Day 1 : Cutting Up In Class
During my first fused glass class, Stephanie Houston showed us around her glass studio, A Show of Hands in Jensen Beach, Florida. Numerous kilns from table-top size to a floor model were setup in different areas of the shop. Buckets of glass scraps, plastic tumblers of glass rods, jars of crushed glass, and an assortment of tools were scattered in a semi-organized fashion - though it was obvious that all were touched, handled, and used on a regular basis - throughout the studio.
The first term she explained to us was the Coefficient of Expansion (COE). As glass heats inside a kiln, it isn't sitting still. Though it may look like it's just sitting there, it's actually contracting and expanding. Since fused glass is dealing with layers of glass, these layers are moving together and trying to figure out what to do. They want to squish together. However, if their COE doesn't match then they have trouble with this and eventually will break apart, thus cracking and ruining your piece. So, it is crucial that all the glass used for the same piece being created have the same COE. Thanks to manufactures that know how to test for COE, we are provided this information when we purchase glass. The Bullseye Glass Company, for example, provides glass with a COE of 90. This is the industry standard. Stephanie speaks highly of the quality and dependability of Bullseye, and she uses it a lot in her own work as well as providing supplies for her students.
After the quick physics lesson was over, play time started. The glass went flying as we learned how to cut it correctly. Since her background is in stained glass, Stephanie stressed the importance of learning how to cut. You might want to some day cut out a detailed design such as a fairy or flower. If you never master the technique of cutting glass, then you're doomed to only dealing with abstract designs. First, she handed us a cutting tool and a piece of clear glass. She recommends using the kind that has the grip and oil built in. This type of cutter provides the user with more control.
Then she explained how to score and break the glass. The cutter scores the glass. Not a lot of muscle is needed, which surprised and pleased me since I have skinny arms. The glass must be scored from one end to the other. This means you can't start your design in the middle of the glass and cut it out like you would with a piece of paper. Each of us copied her movements by starting from the end closest to us and running the cutter straight to the other side away from us. (For obvious safety reasons, it's not too smart to run the cutter towards yourself.) The line or score we created was barely visible on the clear glass. Then we took the next tool, called a runner, and positioned the end of this tool so it lined up with the score.
Next, the handle of the runner was squeezed gently. Voila! We had two piece of glass instead of one.
A similar set of steps was followed to cut smaller piece of glass. However, instead of using the runner, she showed us how to use a tool called a breaker or breaking pliers. This allows you to snap off the smaller piece of glass.
For the rest of the class, we continued to practice using these tools. We cut straight pieces, curved pieces, small and large pieces until we had a pile of broken up clear glass in front of us. As I repeated the steps over and over, I learned that very little, if any, muscle is needed. In fact, if I applied too much pressure, especially with the runner tool, the glass would not break where I scored it. It would just break, period, if you know what I mean.
Though I didn't actually get to make anything my first day, except a mess, I felt like I learned a lot about glass. I also had fun. Driving home, my head started swimming with the possibilities of future glass projects.
Here are a few links where you can find glass cutting tools:
All graphics created by Tammy Powley.
