This is what its been about this week. I had some glass left over from a commission I’d made. Here are some pictures of the 40cm x 40cm woven platter that I made for my friend’s bespoke kitchen upgrade. I used a combination of cherry red and ruby red and loads of clear. I decided to use the leftovers in an experiment in melting red glass through stainless steel mesh!
I cut them into smaller pieces and weighed them. Then I prepared the kiln, making a “reservoir” so that the molten glass does not flow out onto my kiln floor.
Then I supported all the kiln shelf segments with kiln bricks. These bricks supported the stainless steel mesh. Because stainless steel mesh bends a lot under pressure, I put a stainless steel oven shelf between the bricks and the mesh, to help support it all.
Then I put the cleaned, weighed glass on the top of the lot!. This is what it looked like.
I then turned the kiln on and will add the details of the firing schedule if anyone asks me to. (My firing history book is at the studio and not here). But the kiln went up to 899degrees. I maintained it at 899degrees for 90 minutes to allow all the glass to drip through the mesh.
I spent a lot of time reading about suggested firing schedules and 899 for 90 minutes and a long long anneal to room temperature was the final decision that I made for the experiment.
So after watching and waiting, this is what the glass looked like before I sandblasted it clean.
Now that it has all been sandblasted, the glass as well as the stainless steel mesh, I am waiting to play with the strips I have cut.
I’ll incorporate this deep burgundy swirling glass into something new, one day soon. What would you do with this swirling burgundy art glass? Please feel free to tell me what you think of this experiment in melting red glass through stainless steel mesh!
Tags: experiment firing schedule hot glass jenieyolland kiln glass melting glass red glass ruby red swirling glass wire melt
