High temperature molds and materials

winship · Post by **winship** » Fri Mar 14, 2003 5:47 pm

Does anybody out there know anything about high temp. refractory molds.
When I say high temp I mean in the 1800 - 1900 F. range. I know this is well beyond the range of soft glass but I have another purpose in mind.
If anybody can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx.

I would also be interested in any moldable material that could be used at the same temps.

Amy Schleif-Mohr · Post by **Amy Schleif-Mohr** » Fri Mar 14, 2003 5:51 pm

Are you looking to use the mold many times?
How intricate are you looking to get?
Amy

Clifford Ross · Post by **Clifford Ross** » Fri Mar 14, 2003 8:24 pm

Winship- make your own molds from clay.

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Fri Mar 14, 2003 9:20 pm

graphite will work.

winship · Post by **winship** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 6:49 pm

for the time being I just want to use simple bowl molds and drop rings'
I would at least like to get ten to fifteen cycles out of each mold.
What kind of clay?

Colin & Helen · Post by **Colin & Helen** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 7:54 pm

Bisque fired Stoneware.....or Raku ..I have used some of my moulds several hundred times.. I have only had one mould fall apart......that one was made form Terracotta clay that been over bisqued........Colin

winship · Post by **winship** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 3:29 pm

Thank you all for your responses, I look forward to trying some of your ideas. I will check back and let you all know how the project is going in the next couple of days. Once again thanx.
Brent.

watershed · Post by **watershed** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:14 am

You could always go for, castable refractories, Cast-o-lite X etc. But you start losing details.

Greg

lohman · Post by **lohman** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 10:53 pm

I've used castolite. Plan on test firing before you fire a full kiln. I fired a load in which I had castolite molds, steel molds, ceramic molds and ceramic fiber molds and the glass on castolite over-fired. the other pieces were fine. My thinking is that the castolite retained the heat much longer than the other materials. Also the castolite molds were much thicker that the other molds. Good luck.