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Fused Glass TileOne of the simplest things you can make is a fused glass tile. Using just some basic tools and a few pieces of glass, you can make these tile glass art pieces in a matter of hours.
Steps To Make a Fused Glass Tile1. First measure and cut out one piece of the glass for the top of your tile and a piece for your tile bottom. You might want to use a piece of clear glass for the top of your piece. Use your glass cutter, cutter oil, and running pliers to cut and break the glass.2. Use stringers, glass scraps, or glass paint to decorate your project. You can measure and cut a variety of sizes and shapes to make a design on your glass. You can try using frit or confetti on the surface for a one of a kind effect. 3. Clean all the glass pieces with glass cleaner or dish soap and hot water. Dry your pieces with a lint-free cotton towel. Now place your design on top of your bottom piece in your desired design, and top it off with the clear piece of glass. Be aware of any places that air might get caught and cause unwanted air bubbles. Using your finger tips, place the pieces on the prepared kiln shelf. 4. Fire the piece to a full fuse temperature of about 1450 F degrees and anneal your project. Let the temperature increase slowly, at a rate of about 600 degrees Fahrenheit per hour. The glass fusing process will take about 6 hours and roughly 6 more hours to anneal. The recipe to a long lasting fused glass piece is good annealing. 5. You can remove the tile from the kiln when the kiln has reached room temperature.
These can also be turned into glass coasters. The idea of a coaster is to keep the moisture from your glass from leaking all over the place. If a flat tile is used, it will leak and drip onto your table. It will also stick to the glass when you try to pick it up. Flat tiles don't make good coasters. To make a coaster, try cutting a circle out of 4mm fiber paper. Slump your square or round glass over this piece. The fiber paper should give you a textured indentation that will help to hold the moisture from your glass. Use a thin fire shelf paper on your shelf to add a smoother texture to the rim of your coaster. Try adding some thin cork into this indentation to absorb more of the moisture. Glue cork to the bottom of the coaster to keep it from scratching any furniture. The possibilities of how to use these tile glass art pieces are endless. Try different sizes and shapes to enhance your pieces. Add some dichroic glass to your pieces for some unique dichroic glass tiles.
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Fused glass tiles are not recommended for floors or countertops as glass is extremely slippery when wet. They can be used for as a backsplash tile, decorative panels, or inlayed into wood. 
