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In a Pot Melt, compatible glass scraps are heated to a
high temperature so that it flows from the opening in the base of the
clay pot on to a prepared tray or kiln shelf with in the kiln. The
glass pours from the opening like a thick syrup, resulting in spiral
or circular patterns. The process produces a colorful glass disk. The
patterned disk that results, may then be used whole or sliced up and
used in your fusing projects.
Start off by enlarging the hole in the bottom of a 4 clay pot using a
chisel and hammer. The hole in the bottom of the pot can be
rectangular, round, or any style you like. Round holes allow the glass
to flow out in a spiral or circular pattern. Rectangular shaped holes,
cause the glass to fold on itself. The size does not need to be exact,
or edges perfectly smooth. You can also create more than one hole in
the bottom of the pot to create more patterning in your finished melt.
Place a piece of clear compatible scrap in the bottom of the pot to
hold your scraps in place. Fill the pot with compatible glass scraps
of your color choice. You may find that experimentation is the key in
the placement, as different results are produced depending on how you
place the glass. Avoid using too much strong colors such as black as
it will over power your other colors. When making disks you can use
the following as a guide for the finial size. 3 lbs of glass will
produce a disk approximately 11" in diameter. 1 lb in a 4 pot will
make approximately a 7" disk.
Prepare the surface that the glass will flow onto with several coats
of kiln wash. This can be the kiln shelf, a clay saucer or a mold. I
have used Thinfire fiber paper with great success on the kiln shelf.
Using kiln furniture such fire bricks and long dams, suspend the pot
over the center of your tray or shelf. Make sure the holes in the
bottom are not obstructed in any way. You should also make sure to
coat all the kiln furniture with kiln wash as well as the kiln's floor
just in case of overflow.
The firing schedule used is an aggressive one. All the pieces of glass
in the pot are small and will heat fast without thermal shocking.
Pot
Melt Firing schedule*
Ramp
up afap to 1700 - 1800 degrees. Hold until pot is empty -
approximately 30 minutes. Ramp down afap to 1450 degrees (full fuse
temp) and hold for 15 minutes (to allow glass to flatten). Ramp down
afap 960 degrees and hold for 30 minutes. Ramp down 50 dph to
800degrees and hold for 30 minutes. Ramp down 200 dph to 700 degrees
with no hold. Turn off kiln and allow it to cool on its own to room
temperature
This is for a typical 4 pot melt. Holding time for annealing should
be increased for larger melts to 60 minutes Other
materials can be used for melts. Glass allowed to flow through steel
mesh can create very interesting patterns.
*
All firing schedules are meant to be used as general guidelines for
firing System 96 glass. 90 coe glass will generally need to be fired
at a slightly higher temperature. All kilns varied and you will have
to perform experiments to see what temperatures will give you the
desired results. Keep firing logs for every firing you due to help
diagnose problems and also to log your successes. Goess Studio is not
responsible for any and all damages by users of this information.
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