Passive electrical Components

Fused Glass, How is it Made and What is its Value?

You’re probably familiar with “stained” glass, right? Well, what if you could take multitudes of colors, put them into a design of your own choosing, place your colors where you want them and turn out a beautiful, flowing work of glass art without the lead line separators? Would that be a gorgeous work of art or what?

Well, that is pretty much what fused glass art is.

One draws a picture with various pieces of colored glass, fuses the pieces together by melting them in a fused glass kiln and once the piece is completed, it can actually look like a drawing or a painted work of art. Some of these pieces are very beautiful to behold.

This art form is just starting to get hot (no pun intended) and it will probably catch on like wildfire in the near future. It is relatively new at this point and not a “whole lot” of people have taken to it yet, but, just like stained glass, it won’t be too long before this stuff will be everywhere. It is a rage in the making.

So, exactly how does fused glass work? How is it made?

Well, basically, as stated above, one takes two or more pieces of glass, usually in various colors, places them adjacent to each other in some type of mold or cast, then puts these pieces into a kiln and heats them until they melt and the glass pieces fuse together to form one piece of glass.

This type of art glass is also known as kilnformed glass or dichroic glass.

There are several methods one can use to get this effect. One finished piece of dichroic glass may be fused several times in order to get specific effects. Each artist is different. That’s why it’s an art form. Just like a canvas based artist, a lot of experimentation occurs so that the “artist” is able to perfect or specialize in one or more particular methods.

While one artist may specialize in one-time fused designs, another may like to present designs that have been fused numerous times with numerous colors.

The design is limited only by one’s imagination. Fused glass art can be used and appreciated in many ways.

Not just any kiln will work either. Brick or clay (ceramic) kilns are different from kilnformed or fused glass kilns in some ways. Ceramic kilns can be utilized, it’s true but a kilnformed artist usually likes to have a kiln that is used expressly for kilnformed glass projects because the temperature controls, ranges and heating elements are a bit different.

There are a number of businesses who use fused glass art in their signs because it is so beautiful and gives certain eye drawing effects.

Jewelry is also becoming very popular as is fused glass dinnerware and dichroic artists are able to demand some serious prices for their work.

How much is fused glass art worth? Good question. As with any art, it is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay for it. The more unique the design or the better the quality of work, the more the art is worth.

There are many resources to be found on the web and if you have a knack or even just an interest, you should visit some web sites to find out what’s out there and how you can get into it. Many cities have fused glass artists or fused glass instructions within the city or at least in a neighboring community.

About the Author

If you don’t alread know, the best place to locate 90 & 96 COE dichroic glass for making dichroic jewelry, is the leading source of dichro – DichroicGlassPortal.com where you will find every color, pattern, and texture dichroic sheets, plus equipment, such as glass kilns and other tools.