A while back I ordered some low-fire 22K gold fusible glass decals from www.Gofusing.com. The website included an instruction tip sheet. I read the tip sheet and followed all of their instructions. They did not, however, provide any detailed firing instructions. So I thought I would share with you what worked for me.
The instructions for getting the decals on your glass are pretty clear. The decals loosen quickly in water and slide easily onto the glass. I wet the glass with my wet fingertip before sliding the decal onto the glass. Once I had it positioned where I wanted it, I blotted the glass and decal with a paper towel. Next I took a piece of paper towel wrapped around my index finger and use a rolling motion to make sure the decal was flat on the glass and as dry as possible. I then waited until the next day to fire the pieces.
The instructions say to vent the kiln during the burn-out phase and provide good ventilation. The decal backing contains organic matter which needs to vaporize. The resulting fumes should be avoided. I have a fan that I use to blow fumes away from my work area when I am soldering. I used this fan a few feet away from my kiln blowing directly across the kiln. Here is my firing schedule that I used in my Paragon Pearl 22 kiln. Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit.
- I used kiln posts to vent the lid 2”
- I ramped up 400 dph to 900 degrees
- Close the lid, then ramp up 400 dph to 1225 degrees and hold for 5 minutes
- Ramp down AFAP to 1150 degrees and hold 15 minutes
- Turn kiln off
Here are some of the pendants I made. The gold stayed nice and bright. The only thing I would change next time is to use gold bails. All I had in my stock was silver. Personally, I don’t mind the two-tone look, but traditionalists will. Now if only someone made silver decals, that would make me really happy!
I like the results of your gold decal pendants. They seem to be just on fusable colored glass, like Bullesye, and no dichroic. But the results are very nice. I’m going to try some. Your firing schedule seems as if your ramp up fast.
Thanks! With small pieces like this you can ramp up fairly quickly.
it this Farenheit OR Celcius?
Fahrenheit. Good point Deby need to go back and put that in.