Fusers Guide to Frit – 5 Sizes, Limitless Possibilities

Frit is your friend! 

Fusing glass is amazing. We fusers cut glass and super heat it to make cool designs all our own. Solid colors make bold projects, but once you start playing with frit and see all the new and exciting possibilities, you’ll be eager to add this small material to all your big projects.    

Frit is crushed fusible glass. Oceanside 96 frit comes in 5 grain sizes: powder, fine, medium, course and mosaic. Each size is available in 8.5 oz. and 4 lb. jars. Each frit size has unique visual characteristics that you can push to ramp up your fused glass projects. Let’s go over the many possibilities one size at a time. 

Powder

Powder has the silky consistency of confectioners’ sugar. It appears smooth and has uniform color coverage after fusing. Powders can be used as filler between cut glass pieces, to add shading, to add patterns and even as a repair tool. I use powder when I want super strong color saturation along with multiple color blends. 

Shere Power is a great example. Wherever I wanted tight control over my line quality and solid color saturation, I used cut glass to represent the design. The cut glass was fixed to a clear base glass with fuser’s glue. The glue keeps the pieces from moving when applying the frit. Once the glue was dry, I poured powder frit between the pieces and blended the colors with a wide, dry paint brush and a palate knife. The blended powders give the art a beautiful painterly quality that dramatically contrasts the solid color fields surrounding it. 

Other fun uses include using powder to add shadows to a solid base color. Apply medium and dark green powder on top of light green glass to add shading to your design. Or sift the powder over a stencil to add a crisp and intricate pattern to your project.

One of my favorite uses for powder is to fill inconvenient gaps between my cut glass pieces. Think of it like grouting tile. It’s easy and affective. Work a small amount of powder into the gaps with a narrow paint brush. For added pop, use a bright color that contrasts your design’s color palate.    

Powder Pros: It’s fast and easy to create subtle or dramatic color blends that support your specific creative vision. Adding shading and pattern is a snap.     

Powder Cons: Cleanup is time consuming. The powder requires meticulous cleanup to ensure the surrounding solid glass color isn’t muddied. After removing any excess power with a brush, I go over the surface of the glass with the corner of a damp towel or a damp Q-tip depending upon the size of the surface area being cleaned.  

Tips for working with powder

·       Don’t be skimpy when you use powder frit. For bright vivid colors, it’s necessary to fill the space between your cut glass pieces to the top edge, in effect making the frit 1/8 inch thick.  

·       Be daring and use high contrast colors, they display better in the finished piece. 

·       Opal glass colors tend to give a more dramatic effect than transparent colors.  

·       Know your glass colors. Powder frit specifically, looks lighter in the jar than the actual glass color. Light blue and dark blue look the same just as transparent light green and opal dark green look the same. If you’re not sure of the intensity or opacity of a powder, look at a larger size frit like, medium or course. Or find a piece of sheet glass with the same color code number, compare it to the frit and the frit color and shade will be obvious.  

  

·       Powder in high concentration, like in a casting mold, looks milky after fusing. If you want to use powder in a mold, layer it with clear in medium, course or mosaic size frit. Using this technique will improve the transparency of the cast glass project. 

Fine Frit 

Fine frit has the consistency of granulated sugar. It appears grainy, like small uniform dots after fusing. Like powder, fine can be used to fill gaps between cut pieces of glass. The larger grain size makes it faster and easier to clean up than powder. Fine is also great for shading when you want a slight textural look to the shadows.

Fine Pros: Cleanup is fast and easy. In the same application, it takes less material to do the same job with fine than it does with powder. Fine is a great filler to use between larger frit. It gives you complete color coverage and prevents the base glass from peeking through. 

Fine Cons: Color blends within this same size have a grainy appearance after fusing.   

Tips for working with Fine 

·       Use both transparent and opal glasses together for greater visual depth and to create shading.   

·       Use fine frit together with other frit sizes to produce visual textures. 

Medium Frit

Medium frit has the texture of course sand. When fused, medium frit retains the sand-like visual appearance. I use this size frit when I want to fill in larger areas with strong color quickly. It can also be used to create shading and color blends provided you welcome variations in the coverage as provided by how much frit or how little frit is applied. 

Medium Pros:  Medium frit provides you with quick, easy coverage of large areas with strong color saturation.

Medium Cons: This frit has a grainy look and the base glass may peek through the frit unless your layer is thick. 

Tips for working with Medium

·       Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to create shading.   

·       Use medium and fine frit together for new color blends and to add visual texture. 

Course Frit

Course frit has the consistency of small pebbles. The pebble look remains after fusing. This frit is great for filling large areas where you want visual texture to contrast solid fields elsewhere in the project. 

Course Pros: Course frit covers a lot of area fast and it leaves an appealing pattern behind after firing.

Course Cons: The base glass will be visible between this larger size grain. I fill in around course with both medium and fine frit to intensify the color and hide the base. 

Tips for working with Course 

·       Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to create shading.   

·       Use fine and medium frit together with course to produce pleasing textures. 

Mosaic Frit

Mosaic has a wide variety of glass shapes and sizes within the jar. This frit leaves a vein-like impression after fusing. I use mosaic when I have a lot of space to fill and when I want to create an organic pattern.  

Tips for working with Mosaic

·       Clear glass layered on top of a color dilutes the color below. It’s like adding water to paint. I like to put clear mosaic pieces on top of select elements in my work to create subtle, lighter variations in the original glass color.  

·       During assembly, glue the mosaic pieces down with fusers glue so they don’t move when you fill in the spaces in between. 

·       Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to build interest.    

·       Use fine, medium and course frit to fill gaps and produce interesting color combinations and exciting textures. 

Put it all Together 

Frit is a terrific medium for making landscapes or other images where you want to create an engaging depth of field. In nature, objects in the distance are lighter in color, and they visually have less detail. When making landscapes, I use the different frit sizes to emphasize those subtle differences. 

I use powder to render the sky because I can get smooth, gradual color changes. I use fine frit to create the tree line and other filler foliage in the distance. The grain size stands out in front of the powder and yet doesn’t compete with the foreground. Medium frit works well for the mid-range elements that require more intricate detail, like bushes or flowers. Course frit is well suited for objects in the foreground, such as flowering plants or sweeping trees.

These design elements carry more visual weight and tie the design together. Mosaic frit is great for specific up-close subject matter like a path or bridge. Such solid, recognizable focal points lure the viewer into the design. 

Oceanside 96 frit comes packed in 8.5 oz. and 4 lb. jars. For the larger sizes like course and mosaic you may consider crushing your own frit. The advantage to working from the jars though, is you have uniform sizes within the jars and one single color throughout. Plus, there’s no risk of contaminants like dirt or metal shavings that are present when you crush your own glass. Personally, I prefer to jump right into the design and fabrication phases rather than spend time swinging a hammer and sifting glass.  

I hope this round-up entices you to start incorporating frit in your new work. It’s such a versatile and easy to apply material. You’ll love the creative flexibility if affords.

Want to learn more? Join me and I’ll show you how to work with frit in a hands-on class, Painting with Frit, at Glass Craft Expo in April. The class registration info is below. 

Get going!

Happy fusing!
Lisa  

Follow my blog for more tips and tricks! 

Artist Website www.LisaVogt.net
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOifd7wukk
Facebook www.Facebook.com/LisaJVogt

Author Website https://lisajvogtcom.wordpress.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/lisajvogt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lvogt_originalsinglass/

Let’s Get Together and Fuse Glass!

Glass Craft and Bead Expo

Las Vegas, NV, April 3-7, 2019

Register today class size is limited.  

https://www.glasscraftexpo.com/instructor-list.php?search=lisa%20vogt#7

 

TH-08 - Painting with Frit 

NEW SU-01 - Gallery Quality Fused Glass Made Easy

Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar

It’s LIVE! I come to YOU!

April 11, 2019

https://www.glasspatterns.com/en/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/product/1211-fusing-for-the-adventurous-with-lisa-vogt-april-11-2019.html

Get ready to push boundaries, challenge trusted techniques and enjoy the thrill of limitless possibilities. Join me in this comprehensive hands-on webinar and learn how easily you can put tried and true methods to use in unlikely, innovative ways to create original art.

You’ll learn how to successfully employ different techniques to produce dramatic effects and take your work to an exciting, new level of sophistication.

Beginner and advanced fusers alike will find inspiration, motivation and renewed artistic freedom from the combination of techniques shown. In addition, you’ll receive a detailed outline with project specific guidelines and Lisa’s custom firing guides.

Armed with your newfound skills, you’ll be eager to experiment and incorporate these techniques to turn your creative visions into reality. You’ll have the burning desire, and the cool confidence, to take your passion to greater heights.

Learn at home at your own pace. Instructional Videos are here!

Available here: http://www.lisavogt.net/shop.aspx?id=40

Check out my writer’s website.

Lisa J. Vogt

  

Crack the Case –Your Guide to What Went Wrong Inside Your Kiln

Mystery and magic attract us to glass fusing. It’s the mystery of making something new and the magic of melting materials that hook us. I’ve asked numerous students, and most admit that opening the kiln after firing is their favorite part of fusing glass. We look forward to it with the same childhood glee we have when opening a crisply wrapped gift. 

When the project comes out as expected, or sometimes even better, angels sing, unicorns exist and a rainbow glows brightly over your studio. On the rare occasion that the project doesn’t come out well, our disappointment is heartbreaking. We ask why, what was different, where did I go wrong? We rack our brains looking for answers. 

All the while, the answer is right there in front of you. 

You just have to recognize what your broken glass is telling you. 

Let’s take a simple project and break it. Our sample project is made of two full layers of glass, plus an accent layer. The base layer is clear, and the second layer is a pretty purple and the third, partial or accent layer is a pattern glass with hints of purple.

To better understand why glass breaks, let’s do a little review. 

There are two basic stages to the firing process: heating and cooling. During heating we take the kiln from room temperature to 1200° - 1500°, depending on the type of fused effect we want. Glass is sensitive to temperature change between room temperature and 1000°. To avoid thermal shock, which is breakage due to rapid temperature change, we heat the glass slowly from room temperature until we reach 1000°.  

Over 1000° we can heat the glass quickly to the desired temperature. At 1265°, the glass will slump and take on the shape of a mold. At 1365° glass sticks together, otherwise referred to as tack-fuse. At 1465°, the glass will completely melt into one smooth piece. This is considered a full fuse. (These are System 96® temperatures.) 

Once we have the desired effect, we cool the glass. The process of heating the glass causes stress within the project. We relieve the stress by holding the glass at an annealing temperature for a period of time. This allows the glass in the project to equalize at that temperature. (The System 96® annealing temperature is 950-960°.) 

After fusing, during the cooling phase, the glass is sensitive to temperature change from 1000° down to room temperature. And the project now has greater value because it’s almost done. To avoid breakage due to thermal shock, after the annealing hold, we slowly cool the glass down to room temperature. 

Read between the lines. 

Heating Breaks

This is an example of what a break would look like if the glass is heated too quickly. The clear base layer and the purple layer broke in two on the way up. They’re visibly separated on the kiln shelf. Yet the accent layer bridges the crack and the project is indeed fused and held together by the accent layer. Layers one and two break because they are larger and therefore have more mass. The greater mass is more sensitive to rapid heat. The accent layer is smaller, less mass and therefore remains intact. A break like this happens inside the kiln. This is a prime example of breakage due to heating the glass too quickly. 

It’s possible to break the project apart and refuse it slower, but the finished product will likely be different from the original design.      

The fix: slow down. Heat the glass at a slower rate. I heat projects from 4” coaster size to 12” bowls at a rate of 300° per hour with dependable success.  

Cooling Breaks  

An annealing fracture has a very specific look. It has a tight curve that rolls into a broad gradual curve. (It almost looks like a smile, but not one that any of us would look forward to seeing.) The broad curve is followed by another tight curve. In my experience, the break usually runs vertically through the project. The glass pieces have been fused together and the break is clean through all three layers. The two broken pieces are generally separated by a sizable gap. The gap is evidence of the internal stress in the fused glass. An annealing break can occur inside the kiln or weeks later. This type of break is the result of rushing the annealing time, peeking into a hot kiln or from opening the kiln too early and chilling the glass. 

You can re-fire the broken glass and re-anneal it, but the finished project may have a visible scar where the glass was broken. You can add frit or extra accent pieces to hide the seam. 
The annealing temperature for any specific family of fusible material is constant. The length of time a specific project needs to be held at that temperature is determined by the size of the project and the number of glass layers used to make the project.  A large project, like a 12” bowl, will require a longer anneal time then small project like a 1” pendant. 

The fix: consult the glass manufacture’s firing guides and be sure to include the appropriate annealing temp and time in your firing schedule. Here’s the hard part. Don’t peek! Or open the kiln below 1000° until it is at room temperature. I anneal projects that are 12” is size or smaller, made with two layers of glass plus an accent, like the example here at 960° for 40 minutes. 

Incompatibility Breaks 

Compatibility breaks are really upsetting because they’re so easily avoided. We do our best to sort and organize our glass by COE, but sometimes a mix-up results in a mystery break. Knowing what to look for can save you from having any future accidents. 

C.O.E. (Coefficient of Expansion) this refers to the rate at which glass expands and contracts when heated and cooled. Fusing compatible glass has been formulated, manufactured and tested for compatibility. All the glass in a single project must be of the same C.O.E. so they expand and contract at the same rate during firing. If they are not, stress cracks or breakage will result. 

A glass incompatibility break usually has more than one crack and it often happens a short time after the fused glass comes out of the kiln. The materials literally repel each other and so the broken pieces are angular and sharp. 

The fix: Pay close attention to the manufactures labels, store materials by C.O.E., clearly mark scrap and work with only one family of fusing compatible products at a time. Don’t trust that materials given to you are compatible unless they’re marked as such. 

Refusing the glass is not an option. But if you want to feel better, take a hammer to the project. Then use the pieces to make a mosaic or to line the bottom of a fish tank. 

The Dreaded Hole         

The dreaded hole in the project is caused by heating the glass to fast while firing on a very smooth surface like a primed ceramic self or Thin Fire fiber paper. As the glass is heated the perimeter of the project becomes soft first. It seals to the shelf like a suction cup. The air trapped under the glass expands as it’s heated and pushes up on the glass forming a bubble. The glass bubble becomes thin, it pops and heals over at the full fuse temperature. 

You can fill the hole and refuse the glass; however a blemish will be visible in the new piece. If your design is organic the new detail may add interest. But if your pattern is pictorial, and unless the hole is perfectly located to represent the sun, not so much. 

The fix: add a segment to your firing schedule. In the heating phase of my firing schedule I have a hold at 1300 ° for 60 minutes. Holding at this temperature softens the glass in the entire project uniformly. This extra step is well worth the wait as it eliminates inconvenient eruptions and those nasty holes. 

Heart-breaks 

 
Fortunately, the fusing spirits grant me many successes and very few mishaps. But every so often, no matter how hard I work, through no fault of my own, a single project or piece seems destined to failure. My general rule it to try to rework or salvage a failed project once and on special rare occasions twice. If at that point I’m not happy with my results I abandon the piece and start over from scratch. Hard earned experience has taught me, additional efforts are a waste of time and resources. My best advice when that happens is, let it go. 

Here’s a quick example. I was building a huge 12 foot by 16 foot wall sculpture with 14 fused glass circles ranging in size from 12 inch to 48 inch across. All of the glass was special ordered from Uroboros. It came in a single crate. Five of the circles were made with the same color glass. All of the pieces were fired in the same kiln using the same firing program. 

For some unknown reason, one of the five circles broke into two pieces after fusing. It cracked as neatly as an egg. No problem, I re-fired the two broken pieces onto a new, single piece of clear. I opened my big clamshell kiln, when it was at room temperature, the re-fired glass looked great. Happy with the result, I went back to my worktable a few feet away. 

It never happened before and hasn’t happened since. I was alone in the studio, just me and my glass. 

Out of nowhere, the lid on the clamshell came crashing down. I rushed over to the kiln and opened the lid. No big surprise, the fused glass circle was broken and in two neat pieces again. Dam isn’t the only word I used. My rapid fire expletives would’ve made a sailor blush. 

I got even by dumping the incontrollable pieces in the trash. Nope, I didn’t even trust them in a smaller project. Bye, bye! I made a totally new circle and it’s still intact ten years later. 

With luck, this is the first time you’ve been introduced to these various ways that glass can misbehave. Hopefully, you’re now armed with the knowledge to avoid such disappointment. 
You can confidently explore more in-depth techniques and more advanced projects. 

But for added safekeeping, before closing the lid on my kiln I blow kisses to my darlings. You might try it.

Happy Fusing!
Lisa

Follow my blog for more tips and tricks! 

Artist Website www.LisaVogt.net
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOifd7wukk
Facebook www.Facebook.com/LisaJVogt

Author Website https://lisajvogtcom.wordpress.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/lisajvogt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lvogt_originalsinglass/

VEGAS BABY! Let’s get fired up?

Glass Craft & Bead Expo, Las Vegas, NV

April 3-7, 2019

Join me for an exciting week of fun and fusing! There's still room in my Painting with Frit and Gallery Quality Fused Glass Made Easy classes. 

Register here today!  

https://www.glasscraftexpo.com/instructor-list.php?search=lisa%20vogt#7

WE-16 - Fired Up! Fusing for the Adventurous - SOLD OUT

TH-08 - Painting with Frit - Register today! This favorite class will sell out!

Strong line quality and solid color saturation are powerful design tools glass fusers take advantage of to create eye popping art. Now combine these tried methods with the gradient blends and soft washes achieved through painting with frit and you can push your work from ordinary to extraordinary. I’ll show you, through demonstration and hands-on exercises, the many methods I employs to make dynamic effects with the application of glass frit and powders.

Each student will complete several projects and leave class with a renewed appreciation for the infinite artistic possibilities glass fusing offers. You'll immediately be able to apply your new-found talent for painting, shading and blending to create full bodied works of art just like the great masters.

FR-18 - Breaking Through – Making Exhibition Quality Art - SOLD OUT

NEW SA-22 - Sculptural Fused Glass Art – SOLD OUT

NEW SU-01 - Gallery Quality Fused Glass Made Easy - Register today! This new class will sell out!

This is the absolute best time investment you can make to advance the sophistication of your fused glass artwork. 

Whatever your artistic goal, the deeper understanding of design gained from this workshop will drastically expand your artistic potential. Outstanding artwork is within your reach!  

YOU CAN design elegant, thought provoking, sculptural pieces of fine art. In this quick-start class I’ll reveal simple, fine art design guides you can use immediately to ramp up the visual impact and desirability of your glass work. 

Elevate your work from “craft” to the threshold of “fine art.” Through lecture and demonstration, I’ll share valuable design practices I use to transform basic designs into powerful compositions. You'll see how innovative art is developed from concept through design to fabrication. Learn how scale and contrast influence balance and how glass selection sways visual flow. You'll be shown how to exploit these fundamentals and apply them in two and three-dimensional approaches to fused glass art. See step-by-step how to draw designs free-hand with a pencil on paper as well as digitally. You’ll put these design essentials to practice during hands-on, no drawing experience needed, skill-building exercises. 

Experienced artists and beginners alike will gain sharpened insight into key qualities that’ll make your artwork unforgettable. 

Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar

April 11, 2019

https://www.glasspatterns.com/en/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/product/1211-fusing-for-the-adventurous-with-lisa-vogt-april-11-2019.html

Get ready to push boundaries, challenge trusted techniques and enjoy the thrill of limitless possibilities. Join me in this comprehensive hands-on webinar and learn how easily you can put tried and true methods to use in unlikely, innovative ways to create original art.

You’ll learn how to successfully employ different techniques to produce dramatic effects and take your work to an exciting, new level of sophistication.

Beginner and advanced fusers alike will find inspiration, motivation and renewed artistic freedom from the combination of techniques shown. In addition, you’ll receive a detailed outline with project specific guidelines and my custom firing guides.

Armed with your newfound skills, you’ll be eager to experiment and incorporate these techniques to turn your creative visions into reality. You’ll have the burning desire, and the cool confidence, to take your passion to greater heights.

Learn at home at your own pace. Instructional Videos are here!

Available here: http://www.lisavogt.net/shop.aspx?id=40

Check out my writer’s website.

Lisa J. Vogt