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Hey there all, I went to the PNS meeting last night and met another sculpture who casts in glass. She was claiming that hydrostone or hydorcal, 50/50 with silica was a really strong mold and held up well in a kiln. Has anyone had any experience with it? My hesitation comes in the de-molding. I have ...

Thanks so much, I don't think I will have a problem finding it now. I'll keep you folks posted as to the outcome of all of this help. I am making a mold frame tonight, tomorrow the mold pouring and then we'll see. It's been delightful to know there are so many people willing to help so freely. Carole

Jerry,

I have looked on the library site, the book sites I use, searched on the web and I can't find the book Dan Fenton on Patte De Verre. Any suggestions?

Carole

Charlie, There is just sooo much to know in this medium. Bronzing and cold cast bronzing just aren't as complicated, or so it seems to me. I don't know that I would have gotten involved in it if I had known ahead of time, but I am hooked now that I have seen some of my pieces in it. It's too late, I...

Charles, Okay, I will make the molds one inch at their thinnest point. Both sides and base. I will dry them for three days before bringing them in. Sand sounds like a great idea, I am not sure how I would hold that in there though. Do you mean just place it on the shelf? Someone at the place I buy t...

Since I mix the receipe with an electric mixer for about three minutes before pouring, perhaps that is not the problem. I will try it though to see if it makes a difference. Thanks Jerry, I will try a mold with lesser thickness on the sides and see what happens. Such a list of things to try. It is v...

Is it really not necessary to have 2 inches of mold all the way around the piece? 1/2 inch would do it? Wouldn't that make the mold weaker?

Carole

I will check out the Boyce book, thanks!

Charlie, Jerry and Bert, Okay, okay, I think it is confession time. I have not been mixing the dry ingredients before adding them to the water. It sounds like that could be the whole problem. Somehow it never occured to me. I have been carefully sifting it and following the receipe to the T, just di...

Has anyone else used talc in their reciepes? Has anyone else increased the amount of silica while reducing the plaster with good results?

Carole

Jerry, Since I am such a novice, it is difficult to figure out just what advice to take. It's just that two other people on here are recommending just the opposite. It is very confusing. What you are saying makes a lot of sense if the silica is the one that offers the strength at high temps. The tim...

Brock,

Lovely work, but not enough pics!!! Thanks for sharing it.

Carole

You're welcome. If your mold isn't cracking until it's cooling, you shouldn't have a problem with the glass running out. If you have glass migrating out of the mold, it cracked at or before top temperature. Brock Brock, The foundry owner is the one telling me that the mold isn't cracking until it be...

Jerry, A number of things you are saying are confusing to me. What I am hearing from other people on here is that running the kiln at 200 for a number of hours works well for drying it out so it makes the drying a non-issue. Your experience with this has been different? Or have your tried drying it ...

Brock, The only thing the foundry is doing is setting the digital timer for me, so I am pretty much doing my own casting. I am looking for a kiln though, second hand, they seem hard to find. I am not sure if they will have enough buttressing material for me to use, but I do think that a good plan an...

Brock, So when putting the chicken wire it, it would be added to the bottom of the mold I take it? One flat cut of it running the length of the mold? As far away from the glass as possible, right? Sounds like it might be best to make the mold and then add another small pouring on top with the chicke...

Lauri,

I sould have qualified that a bit more, I have cast 10 pieces in glass at this point. The results have been really hard to take as out of that I have 4 pieces to show for it. Disappointing to say the least.

Carole

Lauri, Ceramic firing is not a possibility as there are many undercuts in each piece. Thanks for the thought though. I haven’t tried slump glass yet. This is a new medium for me. Consider me a novice as I have cast in bronze and cold cast bronze, clay and hydrostone only up to this point. Mostly b...

Bert, Your comment on the water being driven out too fast because of the denseness seems to make sense. These are high relief pieces so some of the areas have 2 inches of mold material below them and other areas have 4 inches. I can’t see how that can be helped given the piece itself. How high sho...

Brock, Yes, these are open faced molds. I am not sure of how long the timing is for 200 degrees as the glass foundry I use at this point is doing the timing for me. I will check into it and make sure it is for 6 hours at 200. You say to forget the hot spots, don’t they cause problems with the crys...