To Make Fused Glass Buttons, you have to Place a piece of kiln paper on the base of your microwave kiln. You need to clean two round precut half-inch glass circles with using glass cleaner and a soft cloth to ensure that no dust contaminates your button. You must Use one clear circle and one colored glass circle. After that, set the colored glass circle on the center of the kiln paper. You should hold the glass by the sides to prevent fingerprints on the glass.
You have to ensure you have at least a 1/8-inch margin of paper around the glass circle. You can Sprinkle the top of the glass circle with various colors of frit. You need to Place the clear glass circle atop the first glass round and the frit. Then, Place the base of the microwave kiln inside your microwave oven. You must ensure the glass circles have not shifted.
You should Set the top on the kiln and carefully close the microwave door. You can set the timer for 3 minutes with an 800-watt microwave, 2:45 for a 1,100-watt microwave or 2:30 for a 1,200-watt microwave. You have to Turn the microwave on at full power and watch for the orange glow at the top of the kiln. Next, open the microwave door when the oven cuts off. You need to Use Kevlar gloves to carefully lift the top of the kiln.
You must Place the lid back on the kiln and remove it from the microwave. You should set the kiln on a ceramic tile to cool. If the glass does not uniformly glow red, you can place the lid back on the kiln and heat it for an additional thirty seconds. You have to Recheck and remove it if the glass fused. You need to Heat an additional fifteen to thirty seconds if the glass needs more microwave heating.
Forth, allow the kiln to sit on the tile for thirty to forty minutes without lifting the kiln top. You must remove the kiln lid when it is cool enough to handle with your bare hand. You should remove the button from the kiln base. You can wash it with mild soap and water to remove the kiln paper residue. After that, Place a thin layer of epoxy resin on the bottom of the button.
You have to set it on top of a 1/2-inch shank button eyelet. You need to allow the epoxy to harden before sewing the button on your garment.