Wednesday, March 23, 2011

How To Use Frit

THIS WEEK IS  STILL ALL ABOUT FRIT

There are 100 maybe 1,000 ways to use frit. None are wrong, its just about your taste.
For the longest time I had frit but I did not really use it, in retrospect I have no idea why! It is so fun! I am frit obsessed (on a budget!) Which means I do not have a collection to the likes of some of the great LE'ers.. yes you have seen their great mountainous walls of frit. Rotating display racks, to fit the jars, and even specially installed shelving. THAT is just not me.... y e t 
That is me in my dreams! Well that and many other glass fantasies... So lets talk frit!
Weather you make the simplest bead, and roll it gently on your bead, only slightly melting it in, or you make a base, roll in frit, and encase to magnify its awesomeness you have got a great bead! And it was not all that hard! 






5 Great Ways To Use Frit The First Five!
1) Make a bead, roll in frit. Leave frit partially raised but attached. (sugar beads is a great example!)
2) Make a bead, roll in frit. Melt in the frit. Take a rake and drag the frit in one direction or many! Your choice!
3) Make a bead base, roll in frit. Heavily encase. The clear (or transparent of your choice) will magnify the look of the frit seeming suspended in the middle. Experiment with the base colors, and layering colors that create different variations of color with the same frit blend. (The picture to the left has dots of clear that you can see the magnification in)

4) Make a bead to be pressed. Use a lighter transparent color, and roll in tons of transparent frit of a darker transparent reduction frit. Melt it in in a slightly reducing flame, and press. The edges of the frit will be slightly silvered.

5) Work off mandrel. Make a blob, roll it in frit, melt in, squish it, cut it, and pull it! Coolest effect ever! Experiment with different frit blends and color combo's!






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