How our fused glass is made

Fused glass technique

Layers of glass powders, sheets of glass, foils and glass grains all combine to create beautiful effects within our fused glass. Designs are layed out onto sheets of glass and the materials are built up in layers to produce the overall look that your pice of fused glass will have. The fusing process involves applying heat to the finished creation in order to combine all the components together creating our fused glass.

fused glass ITV commission in progress
Stephanie unloading the fused glass out of the kiln
Kiln ready for firing the fused glass
Adding the finishing touches
Stripe splashback in progress

What the fused glass process involves

  • What goes into the fused glass?

    A variation of products are used to create the designs ranging from glass powders, grades of various sizes of glass grains, metal oxides, metal foils, wire and coloured glass .

  • What temperature does it go to?

    The kiln is fired gradually in order to prevent thermal shock and is taken to around 830 degrees C and then cooled very slowly to stabilise the glass, the firing programmes vary depending on the pieces being fired and the variations of the materials involved.

  • How long is the process?

    Every piece of fused glass is different and depending on the scale of the piece and how many firings are involved will determine how long it takes to produce. Generally speaking a piece will take several hours to layout and design prior to firing and may be involved in multiple firings over a period of time in order to complete the finished piece of fused glass.

  • Is every piece individual?

    Each and every piece of fused glass has its own characteristics and two pieces can never be exactly the same as each other, that is the beauty of the process. There are several elements of the process which contribute to the individuality factor including materials used as well as postioning for firing.

  • Does every piece have bubbles?

    Pretty much! At least to some degree, be it teeny tiny or big and beautiful. The bubbles are a fantastic natural occurence within the layers of glass during the fusing process, they can be controlled to an extent using careful kiln programming and special materials but you never can be 100% certain of where one might appear, which is a great feature both for the artist and the customer!

  • What equipment is used?

    A speacialist fused glass kiln is used to fire the glass, the largest single piece that can be accomodated is 2m x 1m.

  • What if I have a question?

    If you have any questions or wish to discuss anything with us about our fused glass please feel free to e-mail or call us and we would be happy to help.
Fused glass Spiral panel in progress
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