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I made an interesting pot melt yesterday and after I grind it round, I want to add a one and a half inch rim to it. Can I just cut two rims, stack them on top of each other, put them around the center piece and fuse together? OR do I have to cut a large circle to put underneath the center piece and the rims? I want to keep it 1/4" thick.
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/74dodg ... lt&.view=t

Thanks,Randy

You can do it either way. Brock

Should work as long as you don't have big spaces between your rim and center piece. And it's going to be 1/4" thick either way. Just bigger if you add the bottom glass.

I like to add a piece of glass as a solid bottom. In the pot melt process, or combing, the bottom of the disc always seems to have twists, wrinkles or other imperfections which I can cover by adding this sheet.

I make mine large enough to accomodate what ever size rim I'm adding so the bottom sheet is nice and smooth all the way out. As far as the number of rims (thicknes wise) you add, the higher you pile them, the further they grow. Even with a thick disc, a two layer rim is usually all I do.

Good luck,
Jerry

Randy,

I did this very same thing once without a bottom piece. In spite of impressive rim cutting (if I do say so myself) when it finished fusing there was one spot on the diameter that had a 1/16" space, about 1 1/2" long.

While I was pondering what do to do fill the space - it cracked at that point. I assume the situation created a difficult annealing problem.

So, I added a bottom, refired, added some design elements to hide the crack and it was repaired.

So, I'd be very wary of doing it without a base.

Steve

Steve Immerman wrote:Randy,

I did this very same thing once without a bottom piece. In spite of impressive rim cutting (if I do say so myself) when it finished fusing there was one spot on the diameter that had a 1/16" space, about 1 1/2" long.

While I was pondering what do to do fill the space - it cracked at that point. I assume the situation created a difficult annealing problem.

So, I added a bottom, refired, added some design elements to hide the crack and it was repaired.

So, I'd be very wary of doing it without a base.

Steve

i just made 2 pot melts into bowls. i cut a 2 layer rim. no base. it worked fine. i started with a 3/8" pot melt (i melted into a steel rim lined with fiber paper to get it perfectly round), so the melt shrunk down to the 1/4" normal thickness. it's interesting in that the additional glass went between the layers of the rim, so you can see where it actually grew as i used a bottom rim layer of clear.

Yes. My melt was only slightly thicker than 1/4" thick, so it didn't expand much when the rim was added. I had hoped it would expand a little, which is why I thought I could get away with it.

But, yes, if you have a thicker melt, it should work.

Charlie, did you make the rim inner diameter larger then the melt, to allow for expansion? Do you have a photo?

Steve

Steve Immerman wrote:Yes. My melt was only slightly thicker than 1/4" thick, so it didn't expand much when the rim was added. I had hoped it would expand a little, which is why I thought I could get away with it.

But, yes, if you have a thicker melt, it should work.

Charlie, did you make the rim inner diameter larger then the melt, to allow for expansion? Do you have a photo?

Steve

i tried to make the rim inner diameter be the exact same size of the melt. i almost did it, but the melt wasn't exactly round either. there were a couple of gaps that filled nicely when it spread.

i don't yet have any pictures of them, but i'll try to remember to take a few soon and post.

Hi guys,
I know two ways to get those inner discs perfectly round. It depends on what you are actually doing which method you might use.

1) When you bought your flower pot to use as a crucible, you were standing right next to some flat flower pot trays. They are cheap and with a couple coats of primer, make an excellent containment field, far better than the SS rims, in my opinion, and not as expensive. I also sprinkle on a layer of talc, but plaster or silica would work as well and add a single layer base sheet the same size as the inside of the tray. That prevents the melt from getting any kiln wash on the back, and we all know how much fun that can be to remove. Anyway, the major drawback to these trays is that you are confined to their size and shape. If that is the size and shape you want, or are willing to work with, then it's the easiest and quickest.

2) This one is more involved but has the added reward of being able to make your containment field ANY size or shape you want. Plaster/silica casting! Make a model of the size and shape you want out of clay, styrofoam, plywood or whatever. Make sure it's sealed. I use saran wrap on the styrofoam. It takes the seperator nicely and gives me something to get hold of to pull the model out. Remember, you may carve any of this stuff into ANY shape. So if you wanted to do a seven sided or wieder object (Steve, you listening?) you are able to. Follow your normal casting rules and you'll be just fine.

After the mold sets up, pull out the model and do any smoothing along the inner surfaces. Usually there isn't too much to do because the saran wrap is pretty smooth, but be as finiky as you wish. I like to dry the molds well before using them but it's not really necessary. A hairline fracture along the bottom gets covered up with a base sheet when adding the rims.

Good luck,
Jerry

Jerry wrote:Hi guys,
I know two ways to get those inner discs perfectly round. It depends on what you are actually doing which method you might use.

1) When you bought your flower pot to use as a crucible, you were standing right next to some flat flower pot trays. They are cheap and with a couple coats of primer, make an excellent containment field, far better than the SS rims, in my opinion, and not as expensive. I also sprinkle on a layer of talc, but plaster or silica would work as well and add a single layer base sheet the same size as the inside of the tray. That prevents the melt from getting any kiln wash on the back, and we all know how much fun that can be to remove.

i use a sand blaster, or as i call it, my magic glass eraser.

Anyway, the major drawback to these trays is that you are confined to their size and shape. If that is the size and shape you want, or are willing to work with, then it's the easiest and quickest.

thanks. i bought a set of steel rings from phil's son so have a good number of them already.

2) This one is more involved but has the added reward of being able to make your containment field ANY size or shape you want. Plaster/silica casting! Make a model of the size and shape you want out of clay, styrofoam, plywood or whatever. Make sure it's sealed. I use saran wrap on the styrofoam. It takes the seperator nicely and gives me something to get hold of to pull the model out. Remember, you may carve any of this stuff into ANY shape. So if you wanted to do a seven sided or wieder object (Steve, you listening?) you are able to. Follow your normal casting rules and you'll be just fine.

After the mold sets up, pull out the model and do any smoothing along the inner surfaces. Usually there isn't too much to do because the saran wrap is pretty smooth, but be as finiky as you wish. I like to dry the molds well before using them but it's not really necessary. A hairline fracture along the bottom gets covered up with a base sheet when adding the rims.

Good luck,
Jerry

i find it easier to make a clay slab, slice a piece of it, and make the outline of that. dry, bisque, and it's bob's your uncle

Charlie, don't you get a frosted look after you sandblast? Do you cold work after?

yes, the back is frosted, but that's ok. it's the back, and the frosting tends to hid any mold marks anyway. also, some of it comes out during the slump, and it becomes more matte.

when i sand blast the front, i firepolish in one firing then do a seperate slump.

I'd probably use a sandblaster as well, if I had one. Having said that, those are the results of trying to get out of trouble. Now, maybe Santa is listening about having a new toy.

Jerry

charlie wrote:

Steve Immerman wrote:Yes. My melt was only slightly thicker than 1/4" thick, so it didn't expand much when the rim was added. I had hoped it would expand a little, which is why I thought I could get away with it.

But, yes, if you have a thicker melt, it should work.

Charlie, did you make the rim inner diameter larger then the melt, to allow for expansion? Do you have a photo?

Steve

i tried to make the rim inner diameter be the exact same size of the melt. i almost did it, but the melt wasn't exactly round either. there were a couple of gaps that filled nicely when it spread.

i don't yet have any pictures of them, but i'll try to remember to take a few soon and post.

not very good photos, but here's my examples:

Great pieces Charlie. Here are some pictures of the rim I put around my latest pot melt.
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/74dodg ... lt&.view=t

Randy

i like yours too. what's the trick to get the glass not be swirled, but blobby? i tried drilling out the holes but that didn't affect them much. do i make very large holes?

i just found a long flowerpot in kmart that had 2 holes in it about 5" apart. that should make an interesting pattern when used.

Shorten your drop height. This one was done with a 1" hole and a two inch drop.

Randy

You guys are making me feel like a rookie, but I put up my last pot melt in the photo section which has my trademark two part rim. Patty Gray is a good instructor.

Jerry

What do you mean? Your pot melts are great too !!

Randy

Well, Randy, I guess I'll have to keep you around; you're good for my ego.

Thanks,
Jerry