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Dealing with Trapped Air Bubbles
This is part two of a
multi-part tip on ways to repair or eliminate trapped air bubbles.
Click here to go to part one.
A second way to deal with trapped air bubbles is to use a drill
press and core drill bit to drill down into the top surface of the
glass until you reach the bubble. This creates a channel that
will allow air to escape. After drilling the hole, re-fire the
piece. (In most cases a standard fusing schedule will work.)
Air will be able to escape from the hole, and a few minutes of
soaking at fusing temperatures will allow the spot to heal.
This approach is not
practical for pieces with lots of bubbles, but it can work well for
pieces with only a few irregular or undesirable bubble.
However, be aware that drilling and re-firing tends to change the
design, which can be a problem with intricate or detailed designs.
With extremely large bubbles, such as those caused by large air
bubbles arising from an uneven shelf, drilling may not be necessary
(especially if the bubble has very thin walls or has already popped
on its own). Instead, it may be necessary to fill the hole
with frit prior to re-firing. This will significantly change
the design of the piece, but it's almost the only way to salvage
pieces with oversized bubbles or holes.
Click here for yet another way to eliminate
or prevent trapped air bubbles.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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