|
Leaf Inclusions
This is part three of a
series on leaf inclusions in glass. Click here to go to part
one.
Most leaf inclusions are made by firing with the leaves
sandwiched between two layers of glass. One issue with this
approach is that it tends to trap air bubbles between the glass.
An alternative method that helps avoid this problem is to fire
the piece twice, once to create the ghost image of a leaf and a
second time to permanently trap it between two layers of glass.
In this approach, start by placing the leaf against a kiln washed
shelf. (Dry leaves work best, and kiln wash works better than
fiber paper). Cap the leaf with a single layer of glass and
fire to around 1350F/730C. The leaf will burn off during the
firing, leaving a subtle ghost image behind.
After this initial firing, take a second layer of glass and
place it beneath the previously fired layer so that the ghost image
of the leaf is trapped in the middle. Re-fire to fuse the two
pieces of glass together. You'll trap the ghost image and have
only minimal trapped air.
----------------------
Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
|
