When I tell people I am a Fused Glass Artist they sometimes look at me confused and ask "what is fused glass? Is that like blown glass?
The answer is no, it's a different technique then blown glass but has a shared property.... both are heated at very high temperatures until the glass melts.
So what is fused glass?
Simply put, Fused Glass is the art of heating layers or pieces of glass to high temperatures (1292 F to 1510 F) in a kiln so that the glass will physically melt into each other forming a new solid piece of glass, then the glass is slowly cool in order to prevent breakage. The whole process can take 12-18 hours depending on project.
Once a piece is fused you can so other things to it. Slumping is the most common. This involves melting the glass over a mold in order for the glass to take the shape of the mold and give it shape. These are how we make our bowls.
You can also use textures plates during a slump to give the glass a texture as well.
You can melt bottles as well!!
A great way to recycle bottles is to repurpose them into new items like spoon rests, cheese plates or a food server. Bottle “slumping” or “melting” is placing a bottle into the kiln and heating at high temperatures to melt the bottle either into a molded shape (using molds) or free formed flattened.