waving a piece of glass

[jerry keller]

I've got a stainless steel mold that has hills and valleys in it, and plan to use it for a "wave" in a piece of glass - similar to a flag waving. I'd like the top and bottom of the 9"x7" piece of 1/4" ( Spectrum with a fused cover layer )
to have a curve that comes up from the wave, on both top and bottom. I was thinking of taking some vermiculte, and creating a box out of it, and resting the glass on the top and bottom on the diagonal ( want the piece to be a diagonal wave ). Then hoping that the top and bottom will curve up, and the rest of it will wave to the configuration of the mold. I assume fiber paper under the top and bottom would be best, even though I don't like to use it. The stainless is kiln washed, so don't think I'll need anything on it.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

[Kevin Midgley]

Can't you just pick up the glass and then move your arm and achieve the royal type wave you want?

[jerry keller]

Without the fireman's suit, I'm not ready to jump into the fire.

[Bert Weiss]

jerry

I routinely make waves with fiber blanket, not paper. I much prefer the blanket to the paper because it is reusable many times in many configurations. I am able to use 1/4" blanket, which is not readily available in less than case quantities, but any thickness will work. I powder my blanket with alumina hydrate which can lessen the texture. I personally love the texture of the blanket because it is a lot more watery and interesting than one you would get from kilnwashing SS.

You want a firing schedule to yield enough heatwork to put all the glass in textural contact with the mold, but no more than is necessary for this. Otherwise you get un-natural looking smooth spots, or the whole piece gets over-fired.

[jerry keller]

Thanks - I've got some wet-pack that I could use - probably 1/2". Any idea what a good firing schedule you'd suggest for a 9"x7" piece of 1/4" spectrum fused to clear?

Thanks

[Bert Weiss]

Thanks - I've got some wet-pack that I could use - probably 1/2". Any idea what a good firing schedule you'd suggest for a 9"x7" piece of 1/4" spectrum fused to clear?

Thanks

I wave with float glass. So I can't help you. Heat work tends to be different in diverse kilns. so do not necessarily take anybody's word for granted.

I work with dry blanket, and dry powder. If your wetpack is made with colloidal silica, you will need a further separator. If it is made with colloidal alumina, some more colloidal alumina is always helpful.

[jerry keller]

I've now got 5 pieces of 1/4" float in varying stages of waving. I used 400-1350 for the schedule. At that temp, on the stainless mold that I have pre-waved, with kiln wash, I got some impression from the low spots on the stainless. At 1320, the impression was less.

Now I plan to go to 1200, for the real piece, and hope to not be picking up any unwanted impressions (its 96, now 1/4" thick).

Do you think 100 degrees less is a proper drop for the 96 vs. float?

Also, I've got some unwanted but nonetheless visible kiln wash markings from the melting of the two layers of 1/8" together, and would not mind getting them to look less noticeable. Would putting some alumina hydrate on the st. steel, and going to maybe 1250, give me a better shot at an overall textural look, seeing as there are already some markings in certain areas....

[Bert Weiss]

The temp for minimizing mold marks on float is 1140. You will have to wait an awful long time to get it to move though. You are pretty much trying to do the impossible. I often use 1360 with a one hour soak to texturize flat 10mm glass.

The guys who bend at 1140 are bending a large radius in to a stainless curved mold. They have all the weight pushing down. On a wave mold you don't have this kind of force advantage.

Float softens about 80º hotter than 96.

[Brock]

I have slumped 19mm (3/4") into a KWed wok, making full contact with the mold with no marks at all.
It was a long slow slump culminating around 1100. There is no magic number, it is all about the HEAT WORK.
A number without a schedule, doesn't really help, and the schedule will vary with other factors.

The Schedule:

100 dph 1100. Observe until until desired effect is achieved.
This was a 20" circle turned into an approx. 18" bowl, 3" deep.
The disc had an amazing amount of sandblasted details, computer imagery, and was pristine.