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Minimizing Trapped Air Bubbles
It's common to experience trapped air bubbles when fusing
multiple layers of glass. Here's a list of techniques that
will help reduce the likelihood of trapping air.
1. Add a "bubble squeeze" to your firing schedule.
This involves a lengthy soak at around 1240F/670C. Soak for at
least half an hour on the way up to your fusing temperature.
For items that are especially likely to trap air bubbles, consider
soaking for two to three hours.
2. One variation of the squeeze technique is to slow down
the ramp speed between 1100F/590C to 1300F/700C. Try
increasing the temperature over this range at about 50 degrees F per
hour (28 C/hour). This gives the bubbles time to escape, and
can be combined with a soak at around 1240F if desired.
3. Design your pieces to minimize the possibility of
trapped air. The two most common ways to do this are to use
strips (thin strips of glass laid on edge and fused together)
instead of layers stayed on each other, and to design pieces with
many smaller pieces, rather than a large ones. These create
more pathways for air to escape.
Click here for more tips on minimizing trapped
air.
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Copyright 2005 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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