Bubbles in glass

Traditionally two other ways are available:

1 rippled ^^^ or wavesurface ~~~~ glass. If you align the patterrns to right angle, air is trapped between the folds and when full fused, forms a regular pattern of bubbles.

2 You may also drill half depth pits to glass and fuse another on top. This way you have conttrol over the number, position and size of bubbles.

-lauri

I've used a small diamond engraving point to make bubbles in fused float. Just carve a hemispherical hole about twice the diameter you want your bubble to be, lay another piece of glass on top, and fuse. Of course, you'll want to observe the usual cautions about keeping the work wet, not using electricity and water in close proximity, and so on. See a book on glass engraving for suggested setups. I haven't tried it with the more textured art glasses, but I wouldn't expect significantly different results.

For patterns of air bubbles, some people use clear stringer laid in a grid pattern between two pieces of glass. After it reaches slumping temp, the stringer grid collapses to form a bunch of cells, each of which traps a bubble of air. Presumably you could do more freeform patterns of bubbles, too, with patience.

artists

fused glass.

(Na2CO3).

glass.

glass?

J.:

Another approach would be to use a reciprocating scribe like the fairly powerful Chicago Pneumatic or the lighter duty Aro to stipple the glass surface in a random or patterned fashion before a subsequent glass overlay. As well, it would likely not be difficult to contrive a blasting unit that would discharge a spray of larger grit particles of silicon carbide that would leave pits in a fashion similar to a shotgun blast which could then be treated as above.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

This analogous with the methods used to get "air twist" stems, except that the depressions are introduced in semi-molten glass. If regular bubbles are needed, a matrix of dimples can be ground out, or a random array.

Fusing ought to fire polish the surface of the dimpled layer.