Fused Glass Friday! Ball Frit

On my new adventure of diving deeper into my craft, I was anxious to start making ball frit.  Frit is a accessory glass that can be used for small details and textures.  These chunks of glass, when given enough space, will curve it’s edges becoming a ball.  I was excited to start a ball frit plate and increase my ball frit stash for the future.

First thing I had to do was lay pieces of glass onto shelf paper.  At first, I didn’t know which color I wanted so I made a bit of everything.

Then I fired them in my kiln.  To my surprise, it didn’t take as long as I expected, only two hours!

I really enjoyed how the pinks, green, and clear looked together and was inspired to make them into a plate.  After three more firings of these colors, I finally had enough to make my plate.  Pardon my Snapchat caption, but it really a ton of work!

The next step was to fuse these together, keeping their texture, and not so much that they melt completely.  After 13 long hours, I was lucky to uncover this beauty!

Now, it is in the very slow slumping stage in kiln to curve the sides into a plate shape.  I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

With this being my first attempt, I’m seeing how the different sizes of the frit can effect the plate.  I lost a few tiny pieces that did not touch other glass during the fuse.  Then, I see how the different sizes can pull your eye to different parts of the plate.  I’ll practice a bit more patience next time, maybe consider a design inside!

If you are interested in seeing more of my work, I welcome you to favorite my Etsy Page to keep updated on my new adds!