FuseworksFW848 Beginners Fusing Kit

This is a fantastic product. I have always loved dichroic glass and been smitten with the idea of this little kiln since I first saw it in Hobby Lobby some years ago, so when I saw it for nearly half the price on Amazon, I had to jump at the opportunity. I am very glad I did! Let me preface this review by stating that while I am fairly crafty, I came at this with no knowledge of how to fuse glass beforehand, so everything I have learned has been through reading online suggestions and experimenting. For comparison purposes, my microwave is a more powerful model at around 1,100w and that seems to work great.I can say with certainty that this product has been an absolute success. I have found no downside. I've followed the given instructions precisely and have not lost a single project or had any cracking/breakage. I have heard some suggest that the provided instructions are not terribly clear: I would contend that they are incredibly specific and helpful in terms of process, although if you're looking for actual craft ideas, you should instead look on the fuseworks webpage. I do have a few suggestions gathered from experience as well as other helpful reviews that will make your projects a success:1. The glass wants to be about 1/4 inch thick. If your project is not that tall, in the kiln it will likely coalesce in the centre much in the way a water droplet might so as to become about that thick. If you begin with a much taller project, it will tend to spread and flatten.2. I would advise a preheat before every use: 3 minutes firing time, 30 minute cool-down. You ALWAYS want to adhere to the recommended firing and cooling times, and never peek once your project has been removed from the microwave until cooling time is up!3. When using dichroic glass (i.e. the shiny pieces), try putting your microwave at partial power (I use 50% on my high-powered microwave) for about half the time and then stepping up to full power for the second half of your fusing time. This is best done in increments: maybe 30 seconds at a time until you get the hang of it, and then you'll have a better feel for the process and can push that to 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. To check, do NOT remove the kiln from the microwave! Just lift the lid up carefully and if the glass is white-hot, put it back down and remove the kiln. If it's not quite there yet and the edges still look sharp, give it a little more time. When in doubt, pull it out: you can always re-fire after the cool down period if it's not yet completely fused. I have done this with success.4. Make the investment in the Bullseye kiln paper instead of the paper included in this kit. There's much more if it, you don't have to cut it down so much, and it works much better without leaving rough edges or traces of paper in your fused glass projects. It is a very worthy investment.5. I would also recommend looking into glass pliers to more evenly cut glass pieces. I was able to find a number of glass tools as well as jewelry "bales" (the silver/gold parts that attach your piece to a chain), earring backs, etc. - even more Fuseworks official dichroic glass pieces! - at my local Hobby Lobby & Michael's stores. If you intend to use this kiln even semi-frequently, you might also want a good storage container set for all your pieces and jewelry attachments, as well as a nice set of tweezers to grab sharp little glass pieces.As far as my own perception of the kiln itself, I would say be prepared for it to be SURPRISINGLY light / fragile-feeling! It almost seems like its made out of the type of plaster that, if dropped, would explode into a powder rather than even crack. Obviously you want to handle it with care and store it somewhere where it is not likely to get broken. You may hear popping sounds while your glass pieces are cooling, don't be alarmed! Again, I haven't lost one to breaking yet, and my kiln is still going strong. This is so easy to use that it would be a great project even for responsible kids with very careful adult supervision: just make sure no little hands are directly handling glass or touching anything hot! The end result is something so special and beautiful that it will be a cherished project for the family. My mother and I have very much enjoyed making glass pieces together. I have included some photos of our early work so you can see what is possible for a complete amateur! We have made much more than this and gotten even better since these photos were taken.Overall, I am thrilled with my purchase of the Fuseworks Kiln. I have greatly enjoyed crafting surprisingly gorgeous glass pieces with much more ease than I would have expected, and I look forward to refining my technique even more in the future. I would absolutely recommend this kiln to anyone. Bullseye Thinfire Kiln Shelf Paper 3" X 3" - 100 Pack, Great for Microwave Kiln

I am brand new to glass fusion - like this morning when I ordered this (Amazon Prime same day delivery).As instructed I pre-baked the kiln for 3 min.I can't get the glass scorer to actually score deep enough to make a difference (using as instructed).You do need to separately buy glass breaking pliers.Huge lack of instructions. I am going to take a guess and say the thicker pieces are supposed to be the bases? I used a bit thinner piece and at 2 min it blew apart & my kiln paper is scorched??? The time for my micro was up to 3 1/2 minutes but I decided to be super conservative and I am glad I did.I do feel that the kiln is sort of small so it will limit the size of things I can make (I like big stuff & envision mini-scapes). The larger tiles (bases?) actually hit the edges of the middle circle so I can use those without cutting them. Leaving 5/8 in around the borders is hug so that makes what I can make even smaller. I see some large kilns which I am going to guess I will get very soon.I am very interested in the glass molds (probably need the bigger kiln).It seems like a lot of people who are reviewing have a little bit of knowledge - I am starting with the knowledge that dichroic glass is cool & I didn't realized I could do it in the microwave & I watched a few youtube videos today.If you know how to do this already I would say this is a great start for a supervised kids medium. I would have loved it.I am not knew to a variety of mediums and I am actually really good at figuring things out but I honestly have no reference point for this and really need instructions in the kit....and pictures of what I am doing. I am not saying this is a horrible kit b/c I don't have enough knowledge to say that so the 2 stars are really for the lack of instructions and lack of ability to really function straight out of the box. Glass breaking pliers & instructions would fix those two things.I get that when I start with new mediums I am probably going to suck at it for a while.I think I am going to to think of this as paying for lesson supplies and I don't feel so bad about spending $75 (ish). This is not pocket change for me and since I have used it I won't return it (even if I could). I guess for me just buying the kit is opening the door for me to enter into this world of glass fusion.I am confident that I will figure out glass fusion and have a blast with it - I just need way more info than the kit gives and I definitely need to get more glass supplies so after I break the first few I can make some cool things.

Overall I love this kit, but it does have some cons. I'll go over what I like and dislike:Pros:1. This kit has almost everything needed to make a good bit of fused pieces2. The kiln works better than I anticipated3. You'll be making pieces on the very first day4. It's fun and addictive!!Cons (and I hope the creators of this kit read this):1. Considering this is supposed to be for "beginners" I give the instructions about 2 stars. How could they be better? Include a project or two to get us started. We get a lot of glass, and no idea what to do with it. That part was a little frustrating.2. The cutting tool sucks (sorry but it really does). I butchered the first few pieces of glass because I had no idea how to use their tool. Also - a glass breaking tool is necessary which is not included. I ended up tapping mine with a hammer to get it to break on the score line.3. The kiln paper they include is awful and leave the back of your piece rough and bumpy. Buy some smooth paper, like Bullseye thinfire.That's it for now! I've already ordered more glass (the round shapes are cool!) and can't wait to make more pendants. Overall, I will give this kit 5 stars just because it's so cool to finally have a kiln that's less than $100!Advice: DON'T use your dichroic glass until you get a hang of the kiln, otherwise you might ruin it while practicing. DO try lot of different glass combinations in order to learn what works with what. If you aren't getting good results (bubbles, sharp edges, etc) try reducing the power of your microwave and try different things until you find one that works for you.

Very happy with purchase. Bought for my husband for his birthday and he is delighted. It's like a little cottage industry emerging in our study! I hadn't read the product info properly and expecting just a kiln, it was a very pleasant surprise to find all the extras. Fusing is something we have both wanted to do for a long time after making many stained glass pieces but didn't have high expectations of a 'microwave' kiln but it's great. Easy to use with great results. Please take safety warnings seriously as the kiln gets very very hot! Highly recommend

not much success

This is a great way to get into glass fusing without breaking the bank. The Kiln works well and I have had loads of enjoyment from this kit; so much so that I have bought a larger microwave kiln so I always have one fusing whilst I prepare the next piece. I strongly recommend this product

Nice little starter set. Haven't quite mastered cutting glass yet. Glad I got it, something new to do!

This is a lot of fun. I have worked with stained glass in the past so found cutting the glass ok but a beginner may struggle.