WarmGlass.com

I've just tried the snowflake/ornament pattern in a recent copy of Glass Patterns. Used Spectrum 96 noodles (opal one time, dichro another) and have had similar results - all test pieces are coming out fully fused but also fragmented...as if they have pulled apart from one another though the design requires the pieces to lie on top of one another (so all pieces do touch other pieces).

I'm assuming this is a function of it getting too hot in the kiln. Would that be accurate? The article said to take it to 1550 but the pieces seemed so small that I only went to 1440. Tried one test at 1370 and that had a similar "pull apart" problem, though it wasn't fused enough (just beyond tack).

Thoughts? Do I need to take it lower? or just slower?

Thank you!

It sounds like volume control issues. My guess is that you are experiencing the kinds of results you get from not having enough volume of glass to fire and maintain it's form. The glass wants to be 1/4" or 6mm thick at full fuse temps. If you have less, the glass will pull together and try to ball up (think surface tension)...too thick and it will flow to thin out. If this pattern is for a single thickness of noodles, then there is misinformation regarding temps. I don't see how you can get a full fuse and keep the form with a single thickness of noodles.

These temps are high for a tack fuse or even a full fuse. Use Spectrum's schedule for a tack fuse, but start watching it at about 200 degrees lower. Watch and see when you start to get a little deformation and arrest it at that temp. This should give you a tack fuse, but the glass shouldn't have pulled too much out of shape.

However, I find that using dichro comes with its own variables.

The edges of where the dichro touches other glass will "bunch up" and pull away is if the surface tension changes because of the dichro.

I don't have an easy answer for your situation, but "cooking" dichro at 1550 comes with its own problems... you can burn the color.

if dichro touches dichro or dichro touches irid etc, you REALLY get the bunching up... almost like they are trying to move away from each other.

Thanks Cynthia, Thanks Steve -
yeah, the bunching up is a good way to describe it...seems very prone to pulling away from where the intersections lie.

I"m going to try two more test of this pattern....one that is exactly as described just at a lower temperature. The other with more than one layer of noodle.

If neither of those work, I may just move on to other holiday gift ideas!

Sue (gocoach)