Making Ceramic Molds For Glass Slumping

Slump molds are concave forms that work just like other molds in that clay is draped over the surface of the mold.

Making ceramic molds for glass slumping.

Glass slumping sometimes called warm glass or glass art is a form of artistic expression that uses the heat of a gas or electric kiln to melt 2 or more different pieces of glass together and fuse them into 1 piece. Working in both stained glass and fused glass her goal is to help you be creative and think outside the box while teaching skills to make glass crafting easier. The slumping glass process is used for making bowls platters or decorative 3 d objects. This newly formed glass is then placed over a ceramic mold.

Custom ceramic texture molds for fused glass. A convex form over which clay slabs are draped until stiff enough to hold the shape. There s a huge variety of commercial moulds for sale or you can make your own and create something truly unique without too much extra work. With slump molds the inside surface of a pot is exposed while the outer face is in contact with the mold.

A typically shallow frame or mold into which a slab of clay is allowed to fall or settle in order to form a vessel. This example explains how molds are made from clay. Molds for glass slumping are surprisingly easy to make. These can be frames with no bottom as in today s video clip.

Plates are essential for glass studios. Most ceramic supply stores carry a line of pre made bisque ware at extremely good prices. Mold making for glass art by dan jenkins 1 choosing a prototype making molds for your own use or for reproduction is fairly easy to do and very satisfying. I use a paragon janus 23 multi purpose kiln capable of firing glass or ceramics with the fl.

They can be used very successfully as slump molds needing nothing but kilnwash. Slumpy s has a great selection of plate molds dish molds server molds and more. This tutorial will explain how i make custom ceramic texture molds to create fused glass art items used in this tutorial 1 firing the clay and glass kiln. Using found objects to copy and transform into.

The key is to make the mold out of the right material which will withstand the 1 200 degree temperature in the kiln. Like humps molds our slump molds are plaster templates that are useful for creating reproducible forms. Making your own molds frees you from relying on molds made by others and allows you to tailor your mold for your own taste. Hump molds are used to form the interior of the slumped glass.

These pieces are intended for ceramic hobbyists to glaze and fire. Both are placed inside the kiln and the kiln is fired up. So which mold should you use. If you feel the need to drill holes in the mold use a masonry bit and follow dust safety guidelines.

There are two basic types of molds in glass slumping.