Frit Plate Holder for Glass Fusing

No instructions come with the item. This is your instructions. Use this stainless steel ring to hold your frit, crushed glass, to shape desired when firing. This flexible band can be bent by hand to any shape, round, squares with rounded corners, ovals, etc. The square style holder has right angle corners, but can be bent to make a rounded square. Coat with separator and sprinkle frit, strips or pattern bar pieces, and then fire. Special expansion slots allow metal to expand, preventing glass form breaking when cooling. After firing the edge will be flat but rough. It may need an extra firing to fire polish the edge. Reusable.

This is a great tool to use if you want a thick project like a table top. A thick project will flow. This form will constrain the project.

The metal is thin and flexible. It does not come perfectly round or square. Perhaps the most difficult part of this process is bending the metal to match the pattern. The metal is easy enough to bend but it takes a while to get it to match the pattern. If you do not have the finger skill to do this, we suggest you do not buy this product.

After the project is fired, the edge of the finished piece will be textured. This is because glass touching any surface, kiln shelf, side supports, whatever, is going to pick up the texture of whatever it is touching. You can then fire polish or cold work if desired.

The shape above would make a great stepping stone or table top.

You may need to support the sides of the non rounded metal forms to keep the weight of the glass from pushing out the sides and distorting the shape, especially on the larger forms. Use any kiln furnature like kiln posts or chunks of kiln shelf.