FrogBlog
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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The Importance of Keeping a Firing Log
In 1905 Spanish philosopher George Santayana wrote these well-known words “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And, for anyone that uses a kiln on a regular basis that quote can have significant meaning. That is why we recommend that EVERYONE keep a kiln firing sheet or project log. We cannot stress this enough as it is the easiest ways to learn about your kiln and recall exactly what glass, metals, materials, molds, and most importantly, firing schedule you used. Over time, a properly kept log is critical to keeping track of what you’ve done. It will help you learn the particulars of your kiln plus it will go a long way towards avoiding future mistakes. In many ways, a firing or project log is the most underappreciated tool in your studio. All too often, the enthusiasm to fire overcomes the need to keep records of the firing, resulting in unusable comments. This is an enormous mistake. The firing or project log is one of the most essential tools you have. The combination of your kiln, the materials you select, and the designs you create are exclusive to you. No one else can precisely duplicate the conditions in your kiln, so it’s up to you to keep records that are detailed enough to allow you to repeat good firings and avoid repeating bad ones. Some people suggest that a printed log like the Bullseye Kiln-Glass Project Notes, or the Joy of Fusing Project Log, while others favor a simple notebook. Digital logs are also a popular option. It really doesn't matter which log you chose as long as you document, document, document! Some firings will require minimal notes while others might demand several paragraphs, pictures and/or sketches. Most importantly, keep you log in your work area. Use it religiously and enter essential information about each firing. As you become more knowledgeable, you may find that many of your firings are similar and require minimal entries. But regardless of your experience level, don't stop logging your firings, as your log is a priceless tool! Check out some of our best-selling glass kilns: Evenheat Studio Pro 17 Jen-Ken Vitri Barrel Vitrigraph Kiln Olympic 126 Lite
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The PERFECT kiln for bottle slumping
Glass bottle slumping is extremely popular because you don't need to buy expensive glass and it gives artists the opportunity to recycle wine and/or beer bottles. When thinking about buying a kiln for glass bottle slumping, it’s important to consider the size of the bottles and molds you are planning to use, before you buy it. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy as the long shape of glass bottles and bottle slumping molds make them hard to fit into many of the standard smaller, household current kilns. It’s like the Goldilocks syndrome… this one is too small, this one is too big but, this one is just right. So, with that mind, Paragon Industries accepted the challenge to create the perfect bottle slumping kiln. They recognized that most people who want to slump bottles want a kiln big enough to efficiently slump multiple wine and/or beer bottles at the same time. And, most don't have a 240v electrical circuit available, so they need the kiln to run on regular 120v household current. With those specifications as their guidelines… the rectangular Paragon S1310 Trio was born! And, is the only kiln specifically created for glass bottle slumping! Now that you have the perfect kiln, here are some tips to help you make your glass bottle slumping experience more successful: Remove labels. From washing soda to ammonia, there are many options when it comes to removing labels from bottles. Most involve hot water and soaking from a couple hours to overnight. After the label has been removed, remember to wash the bottles thoroughly under cold water to remove any residue. Many people also use isopropyl alcohol to clean fingerprints as cleaning the glass is critical to your success! Keep a log. Bottles come in diverse shapes, sizes and glass properties. Thicker bottles will take longer to heat and slump. Different shaped bottles will slump differently and at different rates. Different glass may have different melting temperatures. We suggest keeping a log of your firing. You may see some patterns that will help you get more consistent results. Sample Bottle Slumping Firing Schedule Be prepared to adjust. It's uncommon that a generic firing schedule will get you the perfect results without some modification. And, there are a million factors that can impact the temperature… maybe you loaded your kiln with more bottles, so it will take longer to heat. Or, like your oven, some kilns just run hot, while others run cold. Whatever the cause, you will need to adjust some parts of the firing schedule to get the best results from your kiln. Fusing bottles together. Glass compatibility, also referred to the coefficient of expansion or COE, is important to understand if you are going to be successful with glass bottle slumping. If you don’t use glass that has the same compatibility or COE, the stress will cause it to crack or break. Sometimes it happens immediately or sometimes is happens later... but, I can 100% guarantee that it will happen. Most bottles tend to be in the 82-86 COE range which is similar to float or window glass. However, since the COE of any given bottle glass is unknown, it is not recommended to fuse them with other bottles or fusible glass.
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