Making Fused Glass Globs

Begin by cutting strips of fusible glass:

You can use mosaic nippers to cut some strips into single layer squares for smaller globs.

Stack other squares into two and three layer stacks and place on a prepped kiln shelf.

Fire the glass squares up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and hold for 8-10 minutes.
In a small kiln (like my Caldera), I go AFAP (as fast as possible) to 1500 and hold for 10 minutes, then the next segment of the firing schedule is off. The kiln holds enough heat, and they are small enough that I'm not worried about thermal shock. Plus, I'll be firing these again in a larger project. They'll really anneal in that piece.

Cutting Little Circles...

with the Teeny Circle System from Morton!
I just taught myself yesterday, and with some practice, I can see some new quilt pattern plates with circles!

Frank Lloyd Wright Stained Glass & my new best friend...

So, I've started my next big project at the studio....
On May 6, Michele's studio is on the list of studios being featured in a private tour for Magrit Mondavi and some friends. This is a big event! Michele's studio is filled with marvelous pieces of art, but she has been wanting to display some pieces more prominently for quite some time and this is just the kick in the pants that she needed. (You know, the house always gets the cleaning it needs when guests are coming over!)
So, she's had some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Glass Stained Glass Window Patterns that she has wanted to hang and has graciously allowed another assistant and myself to learn leaded glass on the pieces. So, we each have our very own pattern to use in creating a beautiful art glass window with Chicago Art Glass, no less (That's antique glass that Mr. Wright used in his windows.) It's like our own private leaded glass window class!
I've begun to cut my first pieces for my pattern (the name I cannot recall right now - I can't even find a picture of it on the web!) Let me just tell you, the Morton board and cutting system is my best friend just about now!!! Can you believe that the diamonds he cut for this window are not 45 degrees, but an even 44-1/3 (or something crazy like that)! So, the cutting of the diamonds (mind you, they are not even all the same size) has provided me with the inspiration I needed to more fully understand and appreciate the inner workings of the Morton glass cutting system. Granted I was just learning, but it still took a good 2 hours (or slightly longer) simply to cut the fewer than 20 diamonds! Of course, seeing as how the pieces I was cutting are from the very limited supply of antique Chicago Art Glass, I was extremely precise and made sure that my diamonds were just so, cutting up scrap pieces of clear glass first and fitting them to the pattern.
I'm looking forward to going to the studio again tomorrow to begin cutting some squares. Much, much, much easier! I should whiz through those in no time at all. Before you know it, I'll have finished pictures up:)

Getting to Know You...

Well, I just got my brand new Morton Maxi Surface and Portable Glass Shop out of the box and am in the process of learning all about its many benefits. There's an audio CD talking me through reading the manual, so far. And what a nicely illustrated manual it is! (It is available to download here, if you need it.)
While sitting here, I came across an interesting tidbit that I was about to highlight, but figured I should just blog it instead. So, tonight I am sharing my Morton board lesson with you all:)

The first interesting fact I came across was the Flares, Burrs & Voids section. "These are terms to identify unwanted results when scoring and breaking glass." Turns out that a flare occurs when the glass cutter runs at an angle to the glass you're trying to cut. In other words, the cutter should be held perpendicular to the glass while scoring it. Also, they suggest picking up a Morton Runner Safety Break, a device that allows you to start the break in the middle of the piece of glass, as opposed to the edge of the glass (like when you use running pliers).
I've found that if you're trying to make a long break in a piece of glass, it works well to gently squeeze the running pliers from one edge and then finish the break from the other edge, also squeezing gently.
From the instruction manual: "It takes time for the break, that was started by the score, to travel through the thickness of the glass. As you add pressure to break the glass, a slow steady squeeze and hold type of pressure, is much more effective than a quick hard squeeze with no holding pressure."
Okay, so I really haven't had too much concern over "flares" on my glass. True, they can surprise you with a bite that bleeds, but flares are not that hard to grind off with the grozing side of the breaker-grozer tool. The edge may not look perfect, but chances are that it will look fine when it melts down in the kiln. (Unless, of course, you're going to be foiling the piece for stained glass work, in which case you'll be covering the edge with copper tape.)

I have made a mental note, though, to check out the angle of my cutter the next time I am cutting glass. I will try out this "new" technique with my Morton board tomorrow and get back to you with results. Flares be warned!

More on this subject as I read on. But for now, I'm off to bed to dream about glass:)