SBRANFPOTS@aol.com on mon 3 feb 97
I have been inlaying glass into the surface of my wares and can offer some
tips. I use flat stained glass of all varieties. I wrap the glass in canvas
(the type a painter would stretch to paint on) and smash it with a hammer.
(very scientific and calculated!) I expose the glass periodically to see the
progress, removing pieces of the size I want. I use pieces from about 1/2
inch long down to almost dust depending on the size of the work, the
thickness of the walls, and the effect I am looking for. I press the glass
into an almost leather hard surface.
Glass will melt very little in the bisque though it will fuse enough to stick
to the clay. I raku my wares and it is the glaze over the glass that fluxes
the glass enough to melt it. Depending on the variety of glass you use, the
temperature at which you fire, and what glaze (if any) you apply over the
glass, the amount of melting will vary from very little, to the glass
dripping down to the foot and off the pot. Experimentation is important.
There is much more to the technique, especially the way you get the glass
into the surface of the clay but that will have to wait for another time!
Steven Branfman
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