Fusing and slumping glass is done in 3 stages

 

First all the glass one uses has to be the same COE (COE 90 or COE 96 or COE 103) or else they shatter when mixed.  I am currently working with COE 90.

 

Stage 1: Design the project and cut all the glass to fit the design.  Most of my projects have at least 2 layers of glass to fuse and many times 3 layers.

 

Stage 2: Place the layers in the kiln and slowly fire the kiln up to 1500 degrees and this takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on the size of the piece.  At 1500 degrees open the kiln and flash vent down to 1000 degrees to have the glass anneal. Then close the kiln and let is slowly work itself down from 1000 degrees to zero.  The fusing is now done and one has a flat piece of fused glass such as a tray, coaster, or art work design.

 

Stage 3: This stage is where one can slump the fused piece into a dish, vase, bowl or whatever by using a mold.  The fused piece can never be larger than the mold or the piece will slump over the mold and the mold is ruined.  If one wants a vase, one uses a ring mold and slumps into it or a stainless steel mold and slumps over it.  One can also use a stainless steel mold for doing a bowl the same way.  Or a bowl, dish or special shape mold such as the fish I did and one slumps into that kind of mold. 

 

When one slumps one puts the fused piece and mold into the kiln and slowly brings the kiln up to 1250 degrees which usually takes about 3 hours.  Hold it at 1250 degrees for 10 minutes and then open the kiln and flash vent down to 1000 degrees to have the glass anneal. Then close the kiln and let is slowly work itself down from 1000 degrees to zero.  Now your piece is finished.  If you are going to sign your piece with gold paint it is applied just before you slump it.  Or you might want to etch it with your name and date and that is done after your piece is slumped.

 

There are a lot of other things that must be done when doing this such as using kiln wash on your trays or in your molds to make sure your glass does not stick.  However this is a simple explanation.  This is a fun and exciting way to create functional art.  This is also a very expensive hobby because this type of stained glass costs a lot more than regular stained glass.

 

We do teach a 2 day vacation workshop at Avalon Stained Glass School called "Learning to Fuse and Slump Glass" and the price is $995.00 per person. The workshop includes instruction on learning how to cut the glass, fuse it, slump it, how to use the kiln, all the material, use of our tools and molds and you go home with all the knowledge you need to create your own or start your own studio and a nice piece of fused and slumped glass.