NO Days ThinFuse Adhesive Fused Glass Mosaics:
This technique has been developed over time with the help of two special people: Diane Sepanski, who had the original idea and Mary Beth Maddox, who helped define the new process. The advantage of using No Days Thin Fuse Adhesive is that it eliminates one glass firing. Prior to the advent of No Days Thin Fuse Adhesive, the colored tile pieces would be laid on the background glass, then the piece would be tack-fused. This would enable the artist to apply the glass grout without having the grout seep under the colored tiles. Now the pieces can be heat set with the adhesive, allowed to cool, then glass grout applied without the extra kiln firing.
1) Start with a base glass, usually clear or white. We use System 96 exclusively and like the transparent glass for the mosaics.
2) Cut a piece of No Days Thin Fuse Adhesive the same size as your base glass.
3) Clean your glass thoroughly, and then add the No Days Thin Fuse Adhesive.
4) Now, you get to be creative. Add your colored pieces of glass to create your design. Clean them, and then place them on top of the base glass and adhesive. Be sure to leave about 1/32" space in between the pieces to leave room for your "grout".
5) When you have completed your design, use a Streuter Technologies Heat Gun to heat the colored glass and adhesive so they become adhered to the base glass. You can do this in stages, but use a piece of cardboard as a heat shield so that you don't melt the adhesive where there is no top layer of glass. Because this adhesive is only 1 mil thick it will disappear or curl if heated too much before there is glass on top to weigh it down.
6) The last step is to grout it with fine frit. Most of the time we use black. Using a spoon, liberally apply the frit to the glass. Then, using a piece of tagboard, or business card, scrape across the glass to help seat the frit between the tiles and eliminate most of it from the top of the tiles. If you want the frit to stay on the outside edges, you can add a drop of NO Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive. This will stop the frit from falling off the glass onto your kiln shelf.
7) Now for the fun. Taking a small paint brush, sweep any frit off the top of the tiles into the grout seam.
8) You are now ready to fire your glass.
Firing Schedule:
Rate/Temp/Hold
400/1000/15
Place a small kiln post to hold the lid open to allow the adhesive to burnout.
You should not be able to see any black residue, then close the kiln.
Note: if you are using large pieces of glass change the temperature to 1200 and
hold for 30 minutes to squeeze out any air between the pieces of glass.
1000/1375/7
9999/1000/8
300/960/20
200/800/0
400/120/0
To Slump:
400/1225/5
9999/1000/8
300/960/20
200/800/0
400/120/0
Vicki Day and Nola Cabral are the owners of The Stained Glass Shop in Glendale, Arizona. In 2001, The Stained Glass Shop moved into a space designed and built to their specifications to enable them to provide more warm glass classes. Although the shop was just across the street from the old location they had more retail space as well as a better-designed teaching area. They also had the capability of running three - 220V kilns and six - 8" kilns all at the same time. When teaching some techniques they need all that fire power!
The Stained Glass Shop is a full-service retail store. The shop provides glass, supplies and a large variety of classes in both, traditional lead and copper foil, beginning fusing and specialty fusing, mosaics, precious metal clay, wire working, silver jewelry techniques and much more. Visit us at www.stainedglass-shop.com.
