Customer Reviews

Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques: Fusing, Slumping, Casting

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Finally, a review by someone who HAS read the book! And, I too own a copy of Brad Walker's book, which is excellent, as well. But his "fan club" seems to want to ward you off from buying a fantastic book, just because their titles are close!?! Give me a break! This book, not only covers all the methods of working in warm glass, but it does so in a straightforward, step-by-step manner, supplemented by helpful photograpic illustrations. When it says it is a complete guide, it IS complete. It is chock full of info on materials and tools, all technical procedures, as well as, a complete history of glass, starting with early myths and legends, leading up to contemporary design and sculpture. I particularly appreciated the section on the nature of glass, which covers its physical and chemical properties. Finally, it is a hardcover book with hundreds of beautiful color illustrations, and the design layout is very appealing. Of course its content overlaps other books on the topic. Within any art/craft book this happens. No need to burn the authors at the stake! But if I had to choose one book above the rest, "Warm Glass" would be it! It has everything that is covered in all the other intro books I've read so far, including "Contemporary Warm Glass", and much MORE!!!

Addendum 1/13/11: I originally wrote my review when numbers of reviewers were bashing this book, and it seemed unfair to me. I hope no one has taken offense as the result of my review, especially Brad Walker, who I now consider a friend. I wrote this review when I was starting kilnforming. I still love this book, and think it is a great deal for the price. But now I understand why the price is so good...it's published by a large publishing company. Books like Brad's Contemporary Warm Glass, and his latest revision, Contemporary Fused Glass, are more costly because they are self published... many glass artists do that. I also want it to be clear that I think both books should be on every kilnformer's shelves... there is valuable information to be found in both books! Lear from both!

[...] This book is a really nice product that has a lot of information presented in a clear, colorful, and professionally designed format. Presentation-wise, it beats any of the other books. Content-wise, it covers a myriad of techniques, but like anyone in the art knows, one book cannot cover them all. However, this book presents a good starting point for many techniques and gives enough information to point the student in the right direction to explore. I also find the folklore, chemistry, and physics interesting. And for the price, this one beats them all hands down, irregardless of who the author is.

to see the reviews on this book. I have yet to use my kiln though I've had it for over a year now. I have tons of books on the subject, the first of which was Contemporary Warm Glass by Brad Walker. I do believe that is an excellent beginners book but I didn't find it motivational at all. The examples are basic, just as they should be in a beginner's book. But, I found that every time I headed to my workshop to start a project I was already less than impressed with what I was about to do. I'd get frustrated and leave after cutting a few pieces of glass.

I'm a perfectionist which is not a good thing for someone trying to get in touch with their creative side. So, it's difficult for me to start something knowing that I probably won't like what I'm about to do. But, I found after reading "Warm Glass..." I was totally excited again. It is more advanced but it shows you how to do something other than a coaster!! It's finally the inspiration that makes me accept that I need to do a few coasters before I can move up to the more advanced and unique pieces.

Not only are the examples really beautiful - the instructions cover it all - even frabricating your own molds. The presentation is exceptionally professional. The examples may assume a basic understanding, but with a little foundation it appears to be a very thorough book. I will now go back and use Contemporary Warm Glass to get started - but I can't wait to try some of the techniques demonstrated in this book!

I highly recommend this book!

Warm Glass: A Complete Guide is in many ways a really nice volume--it's beautifully illustrated with some of the nicest photography I've seen in a book on studio glass techniques. The sample projects are very attractive with a reasonable number of photos per project and there's a good background on the history of art glass that includes a lot of great photos.

However, the authors needed to do a bit more homework on the technical side. For example, they explain that glass is a liquid (most experts call it an amorphous solid) and I found some minor inaccuracies in their glass histories. Some of the calculations and schedules they publish are really based on a single type of glass and may not be suitable for all types of glass. They also provide some pretty precise times and temps for firing schedules which most likely won't work in all kilns and certainly won't work for every type of glass.

I doubt that anyone experienced at kilnforming would be misled, but the book is represented as "A Complete Guide," which might be misleading to beginners.

In their zeal to be complete, the authors cram a great deal--sandblasting, moldmaking, mold releases, frit-making, casting, several types of fusing--into a relatively short book. I think they do an excellent job at a high level, but the beginner (and maybe the intermediate kilnformer, too) could be left wondering how you get from step x to step z. They become vague in dangerous spots, as when they suggest using "a common cathedral glass" for a specific project and then publish a precise firing schedule. If you walk into any stained glass shop and ask for "a common cathedral glass" to use in a kilnforming project, well...you won't get very far.

And be warned: these projects take a reasonably elaborate setup with a fair amount of equipment and supplies. Everyone who does kilnformed glass knows it's not a cheap hobby, but it is possible to do simple glass projects without everything you'd need to buy to complete one of the projects in the book. A beginner might be wise to start with something more basic before making this kind of investment.

All in all, though, the book is a good addition to my library and I enjoy it. If you're kilnforming at an intermediate or better level, you'll be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and get good use out of this book. If you're a beginning kilnformer, make sure you have other resources--good classes, other books, expert kilnformers who are willing to advise--to supplement this book. Or start with something else.

While 1500 degrees farenheit may seem very hot, it is relatively cool; i.e., "warm" compared to the 2500 degrees or so for the viscous liquid known as "hot" glass.

The information in this book is well presented and highly informative for those who wish to progress substantially beyond the basics of fusing, slumping, and casting of this most wonderful medium of glass as an art form.

I have been doing "warm" glass for more than twenty years and found a lot of new and helpful information

I highly recommend this book.

I ordered this book and (the more expensive) "Contemporary warm glass" by Brad Walker and two "Fuse it" books by Petra Kaiser. I can say without hesitation that "Warm Glass" is the best of the bunch!

First off it is physically the nicest book, hard cover, great printing and lovely inspirational examples. Petra's book is good for anyone totally new to hot glass but I find her aesthetic is closer to "crafting" than fine art. Brad Walker's book is simply over priced!

"Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques: Fusing, Slumping, Casting" is inspiring and informative. The technical details are spot-on and the projects are much more "artful" than the other books.

If you are serious about fused glass I'd recommend getting this book. If you are starting out with no glass experience you may want to pickup a copy of Petra Kaiser's "Fuse it" book as well.

Any of these books will help the beginner get started, and that is truly the most important step! Petra Kaiser's books are aimed at the true beginner, while "Warm Glass" will appeal to the artist wanting more depth and breath.

There are so many variables when working with hot glass, no matter what book you get, as you master the medium and your equipment, you will no doubt make mistakes. This book will reassure you that mistakes and missteps are part of the process and happen to seasoned glass artist with decades of experience. I found it to be an inspirational guide to the possibilities of hot glass. It covers more detail and techniques than any of the other works I've mentioned here. It is a true value and worth having in your library.

I brought this book recently and found it has a fantastic layout (very easy to read - unlike some books on glass making that I have brought), excellent pictures and great techniques. I am a beginner in warm glass so its suits me - however I am sure I will refer back to this book in years to come. There is a fair focus on making your own molds so people who haven't done that before will learn some good techniques. I really like how it is laid out - Glass History, The Nature of Glass (e.g. types, the physical and chemical nature), Materials & Tools, Considerations (e.g. glass compatibility, devitrification), Technical Procedures (e.g. fusing, slumping, tacking, free fall), Step-By-Step exercises then finally a brief Gallery section. Each section has around 20-30 pages of detail except the 'Nature of Glass' and 'Gallery' sections which are both around 6 pages each. The step-by-step section focusses on making a lighted panel, a bowl with inclusions, mosaic glass vase and a centrepiece (all beautiful items with some great techniques). I originally started making glass jewellery but this book makes me want to try making artistic plates and bowls. Love it!

Not a great book for a first timer but perfect for the more intermediate and advanced glass artist. It assumes you already know how glass is cut but does offer advice for the beginner fuser. It also offers a glossary of all the different types of tools used in glass fusing and types of glass so you are more aware of the options out. Some really good techniques for casting and kiln forming.

I just purchased this book based on reviews. It is all and more than I expected. I'm a hobby ceramist and wanted to start using my kilns to fuse glass. This book has instructions for making molds with detailed supply lists, great instructional photos and more. Well worth the time it will save me of my own unguided experimentation. I would highly recommend this book!

I spent my career in the sciences, so when I start on any new endeavor, I have long since learned that I will benefit from understanding the underlying principles involved. I bought this book because one reviewer thought it was too technical: "Oh, good", I thought.

However, I find most of the technical information in the book to be incomplete, and poorly explained. The author uses terms such as "strain point" and "devitrification", without defining them first, and in fact, never really does define them, not even in the book's glossary. I went to the internet to find out what these terms really mean.

He writes an equation for specific gravity that is completely wrong, (substituting a plus where a divide sign should be) and compounds the error later on. One wonders if anyone with any mathematical literacy at all reviewed the book.

All of that said, as a non-technical tome, it is very good, but look elsewhere if you wish to understand what is happening to the glass as you heat and cool it.