This piece was done with lots of trials and tribulations! See the earlier posts for failed pieces, but look pretty as a suncatcher in the trees!

This was BE powder. Center is white (not dense white), surrounded by canary yellow. The blue is powder blue.

I used masking tape around the edge so I can build up the powder to about 1/4" thick. Then I used water & gum arabic to "blend" the edges. While very wet, I dragged a wooden skewer outward to blend the colors. Then I blotted it and let it dry completely before full fusing.

First Fusing schedule:
Starting temp 70 deg
Lo for 50 min. Temp at 580 deg. Turn to Level 1
At 1 hr 36 min, temp at 746 deg. Increase to Level 2
At 2 hr 30 min, temp at 1000 deg. Hold at 1000 deg for 15 min
At 2 hr 45 min, increase to level 4
At 3 hr 45 min temp at 1350 deg, increase to Level 5
At 4 hours, 0 min, temp at 1450 deg. Hold at 1450 for 10 minutes
At 4 hr 10 min, turn down to Lo
At 6 hr 16 min, temp down to 1000 deg. Turned Kiln off overnite


RESULT: Originally this looked like an egg, or the center of a flower.

Second fusing: The face is drawn on with glassline, watered down to flow through a kemper tool.

Firing Schedule: Starting temp 72 deg.
Turn to Lo. Malfunction since at 60 min, temp still at 100 deg
Increase to Level 2
Increase levels quickly
At 2 hrs 47 min, temp at 1000 deg. Hold 20 minites
At 4 hr 20 min-temp at 1450 - hold 20 minutes
Turn down to Lo until 1000 deg
Turn off to cool overnight

This was too plain as a medallion, so I fired to BE 6mm purple. Concern about bubbles breaking through the surface since the bottom of the medallion was uneven with hills and valleys.

Added chads around the edge of medallion by using clear fine frit. Needed to ramp up slowly to 1000 degrees. And do a bubble squeeze between 1000-1200 degrees by holding at 1200 for 30 minutes.

Goal was to tack fuse with a rounded edge to the medallion, and to do a bubble squeeze slow ramp.

Firing Schedule:
6/6/09 Turn on to Lo
At 2 hrs 20 min, temp at 800 deg
Increase to Level 2
At 3 hr 15 min, temp at 1000 deg.
Hold at 1000 deg for 20 min (still at Level 2)
At 5 hr 53 min, temp at 1150.
At 6 hrs 21 min, temp at 1200 at Level 3
At 8 hr 0 min, temp at 1325 deg
At 8 hr 18 min, temp at 1300 deg
Turn down to Lo until temp at 1095 deg. (9 hr 10 min)
Kiln then turned off.

RESULT: Good- Did not have bubble breaking through surface. Edge of medallion was not as rounded as I wanted. I should have gone up to 1350 and held there for a longer time.

This piece was made years ago in glass, using all BE glass. The gold is pixie dust, mixed with gum arabic and topped with clear.

The black squares and yin/yang were fired first. Then they were placed on top of the red, along with the stripe of pixie dust that was capped. They were all a partial fuse to keep the shape and dimensions.

The original intent was to hang this in the bedroom. But when I brought this home and took it out of the car, I hit the corner on the door frame of the car and the corner piece broke off. I was going to refuse it on clear, but never got around to it. And I also had the concern about the weight and how I was going to hang this. So it got shoved under the dresser for the past 3 (?) years? It must have been after Dave moved in, but not much afterwards, I think?

So this past weekend, after Dave took out a wall for the patio, to expose a walkthrough to the Japanese zen garden, I decided to hang the piece there. I was thinking I might years ago, but never got to it. But the upcoming Summer Solstice run from our house has prompted me to spruce it up a bit...basically show off some of my stuff just a bit and brighten up some places.

The broken corner piece is now missing. I didn't grind down the edge so it is still sharp. I plan on finding that piece eventually. It wasn't where I put it, so somehow it got moved or displaced. Hopefully not thrown away. If I do find it, I plan on glueing it back with e1000.

This was attached to the cinderblock using a kit from HD for bathroom mirrors. It's nickel-plated steel. I was afraid the plastic mirror holders wouldn't hold up to the UV exposure outside, even though this area doesn't get sun all day.

Since I didn't fuse this, I don't have the kiln schedule. And this piece (13" x 14") is bigger than my kiln to begin with.

3 firings
powder to Uroboros 8" plate

This is the final piece for the summer solstice run "metal." I think it's going to be mounted onto a plaque.

These were supposed to be for a "summer solstice" fun run. They didn't have the look I was trying for so Dave suggested drilling a hole and making them sun catchers. He put them up in the crape myrtle and they look nice there.

I realized before I took them out of the kiln where my mistake was. The earlier test piece with frit was make to look like a sunset. I used the same colors and format. But after I put them in the kiln, I realized I didn't want these to look like a sunset, but a sunburst. Big difference. So I have another one I'm going to fire this weekennd.

These are a clear base with:
BE white in center
Uroboros Marigold
BE Canary Yellow
BE Orange
BE Red
BE Purple Gold
BE Midnight Blue
The frit was built up to approx 3/8" thick. A water/gum arabic medium was used to bind and get the frit to flow.
I fired to Full Fuse

The next one will have
BE White
BE Canary yellow
BE Powder Blue
That will be posted after fired.

VERY FIRST FUSING IN KILN

This was the first fuse in the kiln. It was supposed to be a full fuse, but ended up more like a partial.

12/27/08 - FIRST FUSING EVER!
Both pcs are thick BE.

Starting temp 48 deg. Turn on Lo
At 30 min, 440 deg., ramped to level 1.5
At 60 min, temp at 650 deg.
At 1 hr 30 min, temp at 796 deg. Ramped to Level 2.0
At 2 hrs 11 min., temp at 940 deg. Ramped to Level 3.0
At 2 hr 20 min, temp at 1000 deg. Held at this Level for 10 min.
At 2 hr 30 min, temp at 1050 deg. Ramped to Level 4.0
At 3 hr, temp at 1240 deg. Ramped up to Level 7.0 for rapid heat.
At 3 hr 10 min, kiln at 1480 deg. Turned to Lo for annealing.
At 4 hr 22 min, kiln temp at 1047 deg.
At 4 hr 46 min, kiln temp at 1000 deg.
At 5 hr 11 min, kiln temp at 980 deg.
At 5 hr 56 min, kiln turned off.

TEST BETWEEN WET AND DRY POWDER APPLICATIONS

This was a test done with frit. The left was applied "dry" with no medium to hold it. The right was applied "wet" with a medium of water mixed in with some gum arabic.

Other test pieces done at the same time. (not shown)
Desired result was that the baking powder or baking soda will bubble (as with baking).
Test 2 pc clear with dry baking powder in between
Test 2 pc clear with wet baking powder in between
Test 2 pc clear with dry baking soda in between
Test 2 pc clear with wet baking soda in between.

Wet medium was a 50/50 solution of water/gum arabic.
Results not shown-where the baking soda and baking powder were applied thickly, the powder didn't burn off and a white clump stayed-not at all attractive. The wet and dry methods had a different appearance when fused.

Where the powder went on VERY LIGHTLY, the baking powder and baking soda burned off and left bubbles. The light application was towards the outside so the burning off of the powder could have been affected by this. Must do another test piece where the whole application of powder or soda is a light film.

There didn't seem to be a difference of results between the baking powder or baking soda.


FUSING SCH
Starting temp 85 deg.
Turn kiln on Lo
At 45 min, temp = 520 deg.
Turn up to Level 2

At 1 hr 39 min, temp = 845 deg
Turn up to Level 3

At 2 hr 27 min,, temp = 1090 deg
Hold at this temp for 10 minutes. Played with control to keep kiln at this consistant temp.

After 10 minutes, keep at Level 3 and let temp rise.

At 3 hr 45 min, temp at 1450 deg.
Hold for 10 min.

At 3 hr 55 min, turned off kiln and let cool overnight.