paper and fire

Here's something new I've been playing around with. Kiln paper cut and fused between glass.



When you fire glass you have to cover the shelf somehow so that the glass does not stick to it. Two ways of doing this exist: paper or kiln wash.


Thin shelf paper is a one time use deal, it disintegrates during the firing process so that at the end there is only a powdery substance left on the shelf.


Kiln wash is a powder that gets mixed with water and painted on the shelf.


Paper is a bit more costly, but less of a hassle. With the kiln wash you have to scrape the shelf after each firing to get the old stuff off, then apply three to five more coats waiting for it to dry between each layer. It's kind of a pain in the butt, so I have opted mostly for the paper. I bought it by the yard last time, so it's not really THAT costly, less than a dollar per firing. Granted kiln wash is probably only (in the low double digits) cents per firing, not really sure, never figured it out, but the extra cost is worth it to me, I have better things to do then wait for kiln wash to dry. Like change diapers.


I've been thinking about buying colored fusible paper lately, but it's kinda costly. Fifteen 5"x5" sheets will set me back about $35 (with shipping). And to have the full spectrum of colors I'm looking at about $100. So while doing an internet search for the cheapest place to buy it, I came across a site talking about making your own fusible paper with fusible paint and shelf paper. Duh, never thought about that. So I gave it a shot. The only fusible paint that I currently own is gold, so as you can see above, that is the only color that I used. The paint itself will also set me back about $100 to get a full spectrum. So I am torn. Paper or paint?

Obviously the plain paper and paint would be a lot cheaper. A foot of 41" wide shelf paper can be had for $2.89, so that is .58 cents per square inch as opposed to 7.8 cents per square inch of the colored stuff. That's thirteen times cheaper! (See I do use math in my life). I guess even if you spend the money on the paint it is still much much cheaper to go the "make it yourself route", so I guess that is what I will do. The paint will be handy to have anyway.

The pieces pictured above need to go back in the kiln a little longer, the glass kinda drew in on the edges and needs to melt down a little more. I'll put them in again later, right now I am running an experiment. I broke up a bunch of clear baby food jars and beer bottles and am melting them into a sheet of glass. I'm not sure if it will work. The different glasses might not all work out well together, it remains to be seen. If it does work, I was going to use the recycled glass to make some things for the Terlingua green scene. Figured that sort of thing might sell with the greenies out there. Stay tuned for more!