How To Use Glass Frit Powder

Bullseye (Exist) powders are null more than fusible sheet glass ground into fine powder. I've done a lot of experimentation with them, and I want to share what I've learned with you in the course of some Do'due south and Don'ts.

I'll start beginning with the Don'ts so that you tin acquire from my mistakes and wasted efforts.

Don't expect Bullseye powders to act like enamels when fused. You lot can't just sift a lite layer on and wait rich color to upshot; in fact, full-fusing a very thin layer of most Be powders just makes them disappear. This applies to fifty-fifty many of the "opaque" opals. Withal, you tin go interesting composite color effects by adding boosted layers of powders over the grade of multiple firings.

Don't hesitate to sift, compression, or milkshake on a generous amount of powders. Bullseye techs say that if you want your BE powder to look like sheet glass of the same colour, you take to pile on a layer thicker than sail glass in order to brand upwardly for the air spaces in between the particles of powder. So, to get the same color richness of a 3mm sheet of Exist glass, you have to pile upward 4mm of pulverization. Call up that you can add boosted interest and texture by moving the powders around with brushes or silicone Colour Shapers.

Don't presume that a channel of glass powder (or even frit) is strong enough on its own to hold together two next pieces of drinking glass. Yes, powder can assist fill gaps where two pieces don't fit exactly flush together, simply if yous want to make a piece that will last, add together a second solid layer above or below. And remember that your strength ever lies with precision cutting and plumbing equipment; don't wait powders or frit to "span" nearby components and "gum" them together without a solid base of operations or cover layer.

Don't expect clear glass powder to stay articulate. Different other BE glass powders where piling on a thicker layer results in a richer color, piling upwardly clear powder results in a milky whitish layer. Why is this? Bullseye techs explicate that air bubbling become defenseless in between the particles of clear glass powder, and result in and so the thicker the layer, the milkier information technology becomes.
apply clear powder thinly to avoid a milky effect

To avoid this, but brand sure your application layer of articulate pulverization is very thin.

Now that you've heard the don'ts, y'all're free to explore all the slap-up things that you Tin can attain using Bullseye powders:

Do try Bullseye'due south "strongest" powders for image and pattern cosmos--the black opals and the aventurines.

In my opinion, the most versatile Be powder is black opal (BE-00100). It can exist practical thick or thin and volition retain its distinctiveness and granularity on contrasting colour sheet glass. It also will hold a pattern and texture when manipulated with brushes, palette knives, or the silicone Colour Shapers constitute on our Glass Art Tools website.

Exercise sift a sparse layer of black opal powder over whatsoever black sheet glass in your piece: After a full fuse, the glass will be a glossy patent-leather black that covers whatsoever imperfections in the glass sheet. Merely exist sure to employ a brush or our mini vacuum cleaner to remove any devious particles from edges or anywhere else they don't belong, or they'll bear witness up after fusing.

Do consider experimenting with Potent Black Opal (Be-000101) accessory spectacles—both powders and stringer. Potent Black gets is name because it is more resistant to the rut of the kiln than regular black opal. This is great for stringers: Bullseye's .5mm Stiff Black Opal stringers retain their straightness and won't wiggle around in a full use the style that regular black opal stringers tin.
stringers of stiff black opal keep their shape

Stiff Black Opal powder might exist the way to go if you actually want to retain the definition of every grain, although information technology volition alloy perfectly into black background drinking glass during a total fuse. All the same, be prepared: Stiff Blackness Opal on the surface of your plate or bowl might make it have surprisingly longer to slump. Being "stiff," it resists bending! And then watch your glass carefully and expect to take it at least 10 degrees hotter and perhaps agree it longer than usual in society to get your perfect slump.

Practice try Bullseye Aventurine Blue (BE-001140) and Light Aventurine Green (BE-001412), Bullseye powders that combine color, sparkle, and more definition than regular transparent powders. I especially similar Light Aventurine Green powder considering it can be applied more thinly and manipulated like blackness, simply information technology shows up amend against darker background spectacles.

Do cull Opaque White (Be-000013) instead of regular White Opal (BE-000113) because, according to my tests, Opaque White seems to concord its definition better under higher temperatures. Information technology shows up best when tack-fused as opposed to full-fused.

Do try playing with a combination of coarse frit and pulverization: I've found, at to the lowest degree with transparent colors, that when they are contained together in one area, they create a mosaic effect after fusing.

Do consider texture-fusing powders. Hither's a photo of a function-sheet that I made using powders and clear stringers:

When fired to a lower range, 1250-1320 degrees, powders retain their graininess and tin can be "piled" and manipulated to create a "bas relief" surface. And as long as y'all keep the temperatures within this range, you can re-fire your piece afterwards you've painted on additional colors, such as Reusche pigments mixed with Propylene Glycol. Chalks won't stick at this temperature range, though.

Do tack-fuse a thinly-sifted layer of pulverisation onto glass to provide a rough layer for applying chalks and paints.

Do aid foreclose air bubble formation by sifting a thin layer of powder in betwixt layers of drinking glass.

And then those are the bones Exercise'south and Don'ts that I've learned in working with Bullseye powders. My lesser line rules are:

opals tend to show up better than transparents
dark colors will bear witness up better against light backgrounds than light colors against dark
the thicker the pulverization layer, the more visible it volition be
additional layers (and multiple firings) will add depth and richness of color
always experiment on a smaller piece offset!

While our Glass Fine art Tools website doesn't sell drinking glass powders, y'all can hands obtain them from your local drinking glass dealer or directly from bullseyeglass.com. Annotation that they come up in a variety of sizes--I recommend starting with the smallest bottle and experimenting with it before y'all commit to purchasing a pound or more.

If you have any findings that I've missed that you think will be helpful to people, or if y'all have dissimilar experiences with a different make of glass powder, by all means, please share!