Fused Glass Pendant Production

Before, after, and detail shots of the glass firing I unloaded yesterday. The shelf primer/kiln wash for glass is much smoother than for clay and is pink before firing. Though I use the same kiln for clay and glass, I quickly found out that I needed to have 2 sets of shelves to keep shelf grinding and clean up to a minimum.

I did things a bit differently this go round, and I liked it much better. Previously, I would cut the pendants down to size prior to this stage in firing. This time, I decided to fire them as long lozenges and then cut them apart. It was much easier to hold the larger pieces at the tile saw! This is probably the biggest reason I don't make many earrings. There's nothing to hold on to.
I also modified my set up which worked much, much better! I set up the saw inside a fish tank (found last weekend at a garage sale), and then made a few more splash walls with Tupperware lids. It was still just a loud, but there wasn't the spray of glass shards across the room. And I could sit down and work this way which my back, neck, shoulders, and feet were very happy for!
Here's over 250 pendants in progress, and I fired another glass kiln last night. This will be the largest batch I've ever done! I think my forms and color combinations get better and better with each firing. But I've got another day of tile saw and grinder work ahead of me today.

What changes have you made in your work (process, technique, composition) that have made things go more smoothly? And did you find yourself wondering, "Why didn't I think to do this before?"

Cheers to progress,
Meagan
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