About the service
I fuse glass in a kiln and make plates, serving dishes, wall panels and inserts for furniture doors. Every piece begins with the choice of glass that is compatible by coefficient of expansion, and this is the one point I never bend for the sake of a nicer shade. Sheets that expand at different rates leave stress locked inside the piece, and the stress does not announce itself on the day the work comes out of the kiln: the plate cracks weeks later, standing quietly on a shelf, with nobody touching it. That is why I do not simply melt together whatever is at hand, and why I do not take in glass of unknown origin brought from outside — compatibility cannot be read from the surface, the colour or the thickness.
The rest of the work is slow on purpose. I lay out the drawing, cut the pieces, grind and smooth the edges, and we decide together how far the firing should go: a full fuse into one even body, or a tack fuse that keeps soft contours and a little relief where the pieces meet. Plates and dishes get a second firing — slumping over a mould, where the glass settles into the shape under its own weight instead of being forced into it. Between the layers I can set inclusions of foil and copper wire; the surface is left glossy as the fire leaves it, or taken down to an even matte. Annealing runs by programme every single time, the kiln holding and cooling the piece by the clock, because anything pulled out early goes into a web of cracks.
A kiln and glass at red heat are workshop work with proper protection, not something to reproduce at home. I quote honest dates that include the slow heating and annealing cycle, and I start with a sketch and a test sample so the colours and the degree of fusing are agreed before the real piece goes in.
— selection of compatible glass and layout of the drawing, cutting, edge grinding and polishing;
— full fuse into a smooth body or tack fuse with soft contours and relief;
— slumping over a mould for plates, serving dishes and shallow bowls;
— inclusions of foil and copper wire between the layers, matte or glossy surface;
— panels mounted in a frame, inserts fitted to a cabinet door, numbered series of coasters;
— tableware is covered only with glass suitable for food contact, and such pieces are not for the microwave or the oven;
— care: a soft sponge and mild detergent, no abrasives and no sudden changes of temperature.
The rest of the work is slow on purpose. I lay out the drawing, cut the pieces, grind and smooth the edges, and we decide together how far the firing should go: a full fuse into one even body, or a tack fuse that keeps soft contours and a little relief where the pieces meet. Plates and dishes get a second firing — slumping over a mould, where the glass settles into the shape under its own weight instead of being forced into it. Between the layers I can set inclusions of foil and copper wire; the surface is left glossy as the fire leaves it, or taken down to an even matte. Annealing runs by programme every single time, the kiln holding and cooling the piece by the clock, because anything pulled out early goes into a web of cracks.
A kiln and glass at red heat are workshop work with proper protection, not something to reproduce at home. I quote honest dates that include the slow heating and annealing cycle, and I start with a sketch and a test sample so the colours and the degree of fusing are agreed before the real piece goes in.
— selection of compatible glass and layout of the drawing, cutting, edge grinding and polishing;
— full fuse into a smooth body or tack fuse with soft contours and relief;
— slumping over a mould for plates, serving dishes and shallow bowls;
— inclusions of foil and copper wire between the layers, matte or glossy surface;
— panels mounted in a frame, inserts fitted to a cabinet door, numbered series of coasters;
— tableware is covered only with glass suitable for food contact, and such pieces are not for the microwave or the oven;
— care: a soft sponge and mild detergent, no abrasives and no sudden changes of temperature.
