get three layers round at a lower temp...?

Tom White · Post by **Tom White** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 9:25 am

Mark, I'm not exactly sure about what you mean when you say "get three layers round". Do you mean you are trying to produce a 1/2" round cabechon or jewel shape with smooth, rounded, fully fused edges or what? More informaion about the type and thickness of glass you are using is needed to provide useful suggestions. Also, which layer of glass has the dichro coating, top, middle or bottom? If you are stacking much more or less than 1/4" thick expect the glass to move as it seeks to level to 1/4" thick on the kiln shelf at fusing temps.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:30 am

whoeee, by your comment . . . are you taking a square and fusing hard to make a glob or button type piece? is this 'cause you don't want to cut a circle or cause you want that look?

If you don't have a lens cutter to cut the shape to 1/2" try grinding the edges to make a circle. you'll not get the look you want using the technique you're using, although will get some interesting looks.

actually I think I've fused some small pieces hard and the image stayed, although in thinking back the image was always cased with clear AND small and not detailed.

It's all about movement, good luck and share your successes,

Sara

kelly alge · Post by **kelly alge** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:43 am

Are all of your layers the same size? Sometimes I do cabs with a smaller square on the bottom to make the dichro round over better, but this stretches and "cracks" the dichro. ( I'm not doing detailed images, though) Also, if the dichro is the middle layer, you might try using thin glass as your bottom and your cap to keep it from expanding.