Firing the Glass - Approximately 1500°F

Firing the vitreous enamel

Exact furnace temperatures, firing times, and volumes of glass are required to achieve stable glass layers on the copper.   A piece can be fired up to 40 times depending on the desired effect.

Each layer of the glass must be fired to bond it to the previous layers.

A layer is fired, removed from the furnace, cooled, and the next layer is applied. The piece is then carefully loaded on to the furnace loading mechanism and fired again.

Often, the hot glass and metal is manipulated while fresh out of the furnace and still hot enough to be malleable.