How to Use a Pot Melt Technique with Bullseye Glass
Bulls eye glass gets its name from the its typically round shape with a small round circle in the middle where the glass drops into place. This type of glass was originally used in windows though today it’s used more for decorative purposes. You can create bulls eye glass by using the pot melt technique. Essentially this process allows the glass to turn into liquid and drip through the bottom of a pot to create the round shape. This is a project that you can do at home as long as take precautions. Be sure to use the right tools.
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Things You'll Need
- Pot
- Screwdriver or Chisel
- Hammer
- Glass
- Mold
- Kiln Wash
- Thin Fire
- Kiln
- Protective Goggles
- Gloves
Instructions
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1
Make an opening in the bottom of your pot by holding a sharp object like a screw driver or chisel against the base. Pound it with a hammer. This creates a small puncture. You can expand and make it bigger by moving the object around and pounding it again.
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2
Pour your glass into the pot, being careful not to add too much glass at any one time. It might take you a few tests to learn exactly how much glass you need to add to the pot to make a specific project.
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3
Place a mold on a flat surface. You can use almost anything for the mold as long as it’s round to create the bull’s eye glass piece. Cover the mold with something known as kiln wash, which is available from craft stores.
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4
Put your glass in the kiln, adjusting the temperature until it’s hot enough to melt the glass. 600-900 degrees is a good rule of thumb, though you may find that your kiln requires a heat somewhere in the middle of that.
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Position your mold underneath the pot, putting it directly underneath the hole in the bottom of your pot. After 45-60 minutes turn off the kiln, and let the temperature drop down to 125 degrees or less before opening it. Make sure you wear protective goggles and heavy duty gloves to remove your bulls eye glass from the kiln because it will still be hot.
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Tips & Warnings
A smaller hole in the bottom of your pot means that the liquid will come out pretty slow so you might want to make the hole a little bigger than you think you need.
Using colored glass in your pot will result in bulls eye glass that is colored. After a little experience and trial and error you can make bulls eye glass that is several different colors.
Don’t make the hole in your pot too big because then the liquid glass might come out too fast for you to control, which can result in burning.
Use extreme caution when handling the hot glass to protect yourself against serious burns.
