Step 6: Your Finished Bowl

After your glass has been fired and cooled to room temperature, remove the glass from the kiln and clean off the fiber paper.  This may require some scrubbing with a stiff brush and water – but the results should be well worth it.  Depending on your kiln and the specific colors you used, the powders may not have fired long or hot enough to have become shiny.  If this is the case, you may fire polish the piece, with the powder design up, to get the desired finish.

If your leaves had any “woody” parts such as branches then you may notice those features can be seen (and felt) in relief on the surface of your glass.  This is the result of the fiber paper binder burning away before the more substantial parts of the plant are gone.  The weight of the glass pushes the plant into the fiber paper creating a very shallow mold.  This effect can add wonderful dimensionality to your work.

You have a number of choices for finishing the surface of the work.  Sandblasting (lightly), fire polishing, and acid etching can all provide different and dramatic looks to the completed work.  A simple slump for this piece made for a lovely, one-of-a-kind bowl.