ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

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seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

Hi

I am trying to think of some way of capping ripple dichro and avoid trapping bubbles.

Have a piece that I have somewhat flattened by fusing it with the dichro down. However, there are still enough "valleys" in the piece to cause problems.

If I flatten it further it will completely loose the ripple characteristics.

Thought about filling up the low parts of the ripple with clear fine frit (or powder?) and capping over that. But remember reading that power or fine frit can create a cloudy appearance because they trap lots of tiny air bubbles if used in any depth.

Has anyone tried this successfully? or some other way?

Many thanks for your help, seachange
charlie
Posts: 961
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:08 pm

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by charlie »

i've just capped it with clear, and fired with a long bubble squeeze. i haven't noticed trapping any bubbles at all, besides the normal champagne sized ones that are present already in the glass. i don't prefire down to flatten it either.
seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

charlie wrote:i've just capped it with clear, and fired with a long bubble squeeze. i haven't noticed trapping any bubbles at all, besides the normal champagne sized ones that are present already in the glass. i don't prefire down to flatten it either.
Hi Charlie

Very happy to hear that, trying to make some simple pieces that don't take too much time.

Would you mind letting me know temperature and length of bubble squeeze? I'll test this weekend in my kiln, your figures will give me a starting point.

Many thanks, I always appreciate your help.

Best regards, seachange
Valerie Adams
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Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by Valerie Adams »

When I was doing jewelry with rippled dichro, I'd make larger tiles to cut down.

A 6x6" piece in my kilns, with a clear cap, would look something like this:
300° to 1150°, no hold
50° to 1250°, hold 60
300° to 1440°, hold 15 (or until visually confirmed)
full to 900°, hold 60

I have several kilns so the temps vary depending on which one I'm firing but that's a 'generic' full fuse schedule for me. You'd want to cool slower after the initial 60 minute annealing hold, so adjust that to your kiln.

I do lots of tests and keep really good notes for each of my kilns.
charlie
Posts: 961
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:08 pm

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by charlie »

i pretty much did the same as valarie:

depending upon size, the ramp up was changeable. for small pieces it was

600 1150 30
50 1250 30
600 1420 30
seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

Hi Valerie, Hi Charlie

Many thanks for the details. As Charlie says, both are similar. I will be trying the one for the small pieces, this is what i am doing at present.

Had all intentions to fuse this weekend, but we had big storms and the electricity kept going off, so decided not to risk it.

Although I am looking for a quick item, where the glass bling does most of the work, I am still cutting the pendants to size individually.

Have never been able to make up my mind if fusing one large piece and cutting it up with the tile saw is quicker than cutting the caps and bases individually. Particularly in my case where I don't have the tile saw set up, so we have to take it out of a shed (we because it is big and heavy), then clean it and dry well before storing it away.

Grinding is necessary for both ways, though with the pre-fused blank is only on the one piece, instead of grinding the cap and the dichro separately. But then in tile saw pieces there is a second firing for firing polishing...can't really work it out :-k :-k

Anyway, these are just musings :?

I am very, very thankful for your help with the firing schedules.

All best wishes, seachange
Valerie Adams
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Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by Valerie Adams »

When I was making lots of jewelry from larger tiles, I always cut them by hand. You easily cut 2-3 layers and with a little more effort 4 layers by hand. Since you're grinding and fire polishing anyway, it makes it much faster than dragging out the saw.
seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

Valerie Adams wrote:When I was making lots of jewelry from larger tiles, I always cut them by hand. You easily cut 2-3 layers and with a little more effort 4 layers by hand. Since you're grinding and fire polishing anyway, it makes it much faster than dragging out the saw.
Many thanks Valerie, I will try that. It would really be the fastest solution...and I hadn't thought about it #-o

Have never cut glass thicker than 3mm, will practice with some thick float.

When you say "and with a little more effort 4 layers", do you refer to using more oil or perhaps changing the cutting wheel, or anything else that I should do/watch?

All best wishes, seachange
Valerie Adams
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Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by Valerie Adams »

I make sure to press firmly with my cutter when cutting thicker glass, and always dip in cutting oil first.
It takes a bit more strength to squeeze my running pliers for thicker glass. I have heavy duty running pliers but don't use them; they've got metal jaws which aren't covered with rubber, so I tend to have more chipping with them.
seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

Valerie Adams wrote:I make sure to press firmly with my cutter when cutting thicker glass, and always dip in cutting oil first.
It takes a bit more strength to squeeze my running pliers for thicker glass. I have heavy duty running pliers but don't use them; they've got metal jaws which aren't covered with rubber, so I tend to have more chipping with them.
Many thanks Valerie, will start with my project next week, very timely information :)

I got also those heavy duty running pliers, and asked about the plastic cover in this thread Leponitt Heavy duty pliers - no plastic - do they work?.

It is in techniques and tools, in case the url does not work. I will cover them with plastic, just have to get to the shop to get the material.

I noticed in a web seminar I took a few months ago that the presenter said she recommended using this pliers for 10 mm glass. But from memory she only showed the pliers, but did not actually use them in the video. She was going to cut about 1/2" strips from a 10mm, 4x4" plate. I remember thinking "how is she going to cut these thin strips with this pliers, the curve is big, they seem to be designed for wider strips".
Then, in the next moment - again if my memory is right - there was a small pile of strips on the table, already cut.

These seminars are afterwards available on a video for 30 days, so a few months later is difficult to remember the details...I should probably post the question on their facebook page.

Thank you again, all best wishes, seachange
seachange
Posts: 223
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:19 am

Re: ripple dichro - how to cap without bubbles?

Post by seachange »

Hi,

just wanted to post an update regarding cutting 1/4" (2 layers of 1/8" tekta fused with assorted vitrigraph pieces in between). Plate was 10x10".

I did as Valerie suggested, using oil and scoring with more pressure than usual. Scored 1/2" strips and tried the heavy duty running pliers (don't have plastic on them yet). It worked very well.

A couple of scores veered off a bit, but I think this is because of the vitrigraph pieces between the layers, some of it is very uneven in thickness.

Had a couple of strips chip a bit under the jaws of the plier, but much, much less than I had expected...all in all a very good result, thanks again for all your help in this thread and the previous one about covering this running pliers with plastic.

By the way, I practiced on 1/4" float glass. The BE fused glass seems a lot denser. A friend once told me that fused art glass is a lot stronger than the equivalent thickness in fused float glass. I have no way to check this, but the fused BE did require more effort on the pliers than the float.

All best wishes, seachange
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