Author: Alison Foshee

Best-To-Test To consistently reach target color when firing select gold-bearing striking glasses, Bullseye advises a pre-rapid heat soak of 2 hours at 1225°F / 663°C on the way up to process temperature during the first firing. We call this the ‘Gold Hold.’ It applies to all forms (sheet, billet, frit, etc.) of the certain gold-bearing…

Fahrenheit and Celsius These slumping schedules have been collected over years of experience at Bullseye’s Research & Education studios. Note that the schedules are intended as a starting point. Many variables factor into developing an appropriate cycle. Every kiln fires differently, and different glass styles vary in viscosity.  Because no single slumping schedule will work…

For the record Keep track of your glass and know when it’s time to restock with this inventory worksheet.

All the little details Get organized. Keep valuable records on your kilnforming projects, using forms designed by Bullseye technicians. The three-hole-punch format fits standard binders.

Simple Layup + Reactions = A Riot of Effects What’s Going On In This Glass? Our piece may look complex, but the colorful effects resulted from just allowing and preventing two types of reactions: sulfur + copper and sulfur + silver. The Layup was Simple A base of Tekta Clear sheet (001100-0380) topped with French…

Create gold & bronze hues by capping Silver Foil with Bullseye’s Alchemy Clear styles. Design Place silver foil elements on a base of 3 mm Tekta Clear. Make the top layer with strips of both Alchemy Clears (Silver to Gold, Silver to Bronze) and any 3 mm Clear (Tekta or standard) with seams and transitions…

Create round cabochons from squares by using the 6 mm rule! The Stack Top (6 mm): A “lensing” layer of Clear. This layer will stretch considerably. Middle (3–4 mm): This “design” layer will stretch and be visible through the top layer. Use part sheets or pieces of 3 mm sheet glass. Bottom (6 mm): Typically…

Make these sweet dotted bowls with Color Line Paints and the simplest of tools! To get started, layer two 4.75˝ circles of colorful 3 mm sheet combinations and fire to a full fuse. For a slightly thinner, lighter bowl, swap the top 3 mm layer for thin (-0050). The thinner top layer will contract just…

Combine mathematics and metallics to create this handsome design! What is the Fibonacci Sequence? The Fibonacci sequence is a numbering system found in nature, from flower petals and pinecones to seashells. It’s pleasing to the eye (even if you’re not aware of it) and a versatile design tool. It starts with a one (or a…

Candle-bent Fine Line Stringers bring a lean line quality to this Mid-Century inspired design. Bend the Stringer Holding the stringer with thumbs and forefingers, place the spot you want to bend in the tip of a candle flame (tea lights work well). Apply a light pressure until you feel the glass soften. Lift the stringer…

The growth of crystals on glass, aka, devitrification, aka, devit, is not that common or easy to create. But, if devit does appear on your fired glass, there are several ways to remove it. ONE SIMPLE WAY, for glass that’s flat, is to sift a very thin layer of Clear Powder (2 grains thick) over…

Easy to make and fun to use. Scatter pieces of coarse frit (-0003) on a freshly primed kiln shelf and adjust them with tweezers, leaving space around each piece. Fire hot enough to round out the pieces, which will pull up slightly during the firing as they conform to the Six Millimeter Rule. We recommend…

Say YES to sprinkles! Steps (4 firings) Making Mini frit Balls The secret to the small dots is to make them with Medium (-0002) Frit. Guidelines include firing on a primed kiln shelf and using transparent frit. The larger grains of -02 are a little easier to manage here. These smaller grains can be fired…

Gold and Silver Irid + Clear Powder = Shimmering Glass In the tiles above, powdered and exposed iridescent surfaces catch and reflect light differently, producing subtle glimmering effects To make the tiles, we sifted Clear Powder (001101-0008) onto Silver (000100-0037) and Gold (000100-0038) iridized sheet glass, using bits of foliage as stencils. Select foliage that’s…

For a festive feel, break out the punch! (The paper punch, that is.) Combine punched silver foil design elements with Tomato Red Opal for something truly festive. The Details Arrange Silver Foil (007217) punches on Tomato Red Opal sheet glass (000024-0030). You can use GlasTac (008232) to keep them in place. Cap with 3 mm…

Combine GlasTac and Aventurine Blue Powder to create gestural brush strokes. Think of sumi-e and other East Asian styles of brush painting and calligraphy. Here’s How it Works Using a brush, create your design in GlasTac (008234) on clean, dry 3 mm sheet glass, then sift Aventurine Blue Powder (001140-0008) over the wet area. Tilt…

Transform a single sheet of Rainbow Iridescent glass into shimmering mosaic design. The Details Start with a 3 mm sheet of a saturated transparent color (or black) with a Rainbow Iridescent (irid) coating. Find a section with a range of color and cut it into squares. Arrange the pieces with an eye to both color…

Create a textured block of glass using ceramic fiber paper, a billet, and the right amount of heat! Design with Texture In the kiln, the billet conforms to your fiber paper design. Note that the glass will take on the texture of the fiber paper and the kiln shelf. Color Considerations Any billet will work,…

Get experience in volume calculation, frit tinting, and more as you create a kilncast disc from a frit and powder mixture, coldwork the edges, and slump it into a graceful bowl. Prepare the Dam Cut a 2.5 cm strip of 1.6 mm Fiber Paper (007037) to line a BullseyeCircle Dam (008848). For a precise fit,…

Wisps of White and Clear, let the color shine through. Create your own streaky color palette. Layer Clear and White Streaky sheet glass over transparent tint glass styles. Slump in the Mini Cone Bowl mold to upturn the edges and achieve luscious color at the rim. Steps Tips Materials

Making this chevron plate is a snap with Cascade sheet glass. Steps Tip Materials

Transparents transform with on-edge strip construction. Cut 3 mm sheet glass into 1 cm wide strips, turn those on edge, and—presto!—color saturation increases. In the pairings below, notice how the 1cm thick on-edge samples (right) are darker than the thinner 3 mm flat sheet samples (left), producing new depths of color. Your palette just multiplied!…

There is more than meets the eye with some slumping molds. They can certainly be used to form pieces that utilize the entire surface, but consider the options when slumping pieces that only make use of a portion of the mold. In our studios, we’ve found Rectangular Slumper Mold (008929) and Round Slumper Mold (008629)…

Opaline sheet glass. Amazing on its own; plays nicely with others. As in its a great tool to expand your color palette in kilnforming, creating new colors with distinct properties. As an overlay, expect subtle changes when fired over light value styles and more dramatic effects over dark values. The small tiles are uncapped, fired…

Explore the possibilities of a palette of green rings capped with Opaline! As an overlay, Opaline scatters light for a dramatic impact on base colors. Note the blue hue it adds to the dark-valued green here and the subtle changes with lighter-valued greens. But when held up to the light, it’s as if the Opaline…

Want to minimize the look of bubbles in fused pieces? This technique used in kilnforming circles for many years has also worked well for us. Add a light application of Clear powder between the layers with a full-fuse firing schedule. That’s right: between the layers! You’ll actually trap more bubbles, but they’ll be smaller than…

Petrified Wood is Bullseye’s magical unicorn streaky. Its unique combination of glasses results in dramatic internal reactions at full-fuse temperatures. Here are two ideas for making this glass sing. Copper Reactions  The Clear areas of Petrified Wood contain Red Reactive Clear, a style that reacts with select copper-bearing glasses, developing deep red hues where they…

Add an accent color and functionality to a soap dish with fusible rods. We paired Robin’s Egg Blue Opalescent with Driftwood Gray rod, but you could use any combination. Steps Supplies Sepia-hued areas of Petrified Wood strike with varying opacity and colors. Play up this organic effect with various grain sizes of Clear Frit. We…

When certain Bullseye glasses are fired in contact with one another, their chemistries interact to create varied effects. This article details some of our favorite reactions. Reactive Combinations Resources

Make a part sheet with stony effects! REACTIVITY IS KEY to achieving the pebbly look of the part sheet featured here. Under kiln heat, sulfur-bearing frits react with lead-bearing powder to create a rocks-in-a-streambed effect. Making the part Sheet Note: When designing your part sheet, consider making it larger than needed by about an inch…

Wearable glass with flash! It’s all in the details—torn silver paired with candy apple red, and drilled holes for stringing. Steps

Create a smooth, uniform surface on the shelf-side of your fired work. The Details Recommended Resources

Create hues with sparkle and depth. Did you ever wonder why Bullseye doesn’t make an Aventurine version of other colors, like red, for example? We would if we could! The chemistry of those sparkles (a.k.a., flake) is deeply tied to green glass. In the kiln, however, you can layer to create new hues. When we…

Rods are a natural choice for easy stripes and dots. We found this summer-themed nautical palette of opalescents fresh and irresistible for mixing and matching. Stripes Use a complete layer of rods as the base, then cap with 3 mm Clear and fire to a full fuse. The shelf side has a smooth, semi-matte finish,…

Create this soft, dreamy palette by layering tint styles over neutral opalescent styles. Tints: Pale Yellow Tint (001820-0030), Purple Blue Tint (001948-0030)Opalescents: Light Peach Cream (000034-0030), White (000113-0030), Driftwood Gray (000132-0030)And this is just the start — there are so many palette possibilities to explore! For a semi-matte finish and crisp seams, design with a…

Explore design possibilities with the property of displacement. How This Project Works Significant amounts of clear sheet and rod are fired over a palette of mediumsaturation sheet to displace the material directly underneath. This creates lighter areas by diluting the color to reveal more of the white base layer. Lay-up: White base capped with Sea…

Bold designs using just stringer and clear sheet glass! Prepare the Sheet Glass Prepare the Stringer Download the article to complete the project.

Create refined and delicate cross-hatching with reactions! How this project Works Clear stringers act as a barrier (or resist) between the reactive sheet glass and copper-bearing Turquoise stringers. Where a Turquoise stringer overlaps a Clear stringer, a Turquoise spot remains. Through the firings, the rest of the Turquoise stringers react and develop to a deep…

Wow your friends and showcase your favorite bites with this luminescent set. How this project Works Opaline Striker transforms Canary Yellow and Fuchsia into an exciting, modern palette with unique effects in both reflected and transmitted light. Through multiple firings, you’ll embed a stringer design between the layers (without trapping lots of bubbles). This project…

Create a series of plates with subtle color design shifts using Bullseye Tints. Why this project Works This design is tailor-made for transparent glass styles with light color saturation like Bullseye Tints. Combining layers of the same tint with White and clear Tekta creates a pleasing, monochromatic palette. Prepare the Sheet Glass The stringers are…