steel thickness mold Q?

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 10:02 pm

hi all. i need to make some mold forms. i am working on table tops. i want to do various edge drapes . what thickness of steel do you think would work? i have some 1/4" stock that i have had cut but i think that might be (probably is) overkill. so iguess what i want to know is ....what is the minimum thickness that you think (know ) would work. assuming a well supported piece of steel in the kiln for a slump. rosanna

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 10:09 pm

I wouldn't go below a well supported 14 gauge. Brock

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 7:54 am

so...14 gage = .075 inch =a little more than 1/16 inch? math challenged. rosanna

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:47 am

rosanna gusler wrote:so...14 gage = .075 inch =a little more than 1/16 inch? math challenged. rosanna

Yeah, somewhere in there. Brock

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:10 am

Rosanna

I have no experience with large steel molds. I use fiber board, with or without blanket.

For steel, I would imagine that you need to bend the edges for strength and possibly include some inner support system. Warpage is the problem you need to solve.

If you have the thicker steel and want to use it, you could try covering it with 1/2" blanket. That will create your surface and insulate the steel. Add powders until you have the surface you like.

Tom White · Post by **Tom White** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 12:07 pm

Rosanna, I'm not exactly sure I understand what you want to do. It sounds like you want to support a kilnwashed piece of steel above the kiln shelf with glass extending out past the edges of the steel and do a slump firing to bend the edges of the glass down past the steel mold then remove the glass from the mold and use it as a table top. The size of the mold and perhaps even the thickness of the glass you propose to use would need to be known to give a meaningful answer. It might be possible to cut a mullite kiln shelf or a fiber board shelf 1 to 2" smaller than your steel mold to support it and use thinner steel than if you used only steel directly on only shelf posts. I would be more afraid of warping problems with large pieces of just steel.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 12:45 pm

Here Rosanna:

http://www.artresources.com/guide/featu ... 37.95&c=37

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 7:54 pm

thanks brock! great shock pic. my tops are WAY smaller than that. however....barring bad hurricaines this summer i will have me a 4'x8' firing surface to play with by november. anyhow i found a nice sheet of 1/8" steel yesterday. it feels like the tool for the job. i will take it to the metal shop tomorrow and put it through their shear. i guess i go the metal route because there are so many metal shops in wanchese. instant gratification. i draw it, they cut/bend it. rosanna

BobB · Post by **BobB** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:24 pm

Great link Brock. That's the first time I've seen a "walk in kiln".

It didn't say if she was using tempered glass or not. I wonder since she's sandblasting before slumping if that caused stress in the glass and the one tabletop to break.

Just thinking out loud.

BobB

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:28 pm

It wouldn't be tempered. The problem appears to be thermal shock, although blasting the glass may have contributed to that. There's a guy here in town who has a dozen kilns that size, and larger. Brock