Making Ceramic Molds For Glass Slumping

This newly formed glass is then placed over a ceramic mold.

Making ceramic molds for glass slumping.

Custom ceramic texture molds for fused glass. 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. So which mold should you use. Slump molds are concave forms that work just like other molds in that clay is draped over the surface of the mold.

With slump molds the inside surface of a pot is exposed while the outer face is in contact with the mold. 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. Making your own molds frees you from relying on molds made by others and allows you to tailor your mold for your own taste. The key is to make the mold out of the right material which will withstand the 1 200 degree temperature in the kiln.

There are two basic types of molds in glass slumping. 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. Ceramic slump molds vs. Using found objects to copy and transform into.

A typically shallow frame or mold into which a slab of clay is allowed to fall or settle in order to form a vessel. These can be frames with no bottom as in today s video clip. Molds for glass slumping are surprisingly easy to make. I use a paragon janus 23 multi purpose kiln capable of firing glass or ceramics with the fl.

These pieces are intended for ceramic hobbyists to glaze and fire. 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. Plates are essential for glass studios. Slumpy s has a great selection of plate molds dish molds server molds and more.

The slumping glass process is used for making bowls platters or decorative 3 d objects. They can be used very successfully as slump molds needing nothing but kilnwash. This example explains how molds are made from clay. If you feel the need to drill holes in the mold use a masonry bit and follow dust safety guidelines.

A convex form over which clay slabs are draped until stiff enough to hold the shape. Away from the studio you can find her reading fantasy fiction but most days she s always keeping her hands busy making arts crafts. Slumping means heating glass in a kiln over a mold until it takes the shape of that mold. Most ceramic supply stores carry a line of pre made bisque ware at extremely good prices.

Like humps molds our slump molds are plaster templates that are useful for creating reproducible forms.