Fractured Futures
Kiln-formed, fused glass: separate sheets of color fired together into a single surface.
On Fracture & Form
Glass holds color with an intensity opaque materials can't match. When it fractures, it gains new surfaces that catch light from different angles and show internal structure that was hidden while the sheet was whole.
Each piece in the Fractured Futures series starts as separate sheets of glass in different colors, textures, and opacities. I arrange and stack them, then fire them in a kiln until they fuse into one form. The fracture lines that remain show where the separate sheets met.
I think about these pieces the way I think about systems in my engineering work. A complex system behaves the way it does because of how its parts interact, and these pieces get their look from how different glasses react to each other under heat over time.
Medium & Process
Bullseye Glass
Bullseye Compatible glass sheets (often sold as COE 90) in transparent, opalescent, and iridescent finishes. Bullseye tests its fusible glasses for compatibility with each other, so different colors and textures can be fused without cracking from uneven expansion.1
Kiln Forming
A programmable glass kiln with digital temperature control. Multi-segment schedules set the ramp rates, the hold at peak temperature, and the annealing cycle that keeps internal stress out of the finished piece.
Cold Working
After firing, I grind, polish, and sometimes sandblast each piece to finish the edges, adjust the surface texture, and expose internal layers. Most of this is done on a diamond lap grinder and a wet belt sander.
The Firing Schedule
A firing schedule is the programmed sequence of temperature ramps, holds, and cooling stages that fuses the glass. Bullseye's reference full-fuse cycle for a 6mm piece runs about 12 hours.2
A representative full-fuse firing curve
Kiln temperature over one cycle, °F. Select a stage to see what happens inside the kiln.
Full Fuse & Soak
1490°F10 minutesThe peak temperature determines the final texture. A tack fuse around 1375°F bonds the pieces while keeping their height and edges. A full fuse at about 1490°F creates a smooth, flat surface where individual pieces become indistinguishable. A short soak at peak temperature lets the heat even out across the piece.3,4
Based on Bullseye Glass's published full-fuse schedule for a 6mm, two-layer piece. Real schedules vary with glass thickness, layup, and kiln.3
The Fractured Futures pieces
Photography of the finished pieces is being prepared for the web. Images of the series are available on request.
Sources
- 1Frequently Asked Questions · Bullseye Glass Co.Bullseye does not rate its glass “COE 90”; it tests its fusible glasses for compatibility with each other.
- 2Studio Tips: Idealized Firing Graph · Bullseye Glass Co.Full-fuse cycle for two 3mm layers spanning about 12 hours.
- 3Studio Tips: Writing Firing Schedules for Fusing & Slumping · Bullseye Glass Co.6mm full-fuse example: 400°F/h to 1225°F, hold 0:45; 600°F/h to 1490°F, hold 0:10; AFAP to 900°F, hold 1:00; 100°F/h to 700°F.
- 4Tack Fuse Tip Sheet · Glacial Art GlassAt 1375°F pieces are fused firmly while keeping their height and shape.