材料
Understanding Glass for Fusing
Japanese: フュージング用のガラスを知る
First and foremost, let’s talk about glass. Since fusing is a technique that involves melting glass together, not just any type of glass will work. Let’s start here.
First and foremost, let’s talk about glass. Fusing is a technique that involves melting glass together. That’s why you can’t use just any kind of glass.
Things to Know
Glass sold for fusing is formulated with specific ingredients to allow it to be fused together. It is different from window glass or glassware.
It comes in several forms: sheets, frits, powder, and stringers (thin rods). You can also break up the sheets yourself to make frits or powder. I use Bullseye (COE 90).
Here's the key point
Use glass pieces that are compatible (COE). This is the foundation of everything.
COE refers to the “degree of expansion and contraction” when the glass expands and contracts due to heat. If this degree is not consistent, even if the glass pieces are fused together, they will pull against each other as they cool, causing them to crack.
Common Pitfalls
If you mix tiles from different manufacturers or with different COE values, they may not show any cracks right away, but they’ll start cracking later on. If you decide from the start to “choose colors from within the same series,” you won’t have to worry about making the wrong choice and can feel confident.
This entry is written in Japanese by Rei Chikaoka and translated for readers outside Japan. If something reads oddly, the original is the source of truth.