01 / Kiln basics
What Is a Kiln Schedule?
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A plain-language foundation for reading a firing schedule as a map of heat over time — not just a peak temperature.
Read article →01Original glass education
Glass-studio guides from My Glass Cookbook.
Plain-language articles for fused, kilnformed, and stained glass artists. Learn how glass behaves, how studio choices connect, and how to build steadier habits around compatibility, firing, materials, notes, and testing.
02 / Schedule anatomy
Rate, Target, Hold: The Three Building Blocks of a Kiln Schedule
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How to read each segment of a kiln schedule and understand what the kiln is being asked to do next.
Read article →03 / Firing journey
The Five Phases of a Fused-Glass Firing
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A practical map of heat-up, bubble squeeze, forming, cooling toward anneal, and annealing/cooling.
Read article →04 / Troubleshooting
Why Kiln Schedules Go Wrong
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A practical guide to the common failure patterns behind kiln schedule problems, from thermal shock and trapped air to excess heatwork and poor annealing.
Read article →05 / Schedule literacy
Reading a Kiln Schedule Like a Map
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How to turn a kiln schedule table into a mental heat curve, so each segment reads like a clear studio instruction.
Read article →06 / Process guide
Full Fuse Explained
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What a full fuse is trying to do, why bubble squeeze matters, and how heatwork, hold time, thickness, and annealing shape the final smooth result.
Read article →07 / Process guide
Tack Fuse Explained
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What tack fusing is for, how it differs from contour and full fuse, and how schedule choices affect texture, bonding, bubbles, and annealing.
Read article →08 / Process guide
Contour Fuse Explained
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How contour fuse bridges texture and smoothing, why total heatwork matters, and how to use it when tack is too sharp but full fuse is too flat.
Read article →09 / Process guide
Slumping Explained
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What slumping does, why mold choice and timing matter, and how to read a slump schedule as a careful shape-forming firing.
Read article →10 / Process guide
Fire Polish Explained
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How fire polishing differs from full fuse, tack fuse, and slumping, and why surface repair still needs schedule discipline and annealing.
Read article →11 / Schedule strategy
Bubble Squeeze Explained
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How bubble squeeze works, what it can and cannot fix, and how construction choices and schedule choices cooperate to reduce trapped air.
Read article →12 / Advanced schedule care
Thick Glass and Re-Firing
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Why thick glass heats, anneals, and re-fires differently, and how to think about mass, stress, and cumulative kiln history.
Read article →13 / Special processes
Casting, Pot Melt, and Drop-Out Schedules
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A high-level guide to reading special-process schedules where glass flows, drops, or fills a form instead of simply bonding or bending.
Read article →14 / Decision guide
How to Choose the Right Kiln Schedule Preset
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A practical decision framework for choosing between full fuse, tack fuse, contour fuse, slump, fire polish, bubble strategy, thick-glass, and special-process schedules.
Read article →15 / Glass compatibility
Compatible Is Not Interchangeable: A Beginner’s Guide to COE and Tested Compatibility
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A plain-language beginner guide to COE, tested compatible glass, brand systems, stained glass caution, simple test tiles, and why matching numbers does not automatically make glass interchangeable.
Read article →16 / Glass cutting foundations
Clean Cuts, Fewer Repairs: A Glass Cutting and Edge-Prep Learning Path
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A practical beginner guide to scoring, breaking, grozing, grinding, and cleaning glass pieces for stained glass, fused glass, mosaics, and mixed-process work.
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