Slumping Glass Bowl

This slumping glass venture involves several layers of graduated complimentary glass that are balanced on a mold. There is no gluing involved, but it can be used sparingly, if desired. As these pieces are fired, they gradually slide and slump down into a final tack fused arrangement. This particular glass slumping pattern is a blossom shape and is included at the bottom of this page. The glass bowl is fairly straight forward and simple, but does require that the piece is observed carefully to achieve satisfactory results.

The petals and leaves of this slumped glass configuration are curvy and detailed. Therefore, the use of a glass saw is necessary to complete this project. This is not to say that you can�t make individual designs that would not require the use of a glass saw, but to achieve the pattern below, a saw is needed.

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Materials:

6 colors of compatible glass

Pattern

Beeswax

Bowl of clean water

Glass cleaner

Glass dots

Kiln

Kiln posts

Prepared kiln shelf

Prepared mold

1. Pick out the size mold for the project. This particular task was made using a round 6 inch ceramic bowl. A hole was drilled in the middle to allow air to escape and it was prepared with kiln wash.

2. Print pattern and cut out the pieces. Trace around all the pieces onto each individual piece of glass. Cover drawing with beeswax.

3. Cut glass designs out with a glass saw. As pieces are being cut, place them in a bowl of clean water to keep the edges damp. This soaking in water will make cleaning the pieces easier. Now, clean the pieces of glass thoroughly.

4. Arrange all of the pieces onto the prepared mold. Start with the largest piece and work down towards the smallest section. Place the middle petals on to the arrangement and add the leaves. Finally add a few colored dots for accents.

5. Place mold onto the prepared kiln shelf. Be sure to place kiln posts under the mold to allow air to escape and circulate around the piece. Close kiln and fire using a very conservative schedule. This slumping glass project was fired at 250 degrees Fahrenheit per hour until it reached 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the piece was held for about 10 minutes.

6. Once the piece had soaked, the temperature was continued until the piece had slumped to the desired look. Bring the temperature down slowly until it reaches around 950 degrees Fahrenheit and hold for 1 hour.

7. Slowly cool to room temperature. Make sure the kiln reaches below 100 degrees Fahrenheit before opening the kiln lid.

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Some variations of this piece:

Use thinner pieces of glass to keep the weight and thickness down.

Add some dichroic glass to add some sparkle to the project.

Place thin pieces of fiber paper under the outer edges of the leaves or petals to elevate and alter the look of the piece.

Use different molds for even more distinctive shapes.

Alter the pattern to achieve unique designs. Make the leaves rounder or more pointed.

Place frit into the center instead of using dots.

As you can see, this slumping glass project can be made in a variety of colors, designs and shapes. The size and shape depends upon the look desired.

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