Glass Stuck to Element

First consideration you need to think about when you discover glass stuck to an element is the nature of the metal of the elements.  Once fired, kiln elements become brittle.  This means that they are likely to break if disturbed when cold.  So, you need to make sure you absolutely must do something to rescue the kiln.  It may be that you can just leave the stuck glass alone.  Where the glass is, and how much of it, is stuck to the elements is important when considering what to do.

Where

This brittleness of the elements means that the location of the glass in relation to your firings needs to be considered.  If the glass is on an element below your normal firing position, you can think about just leaving it.  This applies to glass stuck to the side elements too, unless you are in the habit of firing very close to the side elements. The heating elements of the kiln form an external layer of oxidisation that protects the inner metal.  This means that small amounts of glass will not affect the operation of the elements, nor your future pieces.

If the glass is stuck to top elements, you are likely to be more concerned about future drips of the glass onto your future work.  The glass is not likely to become hot enough to detach or drip onto your work except at extended full fuse or casting temperatures.  This means that you can observe the progress of any possible drip at each firing and only remove the glass when it begins to begin to hang down from the element.

How Bad

How much glass is stuck to the element?  Normally, if it is only a small amount, it can be left.  Ceramics kilns often have a bit of glaze (a glass carrier of the colour) stuck to the elements and continue to be fired for years without damage.

If there is a lot of glass stuck to the elements you will need to remove most of it to avoid dripping onto future work. 

Methods of Removing

In most cases where there are significant amounts of glass stuck to the element, it is on the brick or fiber lining of the kiln too. 

My recommendation is to heat the glass just a few centimetres from where it is attached to the element. Use a hand-held blow torch to do this. When the glass is red hot - enough to begin moving - you can pull it away between the lining and the element with long handled tweezers.  Do not attempt to pull it off the element right away.  You can later chip the glass off the lining without damaging the element as the connection is separated.

As the element has begun to be warmed by the heat used to separate the glass on the lining and the element, you can continue to warm the element, moving the torch in a slow waving motion at least 10cm each side of the stuck glass.  When the glass and element are red hot, you can begin to pull the glass off with long handled tweezers, bit by bit.  Keep re-heating the element and glass as much as necessary so the temperature does not drop below cherry red.  This ensures the elements continue to be flexible and will not break.

Of course, glass can be melted onto its kiln furniture and there are different considerations for those circumstances.