|
Shining the Underside of a Piece
When a piece of glass is fused or fire polished in the kiln, it's
typical for the top surface of the glass to become shiny and the
underside of the glass (the part that isn't exposed to the air
during the firing) to
be more textured and a bit dull. Although it's possible to
cold work the underside so that it becomes shiny, this is time
consuming and tedious work. Instead, consider these
alternatives:
1. Fuse and slump at as low a temperature as
possible. This will help minimize the degree to which the
underside is textured or dulled by the firing.
2. Fire the initial fuse firing on as smooth a
surface as possible. This will help reduce the degree to which
the underside loses its shine. The smoothest surface generally
is achieved via kiln washing a mullite shelf or using a fiber paper
like "thinfire."
3. Slump bowls using a drop ring, rather than a mold
that requires the glass to come into extensive contact with the
mold. In a drop ring, both sides of the bowl portion of the
piece are shiny due to remaining in contact with the air during the
slump firing.
Click here for the next
part of this tip, a discussion of commercial products such as "Back
Magic" that claim to "add shine to the backside" of a fused piece.
----------------------
Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
|
