Have You Tried “Kiln Carving”?

“Kiln carving” is a technique that creates the appearance of carving but there is no actual carving done on the glass. The process involves cutting a pattern or design in ceramic fiber paper, then stacking glass on top of the pattern and firing the piece in a kiln. As the glass is fired, it settles into the spaces between the fiber pieces creating the carved look. The recesses and shaping are created using your knowledge of how kiln temperatures, gravity and time work to move and shape glass

The pieces can be both relatively simple or complicated and both can be quite striking. It is a great way to do colorful garden art. Hold time is important and depends on the type and number of layers of glass used. Irids can have a really beautiful effect when used with this process. Kiln carving is really a lot of fun to experiment with. These are also a great way to use up small scrap bits of color or dichro or dots.