The Magic of Working Diagonal!

The Magic of Working Diagonal!

by | Dec 30, 2019 | Custom Design, Inspiration, Product Information, Tutorials

A Kaiser Lee Board Tutorial to Celebrate the Beginning of the Twenties!

Happy New Year!

Finally we will have a decade again with an identity.

Should you be reading this post to the end, you will find out that there is a possibility that I will actually make it for you. Just be one of the first people to order our “Special” and request a mold cutting service.

 

My students keep asking me, if we could make plates that are fairly flat with just a slight curve to the edges of the dish. So finally I succumbed to the challange and made one out of Kaiser Lee Board. Of course it can not just be a “one use” style mold.

To create the curve I used a sanding block and carved on an angle to the inside, where I removed the 5 inch circle first.

Several year ago one of my students, Dick, introduced me to those little tiles which you can get mounted on a net at any place where they sell tiles. Make sure they are ceramic tiles. You can even cut them with a glass cutter and break them with the runner. Until then I always used little pieces of KLB. But this definitely gives me more options and they are easier to use.

Using just two tiles to elevated the outer mold part just to a very shallow dish. If you want the dish a bit deeper in the center, add another tile and for a soup bowl you remove the center KLB part and use as many tiles you like until you have the preferred hight of your bowl.

 

I used 4 sets of tiles three levels high for this blue lunch plate.

 

Create Your Own Table Setting with just this ONE KLB Mold

Just recently we had a discussion with a friend who said that he wanted a tablesetting made in the USA. So I told him not to look any further. He can make his own with glass made in the USA – Wissmach Glass, which is even tested food save.

So with this mold we will be making serving plates, lunch plates, soup bowls, and dinner plates. And if we get bored by the pattern, we can always change it.

 

 

Tested compatible logo 96

 

Here is a plate that is 15″ (38 cm) long on a 12″ (30 cm) square mold.

Ahh! the magic of working diagonal. Isn’t it fun. And yes it Wissmach clear COE 96 with many colors fused and slumped in one firing.

 

To celebrate the New Year we have created this special offer. And the first 10 customers can request one mold cutting service ($15 value). All you have to do is send in your design request and we will cut it for you.

Also in the month of January and February you can earn a $ 10 Gift Certificate when you are willing to share your KLB experiments with us and our blog readers.

Small Kaiser Lee Board Drape Molds

Small Kaiser Lee Board Drape Molds

by | Aug 23, 2019 | Custom Design, Tutorials

It is always nice to be challenged by students. This time J. wanted to make some small vessels for succulents and other purposes. And since I have all these little pieces of Kaiser Lee Board laying around, we just took two and tried. The glass does not have to be cut precise. But it should be at least 1.5″ (4 cm) bigger all the way around your mold. If not, you still have a nice container, but it would not hold any liquids. 

A single layer of glass is sufficient for this project. I chose Wissmach Glass 96-11 Honey Luminescent. Since it is a reverse project, the luminescent coating will show up on the top side once it is fired. To protect the luminescent during firing and also to give a little buffer for better release of the mold, I use a piece of fire paper the exact size as the glass.  Then I placed the small Kaiser Lee Board mold pieces on a carved Kaiser Lee Board shelf for additional interest and fired them.

Add this free project to my Drape e-book. Here you will find many more ideas for your fused glass drape projects. 

Upcoming Workshops in Frederick, MD and Atlanta, GA

First Stop is @ Anything in Stained Glass in Frederick Md. We will be teaching a 2 day workshop right after the East Coast Glass Expo.

September 16 and 17th

please call for reservation.

Phone: 301-378-2218
Toll Free: 800-231-5422

The second stop is @ HOLLANDER FUSING CENTER ATLANTA

October 3rd and 4th @

please call for reservation.

Phone: 678-904-1136
Toll Free: 877-238-5464

Firing Glass Dots or Pebbles

Firing Glass Dots or Pebbles

by | Jul 19, 2019 | General Information, Tutorials

In my book Introduction to Glass Fusing I introduces glass dots and how to make them in different sizes. One of the problems with glass dots or pebbles is the kiln wash or kiln paper resedue. But with lower firing temperatures and longer hold times they come out fairly clean. Enjoy the video!

Firing Red Glass

Firing Red Glass

by | Jun 29, 2019 | General Information, Product Information, Tutorials

Somewhere back in my brain I remember that glass can change in successive firings. Especially the red, orange and yellow. Since I usually full fuse at around 1410° F (765° C) and often full fuse and slump in one firing, I did not encounter those issues.

But as Wissmach’s kiln glass consultant I have spoken to people with various fusing questions. In most cases we were able to solve the issues by changing their firing schedule. Therefor I sat down and wrote a Firing E-Book. 

Recently I did get some 90 COE glass (not Wissmach) to test.  So at first I fired it at 1410° F (765° C) and placed it between the polarized film on our Fuse It Test Card. The results were very good. No stress at all. The transparent dark red was still transparent and did not show any stress. The opaque orange of course was still opaque and also did not show any stress and the yellow transparent was equally perfect.

In a second test I took the same test glass piece and fired it again at a higher temperature; 1460° F (794° C). The orange and the yellow stayed the same. No stress and no change of transparency. But we could see a lot of change in the dark red. It turned opaque and is now showing a lot of stress

Find the Free How To Ust it video here.  

Join us in September at:

 
Pocket Vase

Pocket Vase

by | May 2, 2019 | General Information, Tutorials

In 2013 I wrote an article for Glass Pattern Quarterly explaining how to make a wall vase with a pocket. If I am not mistaken, it is in the spring issue. Last week one of our workshop participants wanted to make one and I took some pictures, unfortunately after I already had cleaned it.

To the left is an image of the finished vase. It was created with Wissmach luminescent glass and 2 strips of Kaiser Lee Board. The luminescent faces down during firing, but will be seen on the front of the vase. The mold strips are placed onto a  Kaiser Lee Board kiln shelf. Therefore we have very even heat distribution and can fire fairly fast.

 

Firing Schedule – Fuse and Slump Wall Vase 

  1. Ramp up 600°F to 1000° F hold :10
  2. Ramp afap to 1410°F and hold for :10
  3. Ramp afap to 900°F and hold for :60
  4. Ramp 100°F to 700°F and no hold
  5. Let cool to room temperature

This second image shows the backside of the vase, filled with little glass nuggets to give you an idea of the pocket. To the right is the mold set up. To create the pocket I made a tube with Papyros paper which I filled with Kaiser Lee Board sand. Another of my KLENDOX (Kaiser Lee Sand Box) ideas. Below are a few pictures from my article.

Making the tube with KLB sand has a few advantages. First it does not insulate as well as a whole piece of board or pieces of fiber paper would.  Emptying the pocket is also very easy and you can re-use it countless times, as any of your Kaiser Lee Board shelves and molds.

Have fun creating and if you like , please share some pictures with us.