How to Fire Dichroic Glass

How to fire dichroic glass? Dichroic glass is really simple to work with. It can be worked into the surface of your glass, or simply tack on top of a piece of glass. It all depends on the look you are trying to achieve.

Dichroic coatings come on a variety of glass. You must be certain that the dichroic has the same COE as the other glass you are using for your design. Most dichroic has a clear or black backing.

Dichroic can be fired with the coating side up or down. Of course if it has a black backing, you wouldn�t want to fire it with the backing up, because you wouldn�t see the dichroic. When you fire with the dichroic side up, your piece will have a rough texture, as opposed to firing with the dichroic down, which gives you a smooth surface.

Before applying the sheet, you will need to know which side of the glass has the dichroic coating. You can tell by looking for the most reflective side of the glass. Eventually detecting the coating side becomes easier.

Always clean all of your glass before placing it in the kiln. Any oils from your hands or smudges will show up after the firing and this will have a negative effect on your piece. Dichroic glass will not stick to another piece of dichroic glass. When layering glass you shouldn�t place dichroic coating sides together, because the coatings will resist each other. The only way around this would be to place other pieces on top of these glass pieces, so they melt around and sandwich the glass and secure it into place.

Dichroic glass can be used alone, or as accents on pieces. It is fired just like any fusible glass, depending on the COE of your glass, and your kiln. Keep a log of your firing schedules. Every kiln fires differently, so only use this "How to Fire Dichroic Glass Schedule" as a general method and adjust accordingly.

how to fire dichroic glass

How to Fire Dichroic Glass Schedule

Materials:

compatible fusible glass

glass cutter

glass cleaner

scissors

shelf paper/kiln wash

kiln shelf

kiln

Kevlar gloves

kiln safety glasses

timer

Steps:

1. Cut pieces from different sheets of glass.

2. Clean all pieces of glass with cleaner and dry pieces.

3. Cut shelf paper with scissors, or apply kiln wash and allow to dry.

4. Stack the layers of glass on shelf paper and place on the kiln shelf.

5. Turn on kiln and fire kiln to approximately 1325 (tack fuse) to 1425 (full fuse) degrees, open kiln lid to monitor the fusing and when tacked fused or fully fused, turn off the kiln and open the lid and crash cool to 1100 degrees. Close lid and let anneal and cool.

6. Once cooled to room temperature, remove the fused glass and rinse in water.

If you are not happy with the shape:

7. Use a glass grinder and grind to desired shape.

8. Wash the glass with soap and water and dry.

9. Place new kiln paper (you can still use the shelf with the old kiln wash if it is not chipped or damaged) and glass onto kiln shelf.

10. Fire kiln to approximately 1250 to 1300 degrees to fire polish, crack the lid to monitor progress. When fire polished, turn the kiln off and crash cool to 1100 degrees, again close the lid and allow it to anneal and cool.

11. Wash the fire-polished glass in soap and water.

I hope this page has given you some information on how to fire dichroic glass.

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