Disguising Joints in Fusing

One advantage of fusing over leading or copper foiling is that shapes impossible to cut as a single piece can be made from multiple pieces. However these joints often show up in the finished work.

You are always more likely to have the joints show when the cut coloured glass is on the bottom. The infra-red heat of the kiln elements goes through the clear glass to the coloured below, allowing it to soften first. As the glass underneath softens and pulls in, it allows the top glass to sink into the space. Upon cooling the seam is kept open even sometimes showing a clear line at the joints.

Putting the clear as the base and the jointed pieces on the top has a better chance of having the joints fully fuse together. There is no glass above to spread the pieces apart.

When you need the joints to be concealed, you can put a line of powder the same colour of glass over the joint. This line should be slightly rounded above the surface along the joint to account for the reduction in volume as it fuses. When it is two colours meeting, using powder of the same colour as the darker glass is most successful.

Fusing to a contour fuse for 10 minutes is normally hot enough, but taking the piece to a flat fuse – again for 10 mins - will certainly be enough to fully melt the powder into the joint.