Triangle Pattern Bars

When using your new pattern bar former all you have to do is to cut a rectangle of shelf paper that is 5” wide by the length of your former.  Fold it in half and slip it in.  It should go in smoothly.  If not ....trim a bit more off the end until it does.  Next take a scrap of 1/8” fiber paper and cut a 3” square.  Now cut that square into 2 triangles.  Place two of these at each end of the former firmly pressing it in.  Make sure this overlaps the other fiber paper as you press it in.  Make sure you have a good seal!!!!  If not...then add another layer.  (I use these over and over....they get soft but then I just double them up)    Load that glass up and fire.
You can do elaborate designs or just pile in scrap glass.  If using scrap keep in mind that it will shrink as it pushes out all of the air. If you want to try a strip melt into your bar use 1/8” fiber paper or 1 mm paper on the entire bar as there is more movement. Do not do high heat with just shelf paper as a liner.   Make sure you seal the ends by pressing the fiber paper together.  You do not want leaks.   If a bar comes out too small you can always rinse off the fiber paper at the end of the firing and reload it adding more glass.To fire these....if you are just firing a pattern bar all by itself I fire quickly at 450/hr to 1480 and hold for 15 min. I usually anneal them for an hour and then cool.   If you are putting it in as a space filler in a full fuse just fire it in any full fuse load.  If you have very little room left in a full load I put the former up on 2short stilts balancing it on the ends.  This way you are only using the space of the 2 stilts.
When slicing....the better the blade the thinner the slices.  If you ever have a problem slicing a pattern bar you are either not annealing enough, not enough water or you are using a dull blade.  I suggest you match them in pairs as they come off the saw in case you want to use them that way.  So many ways! Have fun!  I would love to see pictures of what you make!! See another suggestion below.....

By adding some transparent glasses and some clear you can get some beautiful light flowing thru your piece.

The schedule I am using for these Triangle Pattern Bar when doing a flow with a stack of glass on top is: (same as for the obtuse)

250 hr /800 no hold

450/1600 hold 1 hour  (for those who do not want to go that hot....lower it and add time)

9999 to anneal (900 for COE 90, 950 for COE 96) 1 hour

100/700 and off

Usually for thick glass you need to anneal longer but these are slicing great and will be reannealed in the final piece so I see no reason to have a lengthy anneal here.If you are having any issues slicing these you can always add anneal time.  I find that issues with bars breaking while slicing are usually related to not enough water on your blade or a dull blade.

To clean them.....clean them well before refiring.  I like to really scrub the entire bar with a green scrubby before slicing.  If you have a flat lab by all means use it on those edges!!  When slicing I suggest matching them up in pairs right off of the saw.  Love the reverse images!

After slicing you still need to hit all of those edges with at least a diamond hand pad.  Get them as clean as you can. A small grinder works well on the edges also. Some people soak them overnight in vinegar but I have a flat lap so I do not.  When building them into a piece the very last thing I do is to sift clear powder just over the bars.  A nice layer.   This keep the surface pretty perfect for me!  I then full fuse starting out slow especially on my larger thick pieces which have 2 layers of glass under the bars.  When I do work like these large involved pieces I fire very conservative. 

My schedule is:

100/800 no hold

350-1100/hold 45 (60 min if over 12")

50/1225/hold 60

450/1480/hold 20 (less if you want raised bars)

9999 to anneal hold 3 hours

50/800 0 hold

100/600 off

If you are doing smaller work with your bars you can adjust accordingly!

I also sprinkle clear powder between the large sheets of base glass to prevent any bubbles.

Here are some new bars made by Sara Mueller!!  Love them!