Kiln-Formed Glass: Beyond the Basics: Best Studio Practices *Techniques *Projects Paperback – July 1, 2014

I've been avidly collecting and reading "fusing" (kilnformed glass) books for about 20 years, and this may be the best single book on studio practice I've seen yet. As it says, it's not a beginner's book (Griffith's earlier book, Beginner's Guide to Kilnformed Glass, does that),. Rather, it's the book you'll want once you have a few successful kilnformed pieces under your belt and have begun to wonder if there's more to kilnforming than sushi dishes and bowls.It's divided into three sections (and Lark should really add some "look inside" samples to Amazon so you can see what I'm talking about). The first covers setting up and using a glass studio. The second deals with more advanced ways to decorate glass for firing (casting, 3D printing, airbrushing, sandblasting, box making, etc.). Spoiler alert: If you're into making jewelry, she's got some advanced tips for creating dichroic slabs and precious metal clay findings that you'll love.The third section, though, is where this book really shines. Griffith has experimented with applying other media techniques to glass practice, and they're pretty exciting. She shows you how to make your own glass pastels and glass clay (which can be fired in the kiln the way you can fire ceramics), create marbling effects with glass enamels, make your own roll-ups, and more.The information is presented in an exploratory, "I wanted to see what would happen if I..." fashion, which gets my own creative juices going. Griffith takes pains to explain exactly how she got to a certain point, which makes it very easy to use her explorations as a starting point for my own. She includes firing schedules for both glass and PMC, with a quite-proper "your mileage may vary" warning.About the only real criticism I'd have is minor: On a couple of projects Griffith takes you through the very well-illustrated steps but doesn't show the finished piece. There's so much else going on here, though, that I don't really miss it.

This is definitely not for someone who just bought their first kiln. It is so nice to find an interesting book that doesn't cater to those who have hardly handled a glass cutter. I have been working in glass quite a while and love to find books that don't give me projects but push me toward techniques I haven't thought about before and give practical advice on things I have tried that maybe did not go as I had planned.The Gallery pages are gorgeous and inspiring. I do wish there was more of a buyer's guide for tools and materials mentioned that are outside of the glass realm. A great book for true glass geeks, you know who you are.

This is an absolutely amazing book! Brenda covers a wide range of techniques with expertise. Her directions on how to use the techniques are spot on, and I have yet to have any projects, using her directions, come out less than perfect. I love that she has included many different aspects of kiln-formed glass. Based on her excellent information and directions, I can't wait to try other projects such as creating molds, and casting glass pieces from them. This is a book for your glass fusing library.

I love this book. A lot of useful information and new ideas to try out. I only have a couple of gripes. A good portion of the book does still cover some basic stuff, like tools and materials, but certainly not as much as a beginners book on the general process such as temperature curves etc. This is a good thing, leave that stuff to other books. The rest of the content I would rank as excellent. I learned some very useful concepts and have some great ideas from reading this. I would highly recommend this book to others who want some more advanced techniques that simple tack fusing and slumping.

This book is the best book I have read about working with kiln-formed glass and I have read most of them. I can't remember the last time any book caused me to repeatedly say, "Wow, hey...I need to try that!" I have bookmarks with notes on them all over this book. Brenda did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas and appropriate pictures to show you what she is talking about. Very well done.

Excellent book for those of us that are ready to learn skills that go "beyond the basics." The sections on setting up a studio, equipment, and tools is extremely valuable as they are quite the investment. The explanations of the science and engineering aspects are clear. I have used Brenda's first book constantly since I first started working with kiln-formed glass five years ago and this is a fabulous "next step." Highly recommended.

Odd mix of information, ranging from very basic info on tools and shop setup (lighting, really? in-depth discussion on bulb comparison?) and advanced techniques (one of the last projects was roll-ups -- something hardly any of us will do, without a visit to and much help from a glass blower!). Still, there are a few interesting techniques in the book that aren't covered freely on the internet (yet) so probably worth the addition to your library.Like most reviews, I figure the 5-star people are friends ;).

Even after 27 years of practicing "warm glass", having learned originally from Boyce Lundstrom at Camp Colton, I am learning a lot from this book. Thank you Brenda Griffith! Hey fellow kiln workers, it never hurts to see what clever, creative things are possible that you haven't thought of yet. This book is wonderful!!!