RECENT E-MAIL CONVERSATIONS CONCERNING GLASS FUSING TECHNIQUES.   QU: Dear Petra   I hope you are having a good Labor Day Weekend.   I have a couple of questions that I was hoping you could help me with.   I have been reading your Fuse It book (again) and I have a few questions now that I have a project of my own in mind.   You discuss working with fiber board (not Kaiser Lee, just the regular).  If I cut a hole for a mold, do I have to line it with shelf paper? If I make a mold with the KLB, can I cut out a pattern that doesnt go all the way thru?  Then it would look kinda like a pate de verre mold - - I could then fill with frit and fire. Do I have to line the KLB mold with fiber paper or can I use kiln wash?  I want to make a small intricate (kinda) type of mold and I dont think fiber paper would be very easy to line the mold with.   I appreciate your time & knowledge.  Any info/help you can give me would be GREATLY appreciated.   Keep up the good work on the books and fun projects! - Sheri Murray - Duluth, MN ----- A:  Dear Sheri,   thanks for reading my book. I guess you will read it more than twice. It is so filled with information that you find yourself referring to it often. At least that is what I have been told by other readers.   When you are working with other fiber boards you will have to pre-fire it. Vent your studio since the sugar burn off does not smell sweet. Than you need a hacksaw to cut a hole all the way through and use ridgidizer to harden it every time it turns soft on you. You can cover it with thin fire shelf paper you don't need to use fiber paper (thicker paper) as a release. We often cut all the way through Kaiser Lee Board - any shape you want, since it is vacuum formed small particles versus compressed paper like the other boards. Which makes it ideal for shaping and cutting. It is prefired and you don't need ridgidizer. For this project I would recommend primo primer kiln wash - which you need to fire around 500 F to cure it.  I wish you fun and please let me know if it worked and if you can, I like to see some pictures of your finished pieces.   Petra Kaiser   QU:  Does KLB get marks on it from .999 silver as my kiln shelf does?   I always use Bullseye Thin Fire fiber paper when firing.  The silver seems to go right through onto my kiln shelf and leaving black marks, which is then transferred to any glass I may use in the future (even if there is fiber paper on the shelf).  Just wondering if I will have that problem using KLB? ---    A:  Dear Suzanne,   To avoid silver marks on your shelf, you need to place a piece of fiber paper under the silver to protect the shelf from tarnishing. The thin fire paper is a release paper and often confused with the fiber paper.  Fiber paper is the felt type of stuff that starts out solid and than turns into soft cloth while the thin fire is turning into dust. Yes the thin fire does not help with the silver. It is the fiber paper that helps. This is why I try to call the thin fire paper - shelf paper to get rid of the confusion.   petra    QU: Dear Petra!   Thank you for such a wonderful book. As a self taught artist, I was really inspired by your projects and what Kaiser Lee can do to "think outside the frame!"   I just have one quick question....the vases in the book....how are they hung???  I know the directions say to put a square of fiber paper but it doesn't follow up on how the vases are hung (what kind of hardware)....   My best friend is an interior designer and I know she would love some of these in her newly renovated kitchen and bathroom. I can't think of a better "renovating warming" gift but I am unsure what to do so she may mount what I create to her walls!   With kind regards from an avid fan and glass addict,   Randi   A:  Hi Randi!   They actually just hang from a nail or little hook. The little square in the back is creating a hole in combination with the bigger opening for the flower. There is no glass between this little piece of fiber paper and the bigger one, but all away around it are several layers of glass so you don't create a hole where you don't want it.   Have fun petra    QU:  Hi there, My daughter bought me a copy of your book Introduction to Glass Fusing. I have been doing a few of the projects, and find that the No96 glass always seems to present with a large bubble. My last project was a frog on white glass, and there in the top left hand corner was another bubble, in a single piece of glass. Now there could not have been any moisture on the kiln shelf as it has had several firings since I coated it. Would it be possible that the temperature was too high? I followed your instructions in the medium components - full fuse page. The sheet was flat on the kiln shelf with nothing intervening between it and the kiln shelf. I have noticed this bubble with 3 other projects, but blamed it on overheating. What do you think the temperature should be? Your book says 805 degrees centigrade. Hoping you can help me. Carroll, Queensland, Australia   A:   Hi Carroll,   Thank you for working with my book. If the bubble is always in the same spot, than there is definitely something wrong with the kiln shelf/wash. When I worked with clay shelves I had more mishaps than now with fiber board shelves. My instructor also taught us to remove the kiln wash (scraping it off with a putty knife) and reapplying it after each firing. In my “Fuse It” book I talk in depth about possible releases and the advantage of working with fiber products. Another option is to go up slower in temperature and each kiln is a little different and you can adjust the end temperature accordingly to your kiln by observing in the end stage.    QU: Thank-you Petra, Unfortunately it is hard to observe with my kiln as I need to lift the lid. I may try the fiber paper under the sheet to see what happens. Do you think the bubble will go if I put it back in the kiln?   Regards Carroll   A:  Carroll!   Try it with the fiber paper, it might help. Sift some kiln wash powder onto the fiber paper – smooth side up. This way the bottom of your glass will not be so rough and you will be able to use the fiber paper many times, but don't forget to re-dust it.   have fun petra     QU:  Hi, Petra,  I have just recently started the glass fusing and your book is very helpful however I still couldn't quite get it yet.  The kiln that I have is a very old kiln without manual.  It is a front load kiln with switch has L, M, H (the shelf size is about 10 inches).  Its ramping rate is slow so it takes about 3hrs+ to reach 1500F for a 2 layers full fuse.   Then when I need to do "Flash cool" I found myself having hard time to bring the temperature down.    So my question is :  1. Is it important to bring the temperature down around 1100F?  If so why?  (Usually after two "open" the kiln temperature only went down to around 1400F.  I think one of the problems is the sensor for the temperature is at the back of the kiln so the piece near the door got the cold air but not the one at the back)   A:   Hi Annshar,   Thank you for working with my book. After you are through with it you might want to have a look at the next one, “Fuse It - A continuing Journey in Kiln Worked Glass”.   The Flash Cooling is important, if you are having a problem with divitrification, which can occur between 1200 and 1300. This is why we always want to be faster during this stage. But with the new art glass it is not such a big issue and I do not flash cool my glass any more. You will not harm anything by opening and closing the kiln often but be careful not to go to fast down after 1100 F since you will thermo shock the glass. And please don't open any peep holes, let it cool down slowly.   Have fun fusing petra kaiser  QU:  Hi Petra Kaiser,   After reading your entire book Introduction to Glass Fusing - Project-By-Project Guided Lessons, I have recently become a great fan of yours!  I am a very inexperienced beginner in glass fusing.  I took a one-day class in September and then bought an Olympic Kiln (146-GFE) thinking that this stuff is really easy...  Perhaps I moved a little too fast.  A friend of mine bought me your book to get me started.  I have tried just creating my own designs and I have also made your Sunny Bells on page 35-37.   I have no problem working with the glass prior to putting it into the kiln; however I have had one disaster after another once it goes into the kiln.  I have had a large bubble (probably kiln wash that was not thoroughly dry), incompatible glass that cracked, projects that were ‘over-cooked' and 'under-cooked', and tons of devitrification on everything I do.  The kiln and I are battling it out and I have overcome most of the problems described above - with the exception of the devitrification problem.  I have used only glass cut from one full sheet (to guarantee compatibility), I have made sure it is well-cleaned, I have vented the kiln, and I have opened and closed the lid to bring it down to 1100F quickly.  I want to try your beautiful mobiles on page 37 next, but not until I solve the devitrification problem.  The one thing I am doing 'wrong' that you warned about is that I am using glass that I have had for several years (non-tested compatible glass).  Is there no hope that I can use this glass without always ending up with the devitrification problem? Or is there some way I can make it work (I have lots of glass from my old leaded glass days)?    I eagerly look forward to your response.  Thanks you for your time. -  Louise   A:   Hi Louise,   I'm so sorry for all your trouble but I admire your stamina. There is a spray that you could apply to your pieces. One is a low fire spray, that could be applied after you have already formed your pieces and the other is a high fire spray that you should use before fusing. Gil Reynolds is the inventor of it. http://www.fusionheadquarters.com/ click on this link and you should find what you are looking for.     petra    QU:  Hello, I have your book, Introduction to Glass Fusing.  Consider project 10 -Frit-cast dolphin.   Would you mind answering a question for me?  For a mold of an object with more intricate design, should the frit be finer?  If so, would the rest of the directions (esp. the firing instructions) still apply? Thank you for any help you can give me.  BHH   A:   Hi,   you can use any size of frit. As finer the frit as less shiny the glass will be. But try it. Firing schedule and all the other instructions will be the same. Please check out our new book "Fuse It"   Keep it hot petra  HOT TIP – THANK YOU GERRY KLEIN FROM www.HotShopsArtCenter.com Hi Petra,   Congratulations on publishing your second book.  I had written to you about a year ago concerning jewelry.  Just wanted to make a comment about  some info on page 66.  I work in a glassblowing shop and we are always making frit with our homemade "frit pounder."  We always run a large magnet over the glass after pounding to remove all the metal filings. It works great.....as long as the metal in the pounder is magnetic!   Take care, Gerry Klein