Fusing question please.

[Magpie]

Oooh, my first adventure onto this board.

My friend bought herself one of those microwave kilns, she had a go but couldn't get it to work. Even though she's got a powerful microwave she couldn't get the kiln hot enough. So she's given up on the idea and last week gave me the bits of glass and kiln paper. So I have a bag of lots of bits of dichroic, a few pieces of plain coloured glass and 3 small pieces of kiln paper. I will have a play and see if it's the right COE for combining with effetre or bullseye, but in the meantime thought I'd have a play. There is a lovely shaped piece of black glass and a dramatic piece of dichroic whick I thought would look great layered on top of each other. So I need some answers to questions, please be gentle, I've not trodden this path before.

1) I've read Vonnie's thread here, is this program OK for fusing a small piece of dichro to plain?

2) Does it matter that the two pieces of glass are not the same size? Will I run into technical problems or will I just get a 3D effect?

3) How big does the kiln paper underneath the glass need to be? Does it need to stick out a minimum of a certain distance or can it literally be the size of the glass? I know this stuff's expensive so don't want to waste it, and if I bead release my kiln shelf will I need the kiln paper?

I think that's all at the moment. Thanks.

[justjules]

I've got a microwave fusing kiln which works fine so maybe should contact the supllier. I would say be wary of the paper you friend gave you as the stuff for the microwave kiln is different to that used for regular kiln fusing.

[aercraft]

Hi,

If you have a beadcube then Vonnie's programme will do it (I also posted a beadcube one on another of Vonnie's posts).  If not, then there are a few others posted on here that might match your kiln.

Fused glass wants to be 6mm thick so if you stack it higher then it will spread, otherwise the footprint will shrink and pull in at the edges in a bid to reach this depth.  I've been doing 2 pieces of 3mm glass and it pretty much stays the same, so just small amount of kiln paper will suffice - BUT - on the first attempt play  safe and give yourself plenty of room if things go wrong!

[Hazel]

I found an ancient thread about fusing here:
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36.0
with a great tutorial from Helen P:  http://www.beadybugs.co.uk/hintsandtips.htm
I think that it may help some of you who have never done any fusing before. As ith all glass it's down to lots of practice and experimenting. Have fun!!

[Magpie]

Thank you all.

Jules - my friend had her kit for a year or so before she got round to trying it, and has sat on it for longer than that. It's probably a bit too late to take it back now.

Anne - I have an SC2, does it really make a big difference to the firing schedule the type of kiln? Bigger ones would take longer to heat the area, but there's not too much difference to a beadcube and SC2 in size is there?

Hazel - Great link, thanks. I've had a read through Helen's notes, good thing too, I'd never have thought of the obvious and basic tip... Make sure your shelf is level.

Thanks all, I'll let you know how I get on, though it may take me a while (we're friends for a reason).

[Pat from Canvey]

Keep a full log of your efforts, temperatures, times and results, good or bad so that you can either do a similar fuse or modify your schedule to improve results.

[Margram]

Re getting the shelf level - I used little stacks of two pence coins under the legs of my kiln until my spirit level (on the shelf) showed level.

[Zeldazog]

Anne - I have an SC2, does it really make a big difference to the firing schedule the type of kiln? Bigger ones would take longer to heat the area, but there's not too much difference to a beadcube and SC2 in size is there?

Good question Helen, and the answer is no, as a general rule, it doesnt' matter what kiln you're using - people often ask for a "specific firing schedule" for their kiln, and really, it should be a firing schedule for the type of glass, the thickness, the size, the design, etc, that dictates the programme, not the the kiln -

Yes, you're right, generally a bigger kiln will take longer to heat up, but most schedules out there are well within the heating capabilities of a big kiln - and even if it takes longer to get there, it will get there - and a fair amount of most fusing schedules is controlled anyway

The difference really is between how you enter a programme on the controller, and what they "call it" - rate, segment, ramp, temp, target - some programmers ask for "how long to get to target" rather than "rate of degrees per hour".

[Glyn Burton]

Hi Magpie
You could do a lot worse than downloading the tips and techniques sheets from the Bullseye website, they are clear easy to read and very informative.

[Zeldazog]

Hi Magpie
You could do a lot worse than downloading the tips and techniques sheets from the Bullseye website, they are clear easy to read and very informative.

Totally agree with this, they're invaluable, I use them in my fusing classes as information for students