Pot & Screen Melts

Pot melts and screen melts are kilnformed fusing techniques where glass is suspended above a catching surface and brought to a hot enough temperature to flow downward, producing organic, swirled blanks that would be hard to plan piece by piece. This category collects the mini pot melt sets and round and square screen melt setups used to stage those pours in a home or studio kiln.

How pot and screen melts work

In a pot melt, glass scrap loads into a small ceramic vessel raised above a dam or mold; as the kiln climbs in temperature, the glass softens and streams through a hole in the bottom, blending colors as it drops onto the catch surface. A screen melt swaps the pot for a stainless screen, so the glass falls through many small openings and lays down as fine ribbons that interweave. Both turn cullet, stringer ends, and offcuts into one-of-a-kind blanks for plates, coasters, slumped bowls, and jewelry components.

Sets available at AGS

The kits in this category come in compact footprint sizes for tabletop and mid-size kilns. Mini pot melt sets handle smaller loads of glass and suit testing color recipes, while the screen melt sets give a wider catch area in either a round or square format suited to bowl, plate, or tile work. Each set is built to position the pot or screen at the right working height above the kiln shelf during the pour.

Choosing a size and format

Footprint is the first decision: confirm the assembled set fits inside your kiln with clearance from the elements and that your shelf can carry the stack. Mini sets are a friendly starting point for testing color combinations or working in a smaller kiln. Square screens lend themselves to cutting tile shapes from the finished blank with less waste, while round screens drop naturally into bowl and plate slumpers.

Firing and prep notes

Pot and screen melts run hotter and longer than a standard tack or full fuse because the glass must become fluid enough to flow. Kiln wash or a separator should coat any surface the molten glass will touch, and the catching shelf or mold should sit level so the pour spreads evenly. Plan for a slow anneal after the pour, since the resulting puddle is often thicker than a standard fused stack and needs extra hold time to release stress safely.

Uses for the finished blank

Pot and screen melt blanks are usually cooled, cut down, and re-fired into the next project: drop rings for vases, slumped bowls or trays, jewelry cabochons, sushi plates, and accent inlays in larger panels. Because each pour mixes colors in a way you cannot fully predict, the resulting sheets read as handmade and pair well with cut work or pattern bar slices in finished pieces.