Boiled Glass Experiment

[Kev]

Hey guys,

I tried my hand at boiling glass.

I took four 6"x6" pieces of glass (white opal, Grape cathedral, deep green opal, and bright yellow opal). The glass was stacked in that order, with the white glass on the top. I placed bubble powder on top of the yellow glass and placed the other 3 layers on top.  I placed it in the kiln with 1/8" fiber paper around the edges, and then placed dams around the perimeter. Extra kiln posts were positioned against the dams to add support.


Schedule:

500 degrees/hr to 1000 degrees, hold 15 mins.
AFAP to 1675 degrees, hold 15 mins.
AFAP to 1500 degrees, hold 15 mins.
AFAP to 950 degrees, hold 90 mins.
200 degrees/hr to 800 degrees
400 degrees/hr to 600 degrees
Off, Allow to cool to room temp.

The finished result is pictured below. I got lots of bubbles, but the only color really showing is the green from the 3rd layer where the bubble powder was underneath. There is a very slight amount of another color, but noting really noticeable. None of the bottom color yellow came to the top. The top still has a few small bubbles and looks very pock-marked, but I think popping the bigger ones, and firing it again to a full fuse will even it out. I think holding it longer at 1500 degrees might have evened it out more. ...more experimenting to do.....

Currently it is 1/2" thick. My dilemma is whether to fire it with no dams and allow it to spread out to 1/4" or fire it with dams again. ..I'm thinking without.

Since the green is really the only color showing, I'm wondering if applying bubble powder between all the layers would produce better effects by transporting more color to the surface. I'm also thinking placing the lighter colors on the bottom might have better results.

If nothing else, this was a good experiment to see what colors get transported and will help me in deciding color placement of the layers. Of course anything new require trials to get it down to a system. I'm also wondering if using 3 layers without dams would allow more color to be brought to the surface as the glass would spread thinner and be transported through the upper layers easier....hmmmm

All in all..I kind of like the results of this piece. The green is a very rich color. ....now what to do with it...hmmmm..maybe I'll slice it up...hmmmm...maybe not...LOL


Edit: On closer inspection, there are fine superficial surface fractures towards the centers of the large green spots. I suspect from the busted bubbles. Refusing should take care of them.

I wonder what it would look like sliced up with the pieces turned on edge showing the movement of the other colors through the layers?...hmmmm....

[Malinda]

very neat!

[Anne]

so.......you were just playing - or do you have a project in mind for this?  It's interesting Kev, too bad the other colors didn't come through. Could have been a really interesting mix couldn't it?

[Kev]

They say you can use baking soda as well instead of bubble powder (I wonder if that's what's in the bubble powder jar anyway)?  I wonder what the difference would be?

I don't have anything in mind for it at this point. At 1/2" thick it does not really fit in with anything else I make, but it could be kind of cool made into a 1/2 inch thick platter. I'm leaning towards refusing it with no dams and allowing it to spread out and then trim of the edges to either square it up again or slice it up and do something with it.

[ct4mom]

Thats pretty cool. The look like lily pads.

[Kev]

LOL..they kind of do look like that.

[Amber]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Elizabeth]

That's a cool experiment!   How about taking a couple of slices off and firing them on their sides and letting the rest flow without dams?  Then you'd get to see how both ideas work!  (of course I'm not a fuser.....)

[Kev]

Now that's a thought Elizabeth.

[Tre V]

Every time I see something like this, it reminds me how much I DON'T know about glass. I've never even heard of boiled glass. That green looks like geodes.

[Becki]

I don't think I've ever seen this done with large pieces of glass before.  Very interesting look.

[Anne]

slicing and refusing sounds like a great idea kinda like your own mille but you know it'll be compatible.

[Marsha]

In one of my boiled glass experiments I used baking soda.  It helped some but left an open bubble with sharp edges.  I will keep at it until I get it!!!!!

[Kev]

I have those on mine as well. I think if we hold it longer at 1500 it might even out more. I see you have the surface fractures as well...not sure what caused that..or what the cure is. You got more color mix than I did. I wonder if I held it longer at 1675 if I could have got more..more experimenting indeed.

[Marsha]

I am trying to liken it to cooking on the stove!  You want to get it up high at first then simmer for the soft boil.  It's just finding that soft boil temp.  I'm thinking 1500 for a lot longer.

[Kev]

Me too. I'm also thing of using multiple colored pieces fitted together to form one layer and keeping the top and bottom layers the came color. I also wonder how the thin glass would work vs 1/8" glass for the colored transport layers?