Glass Embossing

This hot glass embossing process does require the purchase of special made materials. Inscribing a special design can easily be accomplished by using the required tools and following safety procedures. Jayne Persico has books and videos that can be purchased or rented for further information on this method.

Materials:

Directions:

1. Decide what you are going to make. Draw your design and decide which glass you are going to use for the project. The glass needs to be at least two to three layers thick when embossing.

2. Prepare the embossing tool by attaching the dye to the metal handle. Place a heat resistant surface close to the kiln.

3. Cut all the glass, clean and dry with a lint free towel.

4. Arrange all of the glass layers on a prepared kiln shelf. Remember to grip the glass by the side to avoid fingerprints.

5. Put the shelf inside the kiln.

6. Close the top or access. Start the unit.

7. Heat kiln to approximately 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Soak at this temperature for about 10 minutes.

8. Continue heating glass until it reaches around 1500 to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. This is approximately the ideal embossing temperature. Since each kiln is unique, figure out what the full fuse temperature is for your particular kiln and add about 50 degrees to that temperature.

9. As soon as the project has reached the required temperature, turn down the kiln to achieve a soaking at this setting. The appearance should be smooth rounded corners with all the pieces fused together. You will need to put on your protective eye wear to inspect the glass. This is a very sensitive process. If the glass is not hot enough, the image will not be impressed. If the glass gets too hot, it can be come thin and the edges will get spiky.

10. Once the piece is ready, put on your safety glasses and kiln gloves. Turn off and unplug the kiln. This is to avoid shock should you touch an element with the tool. Turning off the power is an important step.

11. Open the kiln lid and hold the embossing tool by the wooden handle while pressing the dye into the glass. The metal handle will get extremely hot, so only hold the tool by the handle. Use small rocking motions from front to back and side to side. The entire stamping on the glass should not take more than about five seconds.

12. Remove the embossing tool. Be sure to place it on a heat resistant surface to cool.

13. Close up the kiln and allow the kiln to cool to around 950 degrees Fahrenheit. Anneal at this temperature for about an hour.

14. Once the piece has annealed, turn off the kiln and allow it to cool to room temperature.

15. As soon as the pyrometer drops underneath 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the kiln may be opened.

To make your own by twisting a heavy copper wire to your desired look. This will end up looking like a little branding iron. Remember that it needs to have an extension put on it so that your don't need to reach that far into the kiln.

Check out your local hardware store, such as Home Depot or Lowe's. Purchase metal drawer pulls with designs that are not that deep. These do need to be out of copper. The short screws that come with the drawer pulls will need to have an extension to hold onto during the stamping process.

If just starting out, you might want to first purchase the pre-made designs and then as you become more comfortable with them, try having custom dies made.

Here are a couple of places on the internet where you can purchase pre-made glass embossing dies.

Return from Glass Embossing to the homepage