Make a Fused Glass Mezuzah

It is traditional for Jews to affix a Mezuzah to the door frame of their homes. The purpose of a Mezuzah is to hold a scroll containing the words of the Shema. Mezuzot make great birthday, wedding, anniversary and holiday gifts.  Make a fused glass mezuzah to give as a gift or to post in your own home.

Tools
Glass fusing kiln glass
Cutter, such as the Toyo Pistol-Grip Cutter

Materials
Fusible glass
Glass fusing glue (Thompson Klyr-fire, Bullseye Glass Glastac or Elmer's® Blue School Glue, No Run Gel)
Fiberfrax 550 Fiber Paper, Ceratek Fiber Board or Kaiser Lee Board

Step 1
Sketch out the design for your mezuzah.

Step 2
Gather your tools and materials, including the fusible glass in the colors you want to use in your fused glass mezuzah project.

Step 3
Cut a piece of fusible glass that is 5-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide using your glass cutter. This piece of glass will be the base plate for your design.

Step 4
Cut other smaller pieces of fusible glass and arrange the glass pieces on the base plate in your design. Use a drop of Thompson Klyr-fire, Bullseye Glass Glastac or Elmer's® Blue School Glue, No Run Gel to hold the pieces of glass in place. Allow the glue to dry.

Step 5
Fire the fused glass using the following schedule as a guide:

Ramp oF/Hr Target temperature Hold for
1 600 1490 15
2 Full 950 10
3 150 750 0

Step 6
Cut a piece of Fiberfrax 550 Fiber Paper, Ceratek Fiber Board or Kaiser Lee Board. Place the fiber in the kiln on a prepared kiln shelf and then place your fused glass on top of the fiber so that the glass is  is centered above the fiber paper.

Step 7
Slump the glass in your glass fusing kiln using the following schedule as a guide:

Ramp oF/Hr Target temperature Hold for
1 200 1000 6 min.
2 Full 1250 6 min.
3 Full 960 1 hour
4 150 750 0

Step 8
Allow the glass kiln to cool to room temperature before removing the fused glass mezuzah from the kiln. Wash the mezuzah with room temperature water to remove any fiber paper that is stuck to the glass.

Warnings
Never leave a kiln unattended when firing.
Wear eye protection if looking inside a heated kiln.

Further Reading
"Contemporary Fused Glass";  Brad Walker; 2010.
"A Beginner's Guide to Kiln-Formed Glass: * Fused * Slumped * Cast"; Brenda Griffith; 2007.
"Richard La Londe: Fused Glass Art and Technique"; Richard Parker La Londe; 2006.
"Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques: Fusing, Slumping, Casting"; Philippa Beveridge, Ignasi Domenech, Eva Pacual; 2005.
 "Introduction to Glass Fusing"; Petra Kaiser; 2003.
"Innovative Adornments - Introduction to Fused Glass & Wire Jewelry"; Jayne Persico; 2002.
"Contemporary Warm Glass: A Guide to Fusing, Slumping & Kiln-Forming Techniques"; Brad Walker; 2000.
"Creative Glass Techniques: Fusing, Painting, Lampwork"; Bettina Eberle; 1999.
"Glass: An Artist's Medium"; Lucartha Kohler; 1998.
"Kiln Firing Glass: Glass Fusing Book One"; Boyce Lundstrom, Daniel Schwoerer; 1994.
"Fused Glass Handbook"; Gil Reynolds; 1987.