Big-Lipped Glassfish

Materials:

fusible stained glass in various colors
glasscutter
glass pliers
grinder
glass kiln
glass rods
glass stringers
glass grains
scrap metal pieces
welder
glass torch
welding rods
rust-preventing bronze spray paint
epoxy glue
safety glasses
permanent marker
welding safety gear, leather gloves
damp cloth
pan of water
candle
phone book

1. Draw the shape of the fish onto the glass (figure A).

2. Cut the body, tail and fins with a glasscutter and glass pliers. Choose different colors of the glass for the body parts (figure B).

3. Grind all of the edges of the glass pieces using a grinder.

4. Wash all the pieces. Assemble the various pieces similar to a patchwork quilt.

5. Layer various colors of glass to form the fish including eye and fin (figure C).

6. Fire it in the kiln to 1450-degrees to melt the big-lipped fish flat.

7. After it cools, add other body decorations to give the fish his personality (figure D):

• Bend a glass "stringer" over a candle and add it to form the tail details.
• Add bits of glass to create polka dots on the body.
• Draw the lips and cut them out.

8. Draw seaweed and shells on another piece of glass and cut out with glasscutters (figure E).

9. Fire the fish again to 1400-degrees so that the recently added glass decorative pieces melt to the fish securely but still maintain their dimensions (figure F). This is called "relief" fusing. Fire the seaweed and shells in this firing, but separately. Ensure that the seaweed and shells do not touch the big-lipped fish, as these will be attached to the frame. Let the pieces cool.

10. To make the stand, clean scrap metal pieces with a damp cloth and weld together into a stand (figure G).

11. After welding clean the stand in a pan of water and let dry.

12. Paint the stand with a textured bronze color (figure H) to complement and accentuate the big-lipped fish. Let dry for one hour.

13. Follow manufacturer’s directions to prepare epoxy. Glue the glassfish onto the metal stand. Place the glassfish on a phone book to support the fish while the glue dries (figure I). Glue the seaweed and shells onto the metal stand.

E-mail: bburton@glassartstudios.net