Fused Glass – Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere

bubbles
Bubble Pendant, soap dish, night light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to explain something that some people even glass fusers do not know. It is about bubbles.

Tiny champagne bubbles are a natural occurrence in fused glass. Bubbles occur when two or more layers of glass are fused together when the edges seal first and trap air between the layers. Therefore, when you see tiny bubble inside the fused glass or on top, it is normal. My view is bubbles give the fused glass piece character and make the glass more interesting. Bubbles are natural in fused glass and in fact a “new,” unfired sheet of glass will have small bubbles captured inside. These bubbles, called “seeds” and cannot be eliminated. For fused glass pieces to be bubble-free and as smooth and untroubled is not always possible, and it would look like a piece of plastic. Bottom line what is champagne without bubbles, custom fused glass is the same, and bubbles give it interest.

There are a couple ways to intentionally incorporate bubbles into fused glass one way is to add stringers like I did in the first platter. This is more of a geometric technique. I like it because you can change the color of stringer thereby adding interest to the piece.

bubble plate
Bubble Plate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another way is with bubble powder / paint. I did not know a lot about the bubble powder / paint until I watched a great “Saturday Night video” by Tanya. I quickly made my test sheets. Very cool bubbles!  Then I took a Webinar from Margot Clark who is the inventor of the bubble paint.  Needless to say, I made several fused glass pieces including; tea bag holder / spoon rest, pendant, soap dish, night light, candle shield, etc. This was pretty fun using the bubble paint and creating glass with a myriad of bubbles in my glass. During a recent glass party with my friend Diane, we both made pieces with bubbles. I made it into a sushi dish.

sconce
Bubble Sconce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I look forward to your comments. Do you like the bubbles or not?

Let me know if you would like custom fused glass artwork with bubbles.

Keeping my Kiln warm

Karen

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