I prepare a lot of glass to fire so I plan on several hours of firing time. Each kiln has a firing platform of @2&1/2inches. I cut my kiln paper in rectangles as it wastes less paper. This paper keeps the glass from melting and sticking to the kiln surface. The result would be a damaged kiln floor since pulling the glass off would also pull out chunks of the kiln material. I place the glass pieces on top of the paper making sure they have space between them. I place the bottom part of the kiln in the microwave and then put the top on. If my hand shakes and the glass shifts I can catch that right away. The rest is pretty easy! I set the time and temperature level and let things cook. I check the glass by looking through the hole in the top of the kiln. Believe it or not you can see the glass pieces and tell if the edges appear melted enough. If I feel the glass is done I remove the kiln wearing heat resistant gloves and place it on a surface that can withstand the heat.  Then I wait 30 minutes for cool down before removing the top. Making dichroic fused glass jewelry in a microwave kiln does appeal to the instant gratification part of me.

First picture on left is glass waiting to be put in kiln and fired. The next picture is the kiln with glass in the microwave as I put on the top. Second from right is a finished firing out of the microwave sitting on the hot pad. In the last picture you can see a kiln with finished product.

In my next post I will show what I do with the glass pieces. Till next time!