I got a request from my dad for a custom fused glass dish to celebrate a special birthday. He specifically wanted at plate or dish not too big, with the number “60” and “Happy Birthday” on it. This was a bit of a challenge for me. I had to figure out how to get a number and writing on a 7 inch plate. I experimented with paints, frit, stencils, and etching cream. In the end I recycled some pattern bar slices by breaking them up and reforming them in a murrini mold. I nipped small chips of the new bars and put them together to form the number. I used Glassline paints to do the lettering. Sure hope the birthday girls liked her one of a kind birthday dish.
you can use larger chunks of broken up pieces, or frit. this is a commission i had a few years ago.
http://www.glassartists.org/Gal6620_Tiles.asp
pick a nice font and print out the letters from your computer. lay a clear top glass on top of the paper, and use that for your outlines. if you want the background opaque, use that for the bottom layer of glass.
oops: http://www.glassartists.org/Images/FullSize/000028000/Img28993_DCP_2684.jpg
That looks great. I’ll have to give that another try some time. I did some experimenting with frit, and did exactly as you suggested with the printout under the clear. My numbers were only about 3″ high and 2″ wide. My frit seemed to spread out and didn’t give me the coverage I wanted. I used hairspray to secure the frit. Later I saw a technique that used klyrfire mixed with the frit. That may make it more stable. I also saw a technique that used letters cut out of fiber paper that was placed in position, and then the frit was spread all around – a reverse effect. So many ideas… so little time….
Hi, can I ask a quick question. I have been experimenting with trying to get lettering on my fused glass. When I use the glassline pens do I write on the lower layer of glass and let it dry completely and then do the normal fuse fire . I can’t work out on this happy birthday dish whether it is on the top layer. I have found if I draw on the top layer it does come out as clean as yours. Any advice would be appreciated.
Julie
Julie, What do yo mean by “clean?” I found that the glassline paints look a bit dull when fired on top. But in between layers, they can cause bubbles. Because my penmanship is not great, I printed the lettering out and put a piece of clear on top to trace it. So I had the writing on top when I fired. Something I haven’t tried but I have heard works well is to put a layer of clear powder on top. Here is another post I wrote about my experiments. http://www.glassartbymargot.com/Blog/fused-glass/experiments-fused-glass-paints/ Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you might want to try these paint pens: http://www.glassartbymargot.com/Blog/fused-glass/marabu-painter-pens-on-fused-glass/ Hope that helps some.