How to make fused glass in a microwave kiln: large versus small kilns for making glass jewelry

When I was at the craft fair yesterday, many customers were intrigued to hear that I make my glass jewelry with a microwave kiln. A few wanted more details and wondered which is better: a large or small kiln? After working with dichroic glass for a year, I'd say that both are useful for different reasons. Here are some pros and cons for each.

SMALLER MICROWAVE KILNS: I think these are perfect for beginners. These kilns become hot at 1500 degrees F and the smaller ones are less cumbersome to handle. So as you're getting used to opening and closing the lid, checking on the piece, etc., I'd recommend starting with the small one. They're also less expensive, so why spend the money until you know you truly enjoy making glass?

As an intermediate glass maker (I refuse to call myself a "professional" at this point), I prefer using the small kiln for fine detail work. Because it heats quickly, I find that it's good for firing pieces at a particular stage or for adding decals. The small kilns heats within a few seconds, so I can heat items in 10, 15-second increments and then stop the process at the exact moment I want. This is especially effective when I want to purposely underfire an item or play up a particular glass texture.

Having it heat quickly is great when you're an impatient person like me, but large glass pieces tend to break when they gain too much heat at once. I've learned to deal with this by slowing down the heating process, but it's frustrating when your glass cracks right down the middle.

LARGER MICROWAVE KILN: The big kiln is bulkier and more difficult to handle. When I need to bring it to class, it's a pain fitting it into my bag. It also take about 8-10 minutes (depending on the microwave) for it to even begin heating.

Still, there are many advantages to using a large kiln. For one thing, it holds more pieces, which is especially helpful when I'm teaching. Because it heats more slowly, large pieces fire more evenly. I can stick a big piece into the large kiln, set the timer for 8 minutes and not have to worry about cracking. Even better, the slow heating time helps smooth out jagged edges, so glass that was cut on an angle ends up lining up with the rest of the piece.

The large kiln works best for larger pieces, however. When I've heated a batch of smaller ones, not all of the pieces have fired at the same rate and I've had to re-do them. Not does the big kiln work well for decals, which tend to come out over or under-fired. Of course, it's also more expensive.

Overall, I'm happy with both of my kilns and am getting better at using each for different techniques. Mostly, I love the fact that I can make beautiful pieces in my apartment -- and that the kilns are portable, which allows me to teach in different places.

Whether you get a large or small kiln, you'll enjoy your foray into glass making. Of course, wear gloves, protective goggles and always, ALWAYS put safety first!

Check out my handmade glass, enamel and wire wrapped jewelry at my WEBSITE/STORE or Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

My new toy: An extra LARGE microwave kiln for making fused dichroic glass!

When I was invited to teach a glass-fusing class at Maple Grove, I was asked if I could bring a second microwave kiln so I could fire twice as many pieces at once. I decided to invest in an extra large kiln, which is four times the size of my other one. It worked out perfectly because I was able to heat six pieces at once -- and all nine students went home with completed pendants.

Of course, I did a few test runs before using this kiln in public and the first thing I learned is that this tool takes, well, four times longer to heat. When I'm using the small kiln, I usually set the microwave for 30 seconds and then slowly fire my pieces in 15-20 second increments. However, I can't do that with this bigger kiln. It takes about eight minutes to even get hot enough so that the glass gets moving into shape.

As someone who's promoting glass-fusing on a public site, it's my duty to remind you that safety comes first. I frequently write about the minor cuts and burns I get while working, and how important it is to wear safety gloves when operating the kiln. Here's a reminder to also wear protective goggles when cutting glass or dealing with kiln work. I didn't the first time I played around with my big guy. I got complacent because I'd become so comfortable operating the little kiln. But when you're melting glass, there will be smoke and fumes -- especially during the middle of the process. I lifted the kiln mid-way to see how the glass was doing, didn't have goggles on and was hit by a puff of smoke. It went right into my eyes and I couldn't see for a second. I quickly flushed them out with water and was fine after that, but lesson learned. Always, ALWAYS wear safety goggles!

It's taken me a while to get used to the firing times needed for this tool. I generally let the kiln heat for eight minutes, then two more and then I can check on the glass in 15-20 second intervals like I do with the smaller one. Now that I'm getting the hang of it, I've been able to create much bigger pieces, like these statement pendants:

The really long one is almost four inches! I haven't quite figured out what to do with it; whether I want to just hang it from a chain or go all out and turn it into a crazy necklace. This kiln was great, though, for making Christmas ornaments this season. I unfortunately don't have photos, but I made two large glass Christmas trees and big glass mosaic hearts for friends. Each was about three inches and just the perfect size for ornaments. I have a bunch of the giant pre-cut hearts left over. They're way too big to wear as pendants. so I'm thinking they could work as year-round suncatchers.

I love making jewelry, but many friends have suggested to me that I make some other types of glass products. With this kiln, I can create ornaments, coasters, maybe even some small plates if I learn how to slump the glass in a mold. There are so many possibilities!

Check out my handmade jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Handmade fused dichroic glass jewelry: dichroic party and a fused glass ring!

One of the greatest advantages of having my own kiln is I don't have to wait in line for a turn. I'm the only artist using it! I also don't have to wait for a once-a-week class, like I do with enameling. My kiln is available every day. I've had time to practice making fused dichroic glass pieces, and while I've had some disasters, I'm happy with most of them:

I call this pile of fused glass focals my "dichroic party." Most don't yet have backings, as I still have to decide what I want to do with them. However, a friend came up with an interesting idea and suggested that I turn some of the dichros into rings. I tried my hand at this -- pun intended, I guess, as that is my hand in the photo -- and came up with that purple and yellow dichroic ring.

The way I made it was to create a wire wrapped band with a spiral centerpiece. I then glued the glass onto the spiral. I like it, but my next ring will be made a bit stronger. For a heavier piece like this, the band needs to be wrapped two or three times. I feel like this ring needs a little more support -- though some people do like thin bands. I usually prefer simpler bands, but kept wishing there were more wire to balance out the glass.

Oh, well, this is why I'm putting in so much practice! I'm a lot better at making fused glass than I was a month ago, but it's still new for me. I'm having so much fun, though, and love this very "colorful" discipline.

Check out the rest of my handmade wire wrapped, fused glass and enamel jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Adventures in making fused glass jewelry: handmade wire wrapped dichroic glass pendants!

I've had my microwave kiln for about a month now -- actually, I'm up to my second kiln, but I'll get to that story later -- and I can't believe how much fun I'm having with this thing! I love being able to make fused glass pendants whenever I want... even if there have been a couple of, er. incidents along the way. I have had some successes, though. Here are a few of my favorite pieces, so far:

As you can see, I've taken to wire wrapping the dichroic glass necklaces and turning them from simple glass pendants into something even more exciting. Many of the pendants, though, are interesting-looking on their own and don't need the addition of wire or crystals. I let the patterns guide me.

Making fused glass jewelry at home is pretty simple, if you have basic jewelry-making skills. You need to know how to score and shape glass. You also need proper equipment, which isn't included in the basic microwave kiln kit. They give you a really crappy scoring tool, but you should also have cutting pliers, as well as a tool that lets you snip edges. I'm still pretty new to this, so I'm learning much as I go on. I'm thinking of purchasing an etching tool, too.

When making fused glass -- at least in a tiny microwave kiln -- you have to accept that this isn't an exact science. A lot of the pieces I've made have depended purely upon luck, though I'm getting much better at making things turn out the way I want.

The most important lesson I've learned so far is to not layer pieces too high. Generally, it's best to use two layers: a base color and then I usually put dichroic glass on top. That top layer should also be slightly smaller than the base piece. If not, it will slide off and cause a mess in the kiln. I learned this the hard way!

A couple of weeks ago, I attempted to make a three-layer piece using a black base topen ped with small dichroic cut-outs and then a piece of clear glass. This didn't work. The clear glass was heavier than the dichroic pieces and fell right off while in the kiln. However, it still melted when it was heated and stuck to the side. I almost set a fire in my kitchen, burned and cut my hand... and wrecked the kiln. Happily, these kilns aren't too expensive, but it was a costly and potentially dangerous lesson.

I now have a new kiln and fire my pieces in stages. Oddly enough, this kiln takes three minutes to heat the pieces, while the other -- which was the exact, same model -- took about four. I heat the glass for two minutes and check on it to make sure it's fusing together. If I see that any glass has slid off, I stop the firing process. If the glass is fusing well, I continue to fire the piece for 30 second increments until I see that the glass has turned molten and the sides are rounded. The first time I used this kiln, I set it for four minutes as I had with the previous one and my glass overfired, looking like a gray blob. Live and learn!

It is possible to do a triple layer, but the top pieces need to be the smallest. So if you layer, say, black with clear and then a mosaic of tiny dichroic pieces, it will probably fire well in the kiln.

It's also important to note that not all glass is created equal. I use glass that has a 90 COE (coefficient of expansion), but some brands' glass just doesn't work in the microwave kiln. One company (I'd rather not name them) has gorgeous glass, but it constantly breaks in the microwave. I really like Fuseworks and iDichroic's glass. They send a package of dichroic scrap and you get a nice variety. The glass also holds up well in the kiln. The other glass probably works very well in a traditional kiln, where you can take the time to fire a piece. But it falls apart in the microwave where the materials are heated quickly.

As times goes on, I'm getting better at cutting small pieces and EVEN edges. Like anything else, this takes practice. Happily, I love making fused glass and have been designing pendants every day. I'll show you more of my work along the way.

Meantime, check out my fused glass and wire wrapped jewelry at Naomi's Designs.

Adventures in making fused glass jewelry: my new toy, a microwave kiln!

Whew, things have been busy in Jewelry Land. I'm working on some new enameling projects, just finished making a necklace for a friend's upcoming wedding, and just completed my glass fusion course. Meantime, I bought myself a new "toy," a Fuseworks glass fusion kit and microwave kiln!

Much as I enjoyed my glass class, I was disappointed with the jewelry-making component of it. On the last day, I finally got to make some colorful pendants and was excited to see how they'd turn out:

This is the "Before" picture, where they kind of look like a smorgasbord:

Unfortunately, they did not turn out well. My teacher was away on vacation and was then sick, and another person took over the kiln for him. Normally, my teacher would supervise as I set up the kiln, but the kiln was being used. Therefore, another glass tech promised to heat my items for me. Since my teacher is the only one there whose specialty is fused glass, I'm not sure this other guy knew what he was doing. When I picked up my pendants yesterday, they looked like this:

They're cute, I guess, and definitely colorful, but the fuse-job is weird. Technically, the glass pieces have been fused together in that they're stuck on one another, but the glass doesn't have that beautiful, melted quality that I love in fused designs. I don't want to pay for extra kiln time, though, so I'll keep these as is. If I wire wrap them and add a chain, I can turn them into funky pendants.

The good news is, I DID learn a lot in that class and truly enjoyed myself. It inspired me to purchase my microwave kiln so I can make my own glass jewelry at home.

The Fuseworks set comes with various sheets of colorful glass, including my favorite, dichroic. Basically, dichroic glass is patterned, shiny and prismatic, so it adds a beautiful sparkle to your pieces. The kit also comes with protective gloves, jewelry findings and a glass scoring tool. Oddly, it does not include a glass cutting tool... which is kind of like being given a fork and no knife. You can find plenty of inexpensive ones online, though.

The kiln itself is a small, round structure, just large enough to heat a pendant or some earrings. You cut the glass, place a sheet of kiln paper on the kiln base, carefully lay out your item, put the lid over the kiln and then set your microwave. I've found that my microwave successfully fuses the glass when kept on for four minutes at regular temp. Many people heat it on high for about two minutes. I suggest playing around. Start with less time, see if the item has fused -- it should be blazing red and molton -- and if not, continue to heat it.

VERY IMPORTANT: Do NOT touch the item! It is HOT! Really hot. 1500 degrees hot. Ouch. Always wear eye gear and those protective gloves.

Anyway, once I see that the item has fused, I put the lid back over the kiln and let the item cool for about an hour. I made the mistake of picking up an item before it had fully cooled and it cracked. I also burned my hand. Stupid, Naomi, stupid.

Here are some pieces I've created so far:

It didn't take me too long to figure out how to actually melt the glass since I do have enameling experience, but it has taken me some practice to determine which colors work best together. My first few pieces -- those elongated green, black and blue ones -- look a bit muddled because the colors blended together. You just can't use darker shades on black or they'll sink into it. Same for using blue on blue. I love the smaller white piece with the green stripe on top, but that's the one I cracked. I'll try to glue it together later today.

The black piece that I have pictured solo is my latest creation and favorite. I made this by using three layers: a black base, a clear dichroic middle and then the colorful dichroic pieces on top. That clear layer in between the black and colored glass provided a buffer so the colors didn't get lost in the darker shade. I also like how it looks as if the top layer is floating.

I'm really loving this new gadget and can't wait to make more things. The kit doesn't come with much glass, so I've ordered more. It's pretty easy to use, but it does help if you have some sort of fusing and glass-cutting experience. Supposedly, you can also heat precious metal clay and enameled pieces in the microwave kiln. If you're a craft lover, I highly recommend getting a Fuseworks. I'll be back with more photos when I turn these guys into necklaces.

Meantime, check out my wire wrapped and enamel jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.