Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques - Fusing, Slumping, Casting

by Philippa Beveridge, Ignasi Doménech, Eva Pascual

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Lark Books (2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1-57990-655-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-57990-655-9
Dimensions: 12.1" x 9.4" x 0.75"
Shipping Weight: 2.32 lbs.

Glass is a versatile and wondrous material that has been held in high regard from the Bronze Age to the present. Blown glass has been the predominant technique used, but there are older ways of working with glass that make it possible to create graceful shapes, inviting textures, lustrous transparencies, and rich colors that aren't possible with blown glass. In these abundantly illustrated pages, you'll learn several traditional techniques of making glass objects in a kiln.

Look at a brief history of artistic glass from antiquity to the present as inspiration for your own work. These is a special emphasis placed on the methods covered later in the book.

It's important to examine glass as a material because it's a complex substance with striking characteristics that will affect the final results of whatever you make. Here you'll learn the different kinds of glass available to artists and how this substance behaves during the firing cycle.

There are also a few basics, from glass compatibility to the fundamentals of firing, that you need know before beginning any project. Advice is provided about general considerations such as cleanliness, cutting glass, and making prototypes and molds.

Now you're ready to learn the fundamental techniques used to make glass objects in a kiln—fusing, slumping, pâte de verre, and kiln casting. The written explanations and close-up photos will serve as a guide for your future work. Additionally, you'll find explanations for potential problems and their solutions.

You'll also see how to make four projects—a lighted panel, bowl, vase, and decorative centerpiece. Completing this unique book is an impressive gallery of works made by glass artists from around the world.