Using ANYPOWDER™ glass powder

The term “frit” refers to granular crushed glass. Soft glass frits have been available to glass artists for a long time in many colors and several different mesh sizes. Furnace working glassblowers and European-style lampworkers use frit regularly as a means of adding color to their work. Frit can also be used in such techniques as Pate De Verre and fusing. (Learn More)

We offer many of our Borosilicate colors in powder and frit form.

Large frit: Coarse; approximately .055 inches or 1.397 mm.

Small frit: Finer, approximately .024 inches or .6096 mm.

These glass frits and powders have been formulated for use with Pyrex?, Duran?, Kimax?, Northstar? or any other glass with a similar coefficient of thermal expansion (33 COE). Using frits and powders provide the hot glass artist with a means of adding color and/or texture to a piece quickly and easily.

There is no “right way” or “wrong way” to utilize frit or powder. Experimentation will lead to discovering your own unique effects and subtle refinements of techniques.

The basic idea is to get the frit to stick to a target object. In order for this to occur the temperature of the object must be hot enough to be soft (at least on the surface of the glass). The hotter/softer the target object is, the more readily the frit will stick to it.

If the object has already been formed and slumping is not desirable it is better to heat the object just enough for the frit/powder to begin sticking (by preheating the frit in your oven, the target object can be slightly cooler and therefore less likely to slump).

Successive layers can then be built up if a heavy coating is desired. A light sprinkling of frit may be used as a subtle highlight of brightly colored dots or a substantial layer of color can be built up giving a more uniform or darker look.

Frit can be coated on the outside of solid or hollow objects. It can also be coated on the inside of hollow forms. Frit may be fused in completely or left partially raised for a surface texture. A sprinkling of frit may also be mixed into the body of a solid gather of glass, giving the entire gather color. NS-00 Clear frit may be added over a colored object for effect. Different colors may be mixed for a custom look.