Collected from many conversations with her customers, Mary hopes these questions and answers help you become more acquainted with her glass work.

What is fused glass?  Fused glass is the result of kiln firing either pieces or layers of glass at temperatures approaching 1500 degrees fahrenheit.  Typically, Mary fuses compatible art glass and varities of dichroic glass (see "dichroic glass" below).

Can any glass be fused?  No, only glass that is "compatible" can be fused together.

Can glass be fused in a campfire?  Glass, such as bottles, can be slumped by achieving the proper temperature, but it will fracture if not slowly brought back to room temperature.

What is slumped glass?  Slumping glass is the process of kiln firing glass while over or in a mold, resulting in the glass taking the shape of the mold.

Can glass be fused in a regular oven?  No, a household oven does not reach the temperatures required for fusing.

What is dichroic glass?  Dichroic glass is created using very thin layers of metal oxides such as magnesium and titanium. These thin layers of oxides have a total thickness of three to five millionths of an inch.

NASA developed dichroic glass for use in face shields in space suits. Multiple micro-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver, titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium, magnesium, silicon) are applied to the surface of the glass. The glass is then kiln fired at extreme temperatures in a vacuum.

Dichroic glass is then fused (layered) with other glass in multiple firings. Certain wavelengths of light will either pass through or be reflected, causing the array of color. The result can never be re-created and is different every time. Each piece of dichroic glass is unique.

What is "annealing" the glass?  Annealing is the slow process of reducing the kiln's temperature back down to normal.  Fusing glass can take 12 hours from start to finish due to the annealing process.