Window 2 - A Learning Process and further progress

 

Did you know stained glass can bend? I soon learned glass can bend (slump) at 1200 F. But the great thing is, it can also be re-heated and flattened once again.The firing temperature for fusing vitreous (glass) paint is 1250 F. This is the temperature I needed to get my painting fused on the glass pieces. Unfortunately, one of the pieces of glass I fired was larger than the kiln shelf. The part that extend past the shelf bent once the temperature exceeded 1200F (see below). Rather than re-cut a new piece of glass and repaint, it was cut into two smaller pieces and re-fired in order to flatten the bend.

 

 

This process is slow due to the size of the kiln. Only one piece, two at most, can be fired at a time. Each firing takes over 6 hours to fire and cool. The glass must cool slowly to avoid cracking due to thermal shock. Glass paint is delicate and comes away from the glass quite easily. Painting in layers, by firing multiple times, adds depth to the piece.