FrogBlog
Bullseye Glass Index of Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have exploring questions about Bullseye Glass and how to use it? Their Index of Frequently Asked Questions can be a helpful guide! It contains anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Bullseye Glass. So, get comfortable... this is a TON of great information! GENERAL Is Bullseye glass COE 90? Can I use a ceramic kiln for glass? How can I learn to cut glass? Is Bullseye glass compatible in all conditions? Is Bullseye glass food safe? What are "striking" glass colors? What should I know about studio safety? What's the specific gravity of Bullseye? How do I know which clear Bullseye glass to use? Is there bubble-free glass? Why should I choose Bullseye glass over other glasses? New to using Bullseye Glass? COLDWORKING What is coldworking? Besides sandblasting, how can I remove devit? Can I sandblast glass to remove devit? How do I coldwork my kilncast piece? How do I get rid of sharp edges on my project? KILNFORMING What is kilnforming? How and why should I clean glass before firing it? How do I prevent glass from sticking to kiln shelves? How do I restrain glass flow? What is annealing? Why is it necessary? What is devitrification or devit? What is firepolishing? What is fusing? What is slumping? What is tack-fusing? What schedule should I use for annealing? Why should I fuse and slump glass in separate firings? Want to see the full list? Check it out here... Index of Frequently Asked Questions!
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Sweet Dotted Bowls
Bullseye Glass Quick Tip: In this Quick Tip, learn how to make these sweet dotted bowls with Color Line Paints and the simplest of tools! To get started, layer two 4.75 ̋ circles of colorful 3mm sheet combinations and fire to a full fuse. For a slightly thinner, lighter bowl, swap the top 3mm layer for thin (-0050). The thinner top layer will contract just enough to form a narrow border of the base color along the bowl’s rim. Once your blanks are ready, let the fun begin! Using pins, toothpicks, and Color Line’s affixable tips, add dots and flourishes of Color Line Paint in organic patterns. Explore the diversity of colors and the bold-to-whimsical mark-making range that these ready-to-use, lead-free enamels make possible. Easily mixable, they’re also great for developing your own custom colors. Fuse the Color Line enamels to a gloss by firing the painted blanks, then slump in a Ball Surface mold (firing schedules below). Firing Color Line reds often requires a little extra attention.
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Little Wisp Bowls
Bullseye Glass Quick Tip: In this Quick Tip, you will learn to create your own streaky color palette! And, it's so easy! Start by layering Clear and White Streaky sheet glass over transparent tint glass styles. Then, slump in the Cone Bowl mold to upturn the edges and achieve luscious color at the rim. You might just find yourself making bowls for days! The Cone Bowl mold is a crowd pleaser and has always been a Bullseye Glass favorite! Glass fusers have dubbed it the original “the ice cream dish mold” and who doesn't love ice cream! The steep drop of this mold into a narrow space means this is one slumping project that requires special attention to preparation, firing schedules and placement in the kiln. Check out this additional tip from Bullseye... Cone Bowl Molds for additional best practices. Also, if this is your first time using clear, white streaky sheet glass, keep in mind that it may become more translucent upon firing. Remember to remove any needle pointed edges with a diamond pad prior to slumping to ensure you get a smooth, clean edge. Finally, for handy for minor adjustments of the flat, fused blank in the mold, as well as removing the slumped dish from the mold... just use this handy Small Suction Lifter.
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Put a Ring on it!
Bullseye Glass Quick Tip: In this Quick Tip, explore the possibilities of a palette of rings capped with Opaline! As an overlay, Opaline scatters light for a dramatic impact on base colors. Note the blue hue it adds to the dark-valued green and the subtle changes with lighter-valued greens. But when held up to the light, it's as if the Opaline layer disappears! One secret of ring cutting is that the inner pieces must be slightly smaller in diameter for the best fit! A central circle cut to the same dimension as the inner ring will not fit, in the same way a ring and circle cut from the same sheet won't fit back together. Larger, narrower rings are easier to cut because they're more flexible than smaller, wider rings. When trying to remove the rings, make a single score perpendicular to the inner circle and run it gently, then wiggle the ends of the ring up and down to ease it off of the central circle. This will leave a seam in the ring, but this usually fuses together with little visibility, particularly under a cap of Opaline.
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Bringing Home Your New Kiln
Many artists assume they need to rent a dedicated space to work on kiln-glass projects. But you can accomplish a lot in a home studio with just a kiln, a table or bench, and some basic tools. In this Bullseye Glass short 4-part video lesson, they set up a home studio around a Paragon Fiber Fuse-16, a compact top-loading kiln used in many home studios. Plus, they cover basics like tools, furniture, and other equipment; where to place your kiln; and how to prepare for your first firing. Additionally, safety in your new studio is always important! Here are some things to consider: Good housekeeping and common sense go a long way toward ensuring safety in the kiln forming studio. Ventilate your studio well, keep dust to a minimum, and confine hazardous materials to a limited area. Avoid eating and drinking in the studio. Toxins and dust are easily ingested when you handle food and kiln-working materials in the same space. Wash your hands upon leaving the studio. If you can’t change clothes, wear a smock or apron while you work. To avoid tracking dust and toxins to other locations, consider dedicating a pair of shoes to studio use only. Thoroughly read the manual and other information provided by the manufacturer. Operate your kiln in a well-ventilated area. Full-fuse firings of glass on primed shelves will not release fumes, but firings that involve fibers, enamels, glazes, and other materials can. Avoid burns by wearing protective clothing. Use heatresistant gloves whenever opening a hot kiln. Always turn off the power before reaching into a hot kiln (for example, during glass combing or other manual forming). Protect your eyes. Looking into a hot kiln for prolonged periods of time exposes your eyes to potentially damaging infrared light. Excessive exposure can cause cataracts. Wear safety glasses with protective ANSI shade 1.7 lenses. Didymium glasses used for flameworking DO NOT provide protection from infrared light. Want more on specific hazards, check out Bullseye Safety in the Kiln-Glass Studio!
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Opaline Overlays
Bullseye Glass Quick Tip: This Quick Tip shows you the beauty of Opaline sheet glass! Amazing on its own—also a great tool to expand your color palette in kilnforming, creating new colors with distinct properties. As an overlay, expect subtle changes when fired over light value styles and more dramatic effects over dark values. Style codes for glasses above:White (000113-0030), Driftwood Gray (000132-0030), Elephant Gray (000206-0030), Deco Gray (000136-0030), Slate Gray (000236-0030), Black (000100-0030)
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The Firing Stages of Glass
We get lots of questions about the overall firing process... fast or slow, open or don't open? We also understand the anxiety that accompanies firing your kiln for the first time or, trying a new technique. Don't forget, we are glass-a-holics just like you... and, have had a few missteps along the way. With that said, here is a quick look at the stages of firing. So, the next time you have a question... hopefully, you will have the answer! Initial Heating from Room Temperature (room temperature to 1200°F range) During the initial heating, the glass is very brittle and susceptible to breaking if it’s heated up too quickly. Imagine a large notebook laying flat on a kiln shelf, it has a top and bottom surface and four sides. The book also has interior pages... basically, anywhere between the exposed surfaces. If we heat the book... or glass too quickly, the surface area will expand faster than the interior of the glass. This is what creates tension within the glass and, breakage... a.k.a. thermal shock! So, during this stage, it’s best to take a super conservative approach and slowly heat up the glass. Choosing between torch enameling and kiln enameling depends on project size, heat control, repeatability, and the equipment already available in the studio. At the end of this temperature range, somewhere between 1150°F to 1200°F, it’s a good idea to add a heat soaking period to allow the project to equalize to the same temperature throughout. Never peek in the kiln during this stage, or you increase the risk of your thermal shock breakage.Process Heating (1200°F to 1500°F range) The glass becomes softer and more fluid. During the process heating stage, the glass can be fired more quickly to the target temperature and soaked only long enough to achieve the desired look. It’s important not to hold the project at these temperatures for a long period of time, or you run the risk of devitrification (a visible clouding of the glass surface due to crystallization). Fast Cooling (1500°F to 1100°F range) After the finished look has been achieved, it’s important to cool the inside of the kiln and the glass as quickly as possible to stop the firing action so that it “freezes”. During the fast cooling stage, the surface of the glass is cooler and it has contracted more than the heated center which remains expanded, thus introducing stress into the glass piece. Annealing (1100°F to 700°F range)At the beginning of the annealing stage, it’s necessary to heat soak the glass for an extended period of time to allow the glass to equalize in temperature throughout and release the stress that’s in the glass. This makes the glass more stable. Then the glass is slowly cooled through the annealing temperature range to better ensure the glass piece is free of internal stresses and is physically stronger. NEVER OPEN THE KILN DURING THIS STAGE! I repeat... NEVER OPEN THE KILN DURING THIS STAGE! Cooling to Room Temperature (700°F to room temperature range) After the glass temperature has cooled below the annealing temperature zone, the kiln can be turned off to allow it to cool at its own pace to around 150°F – 200°F. Again, to avoid thermal shock, do not open the kiln until it has cooled down to at least 200°F. Even at this temperature, the glass is very hot, so do not attempt to pick it up in your bare hands. It may look cool but, it's hot! Simply open up the lid of your kiln and allow the glass and the kiln shelf to cool down to room temperature.Together they comprise a single firing cycle (room temp to room temp).The Bullseye Glass TechNotes 4 is also a very helpful resource for the explanation of Heat & Glass, as understanding the behavior of glass within these different temperature ranges will ultimately be the key to your success!
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