Create Your Own Glass

Fused glass platter

Have you ever wanted to make your own fused glass platter, dish or wall piece? I offer individual tuition at my studio in Silsden, West Yorkshire to enable you to make a stunning piece of glass to your own design. 

Glass plate after the first firing

I design, cut and clean all my glass prior to placing it on the kiln shelf for fusing. Most of my glass goes through 2 days of kiln firing (coasters up to four) to achieve the finish that I like - a slightly raised design but all edges are well rounded.

Glass plate on platter slump mould

Once the glass is fully fired it is washed to remove any resideue of kiln wash and then placed onto a ceramic slump mould. The piece is then fired at a lower and slower rate so that it slumps down into the mould and takes the shape of the platter. This is always the exciting bit - opening the kiln to see the finished dish. Some glass fusers will grind the edges of the dish and refire it to "polish" the edges but if your firing schedule is slow enough this isn't necessary.

Slumped platter stll in the mould

If you would like to visit the Glassprimitif studio and make a large glass platter or wall piece you can contact me HERE. No previous experience of glass fusing is necessary and all materials are provided and refreshments too (but bring a packed lunch).

£150 full day - 10am to 5pm

My Poor Thumb!

Working with glass is very hard on my hands because the processes involve handling, cutting, grinding and washing glass, not to mention the exposure to harsh chemicals and sharp objects.

Last Sunday was particularly bad for my thumb which I managed to cut, embed a small piece of glass, burn on the iron and super glue to my forefinger! I suppose these would be classed as industrial injuries but, for me, this is just part of being a glass artist.  There are plenty of hazards with glass and it is wise to have a healthy respect for the materials. Acid etch paste is particularly toxic and powdered kiln wash should not be inhaled. Then there's the possibility of ground glass being  ingested and sheet glass severing arteries (!) but these are the worse case scenarios. 

Although there is only one person with access to my studio (me) I still keep a stock of plasters and some eye wash to hand. I always make it a policy to wear work boots, never bare feet, slippers or open toe sandals and only handle large sheets of glass wearing cotton gloves. But, even though I rigorously brush my work mat down after cutting glass, there are still occasional small shards that stick to my palms. The annoying thing about cutting myself is that I have to stop what I'm doing to dress the cut and clean up the blood but at least I can't damage my work.


I'll always remember what my quilting friends would say when I pricked my finger with a needle - "don't get blood on the quilt"! Very sympathetic....

Ready to Go

My parents are coming for a visit so I have pepared a week's fusing in advance. Hopefully, I will be able to fuse each day even though I can't devote much time to working in the studio. All this beautiful Bullseye glass was bought from http://warm-glass.co.uk