Compatible

Compatible indicates that the glass can be fused with or is equivalent to another piece of glass. The compatibility of the glass is very important for your finished piece. If your glass is not the same, you will have problems with your fused project. There will be stress built up in your glass where the different pieces are joined.

You can get away with using two types of glass if the coefficient of expansion is only one or two numbers apart. If you test your glass and on one the COE is 89 and the other one is 90, this could work, but not always. It is always advised to use the same COE on all of your glass.

When it comes to pot melts for example, use all tested fusing glass. All of it. The high temperatures can play with the COE enough, if you toss in some non-tested glass, there is no telling what is going to happen.

Running tests on your pieces is the best way to know for sure if they are harmonious. Learning to test your glass is a great teacher. It will enable you to discover subtle differences in a variety of glasses. This will also help you to predict some different characteristics that can result from the fusing process. The best way to test is to fuse some small pieces and check them by placing them between two strips of polarized film. To learn more about this, please check out the compatibility testing page.

Purchase glass that has already been tested for the easiest way to know the Coefficient of Expansion for your glass. These products have been Expansion-Matched to a nominal C.O.E. If purchasing different COE glass, always keep them separated in your work area.

Return from Compatible to the homepage