Flower mold question

[Shereen]

I have this flower mold and wonder what is the best way to fuse glass in it.    i tried cutting and placing glass on the sides and the glass shrunk ( Yes, I know , dumb idea :)   anyway,   Has anyone used a mold like this?   Thank you!

[Marsha]

I have made it a couple times and haven't been able to get the petals to show up good.  I think next time I will do the petals separate and then tack fuse them before the slump or maybe not!!

[Kev]

Sounds like a good plan Marsha.

[PiscesGlass]

I really like those Marsha, what cute little bowls they make...hummmm...maybe a set of those and a cute slumped plate would be really neat.

De

[nansea121]

I like the idea of doing the petals separately as well. Pretty mold:)

[meaco]

Marsha...those are so darn cute!! 

[Becki]

Transparent glass should show those petal lines.

[Anne]

Kev posted a pattern in our pattern site last year.  It was separate petals laid one on top of another.  I made a couple up, countour fusing them then slumping them into a bowl.  They came out looking almost exactly like this mold.  (Info posted for those that don't have this mold.)  I would agree with Becki, the petals should show up with transparent glass.

[Marsha]

I also forgot to say that after you slump it the bottom isn't flat soooooo I took an "o" ring and glued it to the bottom then put green felt over that.  I'm going to have to find that pattern that Kev made!!

[Marsha]

Thanks everyone for the compliments!!!    I would really like to get it to look like the real thing if I can!!  I would also like to get the bicolored blossoms to look real...I know, I'm asking a lot from a mold!!!

[Judy K]

Marsha I can not remember if you are using 96coe. I would try cotton candy pink glass with orange powdered frit on one end of each petal. Full fuse the petals seperately. Place the petals in the mold and then contour fuse to 1350 and see if you like that.

[Shereen]

Judy, that's a good idea!    I only use 90 coe   though . I tried using separate pieces  but I guess they were not large enough. I"ll  try it again with larger pieces.    If I full fuse them will they shrink  any further?     When I made the pieces to fit the mold they shrunk so much.    How about this mold?       Does anyone know what shape the glass should be to slump properly for the nightlight?

[Becki]

  How about this mold?       Does anyone know what shape the glass should be to slump properly for the nightlight?

Trace the shape of the mold on your glass and cut it.  Since this is a drape rather than a slump you might want to consider using fiber paper between the glass and the mold. As it cools clay contracts less than glass and can possibly crack or break the glass.

[Marsha]

I use 96 and I will try your suggestion!  Thanks!

[Anne]

and show us when it's done Shereen! Haven't seen that mold draped yet.

[Judy K]

Good Luck Marsha. I know you really want this to work. Where you want the center orange leave the frit 1/16" or more high , then gradually bring it to level with the pink glass. Clean all of the orange powder off the part you want to stay pink so it does not loose its purity. You might make these petals a little larger than hoped for because being one layer they will pull up on the sides. When you place all the petals in the mold to contour fuse them together it will add to the petals individuality to have the ticker edges of the single layer glass.

You could also lay them in the flower shape and tack/contour fuse them flat first, I would try 1350F. Then do a third firing for the slump. These are going to be so cute!

Shereen, glass wants to be around 1/4" thick. So when you heat it it will draw up on the edges if it is only an 1/8th inch single layer. If it is two layers It will stay about the size you cut it, and if it is more than 2 layers it will spread out and grow larger. Knowing this can help you plan how big to cut your glass. In time this becomes second nature to you.

Cool night light drape mold. Becki is right, a loose rule of thumb is that we "drape over stainless steel" and "slump in to clay" because of the way they heat and cool in comparison to the glass. That makes this little night light a little unusual, but it is so small and you are not intending to use glass that wraps all the way down the sides, so I think it should work fine.

Place the mold on the glass and draw around it. If you are prefusing a single layer for this make it 1/8" bigger all the way around because it will draw up on the edges. If you are going to prefuse a double layer cut it the intended final size. If you are not prefusing but just going to drape a single layer it should not shrink at only 1200F to drape it.

I am stuck in Calif. I sent you a PM.

[Becki]

If you're planning on prefusing a single layer don't take it to full fuse temp and it won't pull in but it will fire polish the edges.

[Marsha]

Here is my schedule Shereen.  My kiln is an 8x8 olympic...if is yours is bigger, you might have to adjust......Marsha
1. 150  300  15
2. 300  1100  20
3. 150  1250  35
4. 400  950  65
5. 150  800  10
6. 300  100  0

[Shereen]

   How about this mold?       Does anyone know what shape the glass should be to slump properly for the nightlight?

Trace the shape of the mold on your glass and cut it.  Since this is a drape rather than a slump you might want to consider using fiber paper between the glass and the mold. As it cools clay contracts less than glass and can possibly crack or break the glass.

Oh wow, thanks for the advise!    I've only been using the kiln as a reward at the end of the day when I've been working on stained glass commissions.  I guess I can post them on that "finally done" site here.         Thanks again- I would never have thought of that

[Shereen]

Judy, so sorry you've been sick.   About flying, tomorrow morning I'm flying to San Francisco to see my son before he heads to Pensicola  for flight school  - flying back tomorrow night.     I would love to meet you  - i sent you a pm too!