Petra Kaiser

Summer Experiment – Kiln Forming Without Kiln Marks!

by Petra Kaiser | Jun 21, 2017 | General Information, Inspiration

This summer is dedicated to glass experiments. Every year I think I have a lot of time in the summer to experiment. But with all the traveling and teaching the summer is always over so quickly. So this year we took a break and are enjoying the time in our studio.

Here is a fun experiment I am so excited about that I want to share it with you. Inspired by Marcia Bernadette’s eBook and a technique Toni Glander explained in an article many years ago, I wanted to stretch a piece of glass without any mold or shelf marks. Marcia said in her book that she wanted to achieve a blown glass look in kiln formed glass. That brought back Tony’s idea of suspending the glass with fused in wires.

Since weeks I have done several experiments to stretch glass for thin glass shards, also known as confetti. So when I started this experiment I still had shards on my mind.

I also wanted to see if I could make opal glass look a bit more translucent by adding lots of clear. Since it was an experiment that I thought might end up in a big mess (like several others) I did not give the design a lot of consideration. Just wanted to use some nice Wissmach 96 colors that together would make a good color combination, stretch it thin and later use it as design elements in other pieces. But since I also wanted to dilute the opaque glass, I ended up with 3 layers and they won’t stretch thin in a 5” deep set up.

The long wires are fused into each corner and wrapped around the mandrel. The next thought was – “How could I secure the whole setup from collapsing onto the kiln floor?” The third mandrel was the solution and it won’t get stuck on the glass, I wrapped it with a few rounds of Papyros Paper.

Sorry, this is not a full “How To” article, since I have to do some more experimenting before I can publish a tutorial on this subject.

Bubbles – never again!

by Petra Kaiser | Jun 21, 2017 | Inspiration, Tutorials

Yesterday, one of our new customers sent me this picture. Have you experienced this bubble problem? I did! Nearly 20 years ago, before I started using Kaiser Lee Board as a kiln shelf.

Here is my reasoning behind the bubble issue. Glass is a very slow heat conductor, while clay is a very good heat conductor. For example, you can hold a 3″ long glass stringer into a candle flame and it won’t get hot at the end of the stringer, even after softening in the front. With a clay piece, you would burn your fingers in no time. (If you want to try the clay part of this experiment, please have some Pepto Bismol next to you, to treat your burn marks).

When you place your glass on a clay shelf, there is always some air between the glass and the shelf and while the kiln heats up, the air gets hot and since it can’t escape will blow a bubble into the soft glass. Kaiser Lee Board, on the other hand, does not conduct heat any faster than your glass. In addition, it is also porous and any trapped air can escape easily. Another advantage of fusing with Kaiser Lee Board is that you can fire a lot faster than with clay type kiln furniture. Oh yes, I have read about all the tricks and hoops you have to go through to avoid those bubbles and Kaiser Lee Board.

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Kaiser Lee Board is Ideal for the Paragon QuickFire 6

by Petra Kaiser | Jun 6, 2017 | Product Information

For those of you who do not know about the Paragon QuickFire 6 – here is a picture of it.

And yes it will fire quick and the trickiest part is to stay with it and check your glass often and turn it off, as soon as you like what you see. Kaiser Lee Board does not mind to be fired fast and does not absorb heat any faster than your glass. Therefor it is the ideal combination – both as a shelf and also as a mold material.

Just in case you get distracted it is best to use a QuickFire with a Power Control Box. It will prevent it from over firing, as long as you don’t leave your kiln alone on the highest setting.

Inspired by her request, we added two new options for Kaiser Lee Board. Yes, you can now order the board in the smaller size of 6″ x 6″ in a pack of 2 or you can buy the Quick Fire Kit as shown on the right.

Yesterday one of my readers sent me a question.

“I use a Paragon QuikFire 6 kiln with ceramic-type kiln shelf. Recently, I’ve developed a problem with a smooth area and wrinkles radiating out in the center of the back of the pieces. Could this be a hot spot on my shelf? I do keep it elevated with 1/4″ thick, 1″ long pieces of fiber board, but this no longer helps. There are now dark circular spots on the kiln shelf. After rereading my old copy of your book, I’m wondering if I should switch to Kaiser-Lee fiber board instead of ceramic kiln shelf to better distribute the heat; if so, what thickness fiber board should I use?”

Keep the Luminescent Coating on the Top Layer!

by Petra Kaiser | May 18, 2017 | Product Information, Tutorials

Lately I’m experimenting with Papyros Paper and have made several discoveries. Today I want to share my latest with you. Laura P. once mentioned that she places Papyros Paper on top of a luminescent glass, when she slumps it, after she fused the luminescent side down in the first firing.

With the Kaiser Lee Board molds we generally full fuse and slump in one firing. Until now, I told everyone, that they have to use a reverse fusing mold, if they wanted to keep the luminescent glass on top. The piece that you see in the picture is actually on a reverse fusing mold and I added a yellow luminescent square on the back to stabilize the foot of the dish. This way I had nothing to lose if the piece did not turn out the way I wanted it. (Yes, I hate to waste glass). I covered the yellow square with a piece of Papyros Paper that was slightly larger than the yellow square.

I fired it all the way up to 1420°F (770°C) and hold for 10 minutes. It amazes me, that the Papyros Paper did not leave any grayish residue or marks on the glass, not even on the black. And yes, the luminescent did not fire off.

Let me know what you think in the comment section below. And to be the first to hear about all the other fun things that will come up in the near future, please subscribe to this blog.

New Session of 3 weekly Glass Fusing Classes at BIG ARTS on Sanibel

by Petra Kaiser | Apr 29, 2017 | General Information

Last Session of 3 weekly classes for this season.

Many of our winter residents are moving back North (and leave us here to sweat). So now we have a small group of people who will attend the last 3 sessions. There won’t be a class in the second week of May. So if you happen to be in the area, give BIG ARTS a call 239.395.0900 to sign up and enjoy a the extra attention I will be able to give to you.