Marias for Implosions

[jesnbec73]

I am having some serious bouts of insomnia lately, was sitting here thinking about some ideas for marbles to do maybe tomorrow and an idea hit me...
Has anybody ever tried to fuse their marias in a kiln before making a marble out of it? Instead of trying to get your dots and stringers on it in the torch, maybe laying them out on a disk and tacking them in the kiln would enable one to get things arranged maybe even perfectly, or at least symmetrical. It's really tough, especially with soft glass, to get everything lined up neatly. Of course one would need to make fairly thick disks and pick them up on a punty dead centered to pull it off, but if you could, you could make some amazingly accurate implosions that way.

https://www.glacialartglass.com/cdn/...g?v=1703098759
I couldn't find any 104 disks, but these were 96 I think. Damnit, why is all the cool stuff 96? Anybody already doing this, if so how did it turn out? I have very little experience with kiln forming much, which adhesives, if any, burn off completely clear? Anybody know where to get 104 disks that thick?
Feel free to mock me if it's already a common practice, I don't get out much LOL

[kevingreenbmx]

I have never done anything like that for torch implosions, but I have used that basic technique for making blanks to be picked up and blown out in the hot shop. Kiln fuse huge thick disks, then pick them up on a plunger punty in the hot shot and shape them from a disk into a nice bubble. I've always blown them out from there, but there's no reason they couldn't be condensed down to solid instead.

[jesnbec73]

Originally Posted by kevingreenbmx

I have never done anything like that for torch implosions, but I have used that basic technique for making blanks to be picked up and blown out in the hot shop. Kiln fuse huge thick disks, then pick them up on a plunger punty in the hot shot and shape them from a disk into a nice bubble. I've always blown them out from there, but there's no reason they couldn't be condensed down to solid instead.

I spent a couple of hours last night trying to find any pre-made disks in 104 and couldn't find anything suitable. There's plenty of round dams though, but that would require two firings for this idea to work. Sheet glass is so expensive that rules that out... If anybody has ties to 'Big Glass' maybe mention this to them, heck I'd be good for several dozen of them provided they were thick enough. Maybe I just need to switch over to 96 and buy that place out LOL

[kevingreenbmx]

Building a furnace, batching your own glass, and making sheet is always an option! I'm sure there are at least a couple people who would make use of 104 sheet glass if it was available.

[jesnbec73]

Originally Posted by kevingreenbmx

Building a furnace, batching your own glass, and making sheet is always an option! I'm sure there are at least a couple people who would make use of 104 sheet glass if it was available.

I'm talking to a glass manufacturer now about maybe doing a sample run of 104 disks, would any of you guys be interested in some as well? If I can drum up enough interest in them we might be able to get a few and try this out.
Anyone know of an adhesive that burns off completely and won't scum up some clear?

[kevingreenbmx]

Originally Posted by jesnbec73

I'm talking to a glass manufacturer now about maybe doing a sample run of 104 disks, would any of you guys be interested in some as well? If I can drum up enough interest in them we might be able to get a few and try this out.
Anyone know of an adhesive that burns off completely and won't scum up some clear?

What do you need adhesive for?

[KJohn]

a lot of folks use Elmers glue but depends on your application of course

Sounds interesting. I have seen flat strips of 104 clear at Devardi, so best guess as to the clarity but would something like that work? I haven't seen the 96 discs are those used for marbles?

[jesnbec73]

Originally Posted by kevingreenbmx

What do you need adhesive for?

For fixing the dots and stringers into place on the marias and then tacking them. The idea is to make a prearranged maria for implosion marbles so that it comes out ideally symmetrical and perfectly placed, my hands aren't as steady as they used to be for one thing, plus things tend to roll around, especially dots and small pieces. The glass guy suggested 'Glass tac', never used it but he says it burns off completely.

[jesnbec73]

Originally Posted by KJohn

a lot of folks use Elmers glue but depends on your application of course

Sounds interesting. I have seen flat strips of 104 clear at Devardi, so best guess as to the clarity but would something like that work? I haven't seen the 96 discs are those used for marbles?

I think they are usually for fusing, the maria thing popped into my head and I thought man, how awesome it would be to be able to pre-fire a perfectly placed maria. I may have to get some 96 or 90 rods just to try this idea out, if it works like I think it will, florals and implosion marbles out of my studio are about to get a huge upgrade.

[kevingreenbmx]

if it's just for holding things in place while moving from the bench to the kiln, then the same stuff used for enameling should work: https://thompsonenamel.com/product-c...-mixing-media/

of those, I have used the following with good results (in order of viscosity, thinnest to thickest):

A-1 Klyr-Fire™ (water base)
A-3 Enamel Holding Agent (water base)
Blu-Stic (Blu-1)