I’ve wanted to try my hand at fused glass or stained glass for ages and recently discoved a studio near me that offers fused glass as an option. The pricing is per project and based on the size of the base you choose. Not wanting to spend oodles on something I’d never done, I chose a 2"x2" base ($25+tax) and had at it.
I’ve never cut or worked with glass before and was rather pleased with the end result. Here’s the finished piece:
You basically just glue bits of glass to one another using school glue. Then it’s melted in a kiln.
I’m a tiny bit obsessed and already eager to try more projects. This first one was claimed by my daughter and has been squirreled away in her treasure box . She calls birds “birbs” (she’s 19, who can fathom teenagers).
So cool! I’m closely examining how the shapes changed, which rounded or stayed sharp. & where the density of the glass pushed out the edge where the clouds are, as though the poofy clouds are actually spreading out their fluffy selves. This is amazing, I hope you’ll do more.
From the moment I read your intro, I knew you’d be good at it.
I’ve always had admiration of all birbs in every medium. I’m about to embark on making some patchy birbs, starting with the bodies shaped in foil.
For your glass birb, I get the pieces that you had to cut. Did you add some kind of clear resin to fill in the blue part?
Also you mentioned a kiln. Did you bake it like pottery? Or use a torch?
One of my besties is a Silver Smith and beader extroidinaire. She fuses, molds, torches and a whole bunch of other terms I forget. But she doesn’t have a kiln.
@Camelama - I secretly like the word birbs as well, but always tease my daughter. A birder group sounds like wonderful fun!
@Magpie - thank you! I really want to do more. I just don’t know what to do with them after. I like making things but prefer sending them away when I’m done.
@Tee - thank you! The glass is just layered on top, no extra resin. It melts down into a single layer. I am only assuming a kiln is used because the place I made it is also one of those pottery painting places where you glaze a piece then get it back a few weeks later and I’m sure they send the projects out for firing. Your friend sounds awesome!
If not birb, many times we just say “little brown jobbers” because our aging brains cannot bring up which sparrow / wren / etc it is that we see. or because it’s Washington winter & it’s too dark to see well enough.
I was out & about today & walked past a pottery place & saw they do fused glass classes! Your post made me feel i could do it too, so will be signing up!
Thanks to your pioneering, we (me, hubby, and a friend) did a suncatcher class today. We couldn’t get into the $18 class, paid $30 each to make 4" tiles. Pick up in a week, so excited to see it!
So cute! I did a fused glass necklace charm on a trip to Alaska once and it’s wild how different the look after going in the kiln.
So do you think you have a new craft obsession?
. She calls birds “birbs” (she’s 19, who can fathom teenagers).