new to warm glass and having trouble already

[Sandpiper]

Help me!!!!! I just got a kiln, and I'm new to warm glass. Everybody is full of info, but it is all different. I used a fireworks floral slumper and treated it with kiln wash like the directions said, but when I slumped over it, the inside was textured and nasty. I had visions of nice shiney smooth glass, but I got something rough and ugly Why? Some people said I shouldn't have put anything on the mold. Someone else told me I should have used glass separator, not kiln wash. Is there one answer? I know this is probably boring and pathetic, and not a very interesting question, but I got to sort out these simple problems before I can come up with something really creative for everyone to sink their teeth into Thanks
Sandpiper

[Steve Immerman]

Was the glass that you slumped first fused in a separate firing? The glass gets it's nice gloss at temps above slumping temps.

The side of the glass in contact with the shelf or mold will always have some texture, but the "up" side, will have a nice gloss at fusing temps.

So, a typical situation would be to create your design out of two 3mm layers of glass, and fuse it at a temp between 1425 and 1500. It will now be nice and smooth and glossy on top.

Then to let it cool, put it in the mold and refire to a slumping temp between 1150 and 1325 depending on the mold configuration.

Yes, you should have covered your mold with kilnwash or shelf separator. The pink Bullseye stuff is the best.

I don't know what the fireworks floral mold looks like, so maybe my comments are off base? Is it ceramic or metal?

Steve

[Jane Lindell]

If your kiln wash on the mold is lumpy and rough, some of that texture will inevitably show up on the glass. You can very carefully smooth out the kiln wash with your finger. Also, using a lower temperature to slump and holding it longer will pick up less of the kiln wash temperature.

"kiln wash" in glass terms is not the same as ceramic kiln wash. The recipe is different. Check out Brad's tutorial above.

What kind of glass were you using? Some regular art glass used for stained glass panels will devitrify at even low slumping temperatures.

[Sandpiper]

I'm new to bulletin boards, too, so I hope I do this right. I did fire the glass once to fuse two like pieces of glass together, and to smooth the edges. The outside is really nice. I just expect the inside to be as nice. Yes, this was regular Spectrum art glass. I thought I'd test out the kiln with some stuff I have from my stained glass work.
The kiln wash I used was white. I don't know who makes it. It's pretty smooth on the mold, but it still feels gritty and powdery. I "sanded" it with pantyhose, but I was afraid of sanding it off. By the way, the mold is stainless steel.
Thanks

Sandpiper

[Jo Holt]

The 2 things that made a difference for me were:

Changing to Bullseye kiln wash and

A max temp of 1150F with whatever hold works.

What did the bottom surface look like after fusing? If the kilnwash isn't that good and not cleaned off well, the slump won't take the surface back to shiny.

Hope this helps and have fun!

Jo

[Sandpiper]

Jo, Jane, and Steve,
Thanks for the replies. I keep hearing Bullseye wash is the best. That's the pink stuff right? I need to get some. I'm afraid I expect perfection the first time out, so I think the kiln and I are going to have to come to an understanding. I think I'm going to need to understand trial and error a whole lot better than I ever have. So much for my type A personality. I guess my next step is to sand off the old kiln wash, find some Bullseye wash and try try again. Actually, the more I look at this thing, the more interesting it is becoming. Texture isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?
Well off to find the right wash. Thanks so much for your time helping the new rookie.
Sandpiper