Glass Flowers (Updated!)

One of the things that my microwave kiln (MWK) group talks about is using regular glass not meant for fusing in our tiny kilns. Regular glass is rather a mystery because you don't know what the COE is for any glass other than glass specified for using with glass fusing. COE has to do with how fast or slow the glass cools and if you try to mix COEs of differing kinds of glass they will just break, maybe not right away, but eventually. Anyway, one type they have mentioned are the glass holeless flat beads you can buy at the dollar store or in floral departments. There are many different types, large, small, different shapes and thicknesses. I have a ton that I've accumulated from when I was doing mosaics with them, and decided to try them and make flowers in my MWK. I made many of them in one day! Below, is one as I was checking on it in my MWK. Red hot, baybee!

Below is a sampling of all the different ones I made yesterday! The first one I made was the blue ring on the lower left. Then I tried mixing colors by snipping green glass beads in half with my tile nippers and using them for leaves. The funny thing is, the yellow ones below started off as a deep red. It's the only color I tested that did that, so apparently the dye can't take that high heat! The yellow one on the top right is one that started off as red petals and center! The blue one with the yellow (red) center ruptured about five minutes after I took this picture, so apparently those two colors are different COEs! The white/clear one I let go a little too far, same with the blue puddley looking one but I still like them. Most of them have a natural hole in them, so I plan on making another windchime once I get a few more saved up. :)

After a while I started getting tricky, cutting the beads in half and arranging them! It worked out nicely because the shape stayed defined, yet the center melted a bit more than the rest of it since it is thinner, and ends up holding everything together nicely. These green bits have not ruptured off so hopefully they are the same COE and will stay!

Last one. I really like this technique...I just wish I either had a bigger kiln - or a few more of them! Oh! And for anyone who cares, I don't do anything special with the firing schedule of these. Some people who use a MWK use a slower firing schedule, starting at 10% power and working up to higher powers, but I use a microwave/convection oven on high, for around 6.5 minutes. I turn the lid and spin the entire base a quarter turn about every 2 minutes, checking on the contents as I go, and that way I have relatively few hot spots. The only breakage I've had are the ones with mixed color beads. 

(Update!) Tried a white pearlized iridescent...not too sure of the results! I made another red/yellow one and this one got cloudy on one side, as you can see in the photo below...not sure why! And the blue ones show a slightly different technique. I laid the cut nuggets flat for the upper one and used no center. These are smaller and would be suitable for a pendant!

I really like this one. The edges softened just right and made a circle in the center. A suggestion was made in the group to use a baggie to catch the splinters of glass as I cut these glass nuggets...instead of my hand! Lol. Great idea!

I hope you got inspired! Make sure to stop by my Pinterest page and like my Facebook page!