Sunday, October 10, 2021 
10:00 am - 1:00 pm PDT

Instructor: Helen Cowart

All Levels

Zoom link and instructions for joining the call will be emailed 1 day prior to class.

The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.

Glass is a magical material - it refracts light and color and transmits it in so many intriguing ways. In this class, we will discover how you can create and manipulate glass to make art and functional art pieces. Learn about how glass flows and volume control, how the amount of heat, and repeated heat, affect the outcome of your glass work.

There are lots of options to consider when creating your glass piece. Sketching helps a lot, but you can also use cut paper to plan your ideas and colors before you even touch your glass.

You can choose to create night lights (3” x 4”), coasters (4” x 4”), or a small square or rectangle dish (3-6 inches on its longest side).

Please contact Helen with any questions about your class materials purchases via helen@littlemetalfoxes.com.

Skill Level: All levels

Supply List for Students

The links below will take you to RioGrande.com or other suppliers. To see prices for precious metal items, you need a free Rio Grande account. Registered Little Metal Foxes students can access Rio Grande wholesale pricing for significant savings. This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommended Materials:

When choosing your glass, please pay attention to the COE number, typically 90 or 96. COE, or coefficient of expansion, is a small but very important factor in fusing. Glasses of different COEs generally cannot be mixed and will result in stress fractures and breaks. Please be sure to select 3 mm thick glass. 

• Selection of 4-8 different colors of 3mm thick glass. Curated or prepared glass packs or starter kits are a good choice. Delphi has several curated sets of Bullseye and Spectrum glasses.
• Glastac by Bullseye. Elmers or wood glue will also work but use sparingly or it will leave a residue.
  
• Glass cleaner - alcohol-based, vinegar-based, or ammonia-free. NO Windex or ammonia-containing cleaners. It will leave a residue on the glass.
• Towel. Paper or cloth preferably lint-free.
• Pencil and paper for sketching and note-taking
• Kiln separator paper - Use Bullseye Thinfire or Spectrum’s Papyros
• Glass cutting oil
• Sharpie for marking your glass for cutting. If you use a metallic Sharpie, be extra sure to clean it off before firing. I’ve had it survive a full fuse and leave a mark.

Recommended Tools:

• A kiln - I recommend a small enamel kiln with a digital controller. Paragon SC-2 is perfect. It’s small, and you can use it for fusing, enameling, and PMC work. You can use a kiln with a dial, but to get a good end product, you will need to watch it constantly and have a pyrometer. A typical firing schedule for me is 6-8 hours for small items. See the firing schedule later in this document.
  • Kiln shelf - this depends on the size of your kiln and it will usually come with your kiln.
  • 1/2" Kiln Posts - 4 Pack (ceramic supports) - also usually comes with your kiln.
• Glass cutter/scorer or this one. The better the tool, the better the score. I recommend the Toyo brand.
• Running pliers
• Wheel nipper
• N95 dust mask 
• Safety glasses

Night Light Supplies:

• Night light set. (Sorry, I can't find a smaller set) Make sure it is the old-style plug-in with a screw-attached tab kind. The weight of the glass will pull off the snap-on kind.
• E-6000 glue to attach the night light clip. Clear epoxy glue is also good, or this one.

Dish Supplies:

• Shallow square or rectangle slump mold (dish or plate) 3-6 inches on its longest side.

Coaster Supplies:

• Felt or plastic (pads)

Optional Materials:

• Kiln wash - if you don’t want to use kiln paper.
  • Haik brush - a fine hair brush made with a bamboo reed handle for applying kiln wash. This will give your kiln shelf a nice smooth surface.
• Fiber board or fiber paper or from Delphi - get this if you want to make custom shapes in your piece. It comes in different thicknesses, optional.
• Clear, white, or light opaque glass is optional. White will help diffuse the light if using light transparent colors.
• Stringer or rods. For decorating your glass. You can buy a sampler tube of multiple colors.
• Dichroic Glass
• Dichroic Slide decal paper
• Glass cutting waffle board. You can also use newspaper or a paper towel under the glass to catch any leftovers. Scoring and breaking will create tiny shards.
• Cut-resistant gloves 
• Candle or torch to bend stringer