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You can (and I've done it that way), but typically not--the pieces you chop are generally longer than 6mm, so they're going to spread and fill in the gaps anyway. If you do make them shorter than 6mm, then yep, you'd want to have a base or something to fill in the holes. This piece was used to make ...

You stick a bunch of scrap glass, any type as long as it's all compatible, in a flowerpot, drill a hole in the bottom of a little kiln, and put it on stilts. Then you put the flowerpot in the kiln, turn it on and nuke it. After awhile the glass melts and starts flowing in a stream out the bottom of ...

You mean like this? canepanel.jpg That's done by snipping a whole bunch of fusing rod and pulled cane "vitrigraph stringer," piling it into a dam and flat-fusing it. I typically compress it instead of dam it, so that I get a thinner-than-6mm piece that's perfectly flat and easily cut. Not ...

This is a volume and viscosity issue. As the glass fuses together, it will soften, sag and spread. The spreading pushes the lines between the glasses out from the center, radially, so that the formerly straight lines distort. The "softer" glasses (those that get runnier at lower temps, suc...

Just think of those center holes as great big vents...

Photos might also help--can you share?

I will third (or fourth) the info about relays: It's not the age of the relay, it's how much it's been used, and how well it's connected. I used the same relays for more than 10 years in my Skutt GM1414, so I wasn't too unhappy when they failed in 2007. Not the case when they again failed, in 2008. ...

It might not be time to retire the old kiln yet (unless you just want another kiln ;-) ). It could be an issue with the relay installation. Or check the elements.If you'll do a search on both those things on this board, you'll get a lot of info on how to test and how to replace those things. Did you...

Things I forgot when redesigning my studio? The biggest is probably space for storing all the stuff that isn't directly related to making. The in-progress studio you saw when you visited is currently a disaster area, and it's mostly due having no place for: Inventory, i.e., finished pieces Packing a...

I very much like this, especially the drips. French Vanilla and, uhm...Turquoise Blue?

A light coating of powder might actually make it worse. I'd give it a shot, see how doing what you planned works. Once you've seen it, you'll have a better idea of next steps.

AndyT wrote:I've taken a piece of BE thin fire did a small drawing with pencil and placed it between a base of black and clear top and it turned out fine.

...and then there's leaving a layer of graphite between the glass...

Most silverplated trays kinda thinnish; while the metal probably won't melt in the heat it could flex and distort, which could leave you with a wompy-jawed slump (just heard that phrase, love it). You're also going to be either slumping into the top of the tray or slumping over the bottom, so you mi...

The organics will usually burn out in the kiln and may or may not leave a bit of ash behind--most layups aren't airtight and at burnout temps (600-700F) the glass hasn't yet softened and sealed in/out air. The real question is, though, what else the paper leaves behind. Some inks can stain the glass...

It's a matter of degree (heh-heh). It's hard not to have a fine line between clear strips when they're fused together on edge--a small amount of air gets trapped and creates a very fine line of bubbles (and sometimes schmutz, if the glass isn't cleaned well enough). However, it doesn't always happen...

Liz, you may wind up with some volume control issues with that layup. There's an old maxim in fusing circles: Glass "wants" to be 1/4 inch (i.e., two layers). Given enough heatwork, glass that's less than 1/4 inch will draw up to become 1/4, and glass that's more will spread out. Where you...

Cynthia, thanks for this insight; it makes real sense that the circles are more stable and the layup does have little variability. I believe by firing no higher than 1425F I also avoid a lot of the 1/4" rule-related stress as the glass viscosity is minimalized while the rounded, raised edge is...

The 3mm 8" transparent circle will stabilize the center of the piece. The 3mm edges will want to pull in, starting from the outermost edge, so you'll get a "lip" around the edge of the piece and it will be slightly thinner right behind it. If you don't overdo the processing, it's a ni...

So...I handwork more often than machine polish, and don't really have a lot of trouble getting a high gloss on the glass. It depends, as usual, on the piece, the glass, and how much time you have. These goblets are Gaffer lead crystal, about 7-8 inches high. I polished the relief elements to a high ...

One other concern is sharp points--smooth down any rough or pointy edges.