01.

Choose the Stringer

These 0.5mm stringers (“Fine Line”) are from a tube of Bullseye Glass mixed stringer. I selected the colors based on how many stringers of each there were and whether that was enough to create a repetitive pattern across the entire piece.

02.

Glue the Stringer

First I cut an 8″ diameter circle of Tekta. Then I glued each stringer in place, starting at the left. I broke the stringer by placing it on the glass and, where it extended beyond the edge of glass, I pressed down with my finger and snapped it. It was an inaccurate method which cost me time later. I used GlasTac Gel in three or four spots and pressed the stringer into it.

03.

Fuse It Face Down

I decided to fuse it face down on ThinFire shelf paper because I wanted the inside of the bowl to be smooth and glossy. I also didn’t know if all of the colors in the stringer assortment were food safe, so I decided to put them on the outside of the bowl. In this photo, there are now two layers of Tekta to create the necessary 6mm thickness.

04.

Time to Fuse

I waited until I had a number of other projects to fill the 20″ x 20″ shelf before I fused the stringer project at the back on the right.

05.

Slumping

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the piece before I slumped it. Because the stringer was uneven, I decided to grind off the excess for a perfect edge.

To do that, I scored a circle (with a Bohle Silberschnitt Studio Circle Cutter) that just barely cut off the areas that didn’t have stringer. Then I used a Glastar All Star G8 Grinder to grind off everything up to and including the score mark. It took about two hours to grind, but it came out circular and clean. Then I used 3M Diamond Hand Laps to remove the scratches left by the grinder and bring the finish of the edge up to 400 grit matte that would fire polish.

I used the Large Cone Bowl Mold (8975).

06.

Slumped and Polished

The edge did indeed get glossy and the overall effect of the thick Tekta with the Fine Line stringer is one that I like a lot.