[?] Subscribe To This Site

Puffy Glass

This puffy glass has a dark green top layer with soft pale green leaves protruding through the upper layer. The unique and appealing structure has a subtle puffy 3-D texture. Although it looks difficult to achieve, it is really extremely simple.

You will need to determine the glass and design you would like to use. I first selected the dark green opaque glass and the lighter green translucent glass. I thought that leaves on a long stem would look wonderful with these colors.

Use the pattern provided at the bottom of this page, or you can make a stencil using stars, flowers, hearts, circles or any pattern that you would like to repeat. They will need to be either hanging on a string like suspension or suspended on a curved line so that you can cut the pattern out with a glass saw. Make a few of the designs large, medium and small to break up the pattern and add interest to the piece.

Determine which one of the items you want to inflate. You could make all of them puffy if desired, but I think just having a few inflated inserts some appeal to the design.

Using fiber paper is the key to adding the inflated 3-D appearance. Layering various sizes will give the piece a more round effect.

puffy glass, opaque glass, translucent glass, fiber paper, opaque glass

Materials:

Top opaque glass

Bottom translucent glass

Permanent marker

Beeswax or Chapstick

Glass saw

Fiber paper

Prepared kiln shelf

Kiln

Protective glasses

High temperature gloves

Directions:

1. Select your top and bottom layer glass.

2. Determine the size of your project and cut glass to this size.

3. Print and cut out the pattern.

4. Place the pattern on the top opaque glass and trace with a permanent marker.

5. Cover the markings with either beeswax or Chapstick.

6. Cut out coated marks using a glass saw.

7. Place opaque glass on top of translucent glass and put on prepared kiln shelf.

8. Determine which leaves you want to puff out and cut fiber paper to this size using pattern.

9. Cut out more fiber paper leaves just a tad smaller than the original leaf.

10. Cut another piece of fiber paper just a tad smaller than the one cut above.

11. Build up the layers of fiber paper and place under the selected leaves to puff out.

12. Place kiln shelf into kiln.

Suggested firing schedule:

Heat the piece to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and hold for 10 minutes.

Heat the glass to around 1350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bring glass to annealing temperature of around 950 degrees Fahrenheit and hold for 1 hour.

Bring the piece to room temperature before removing from kiln.

Once the piece is completed, it can be copper foiled and soldered. Add a couple of rings on the top edges for hanging in a window, or the piece can be placed it in a frame and hung on the wall.

Puffy Glass Pattern

puffy glass, opaque glass, translucent glass, fiber paper, opaque glass

Return from Puffy Glass to the homepage

footer for puffy glass page