newbie question

[Cyndi]

What is a drop ring?
I keep reading this word.
Thanks

[vblue]

A drop ring is a mold that, if you put in on kiln posts, the glass "drops through" the center part. The height of the kiln posts determine how far the glass drops.
The photo below (can't believe I got the image thingy to work) shows the mold and a plate I did without the posts.

http://www.picturetrail.com/vernelle
If you go to the link above, click on my warm glass album, you will see a drop ring where I had some posts and it dropped through.

[Cyndi]

Hey, That is pretty cool! Thank you for your help!
Cyndi

[Kim Bellis]

Cyndi:
Drop rings are really great to work with - you can do so many things with them. I used a drop ring similiar to the one shown - but, put it on 5" post and this is what I got. http://www.glassaddict.com/Passion.htm
Kim

[Kaye]

Kim--

That's very cool! Was it a double thickness fused together first?

Kaye

[Kim Bellis]

Thank you Kaye,
Yes it is a double disk fused together then dropped using a ceramic drop ring mold on 5" post.

[Sandpiper]

Kim,
Why didn't the glass fall through the mold. When I tried this my glass didn't slump all the way to the shelf before one side slid into the void. Couldn't even call it art. Just called it ugly.

Thanks
Sandpiper, alias Robin

[Kim Bellis]

Robin:
Was your mold ceramic? I have been told if you use a fiber mold and do not kiln wash it that it can "stretch" through on one side.

My mold is 7" ceramic drop mold with a 3" middle hole. My glass disk was about 5" diameter. I centered it over the drop hole. I've never had one slip through. Yes, I let it melt down to the kiln shelf (5") and I let it just puddle a little and then flash vented and shut my kiln off. The base came out like a heart.

I'm not sure why one side of yours did that. Does your mold have any "nips" or anything that the glass could of grabbed on one side?

Kim

[Andrew]

Kim,
Why didn't the glass fall through the mold. When I tried this my glass didn't slump all the way to the shelf before one side slid into the void. Couldn't even call it art. Just called it ugly.

Thanks
Sandpiper, alias Robin

There could be a couple of reasons. Was the glass at least as big as the outside rim of the mold? Remeber that the glass is being pulled through the center and if it is not at least as wide as the mold (depending upon the depth of the drop) it can pull through the mold.

Was the ring flat on the posts?

Were there different color glasses that may have heated unevenly so one side became softer (more molten) than another?

How deep was the drop? Or another way of asking that is how close was the drop ring to the top elements? If it was close (small kiln or deep drop) then how fast did you ramp up?

Have you noticed any hot spots in your kiln?

Lots of things can go wrong, although once you get the hang of it, it isn't that difficult. I've had pieces drop through a drop ring and a friend of mine once made a 16 inch drop ring too narrow. He fused up a five or six layer plate (really thick) and tried to drop it 10 inches to make a monster bowl. It slipped. Yikes.

Andy

[Bob]

Another reason why glass slips through drop through molds is the shape of teh mold. If the top of the mold has a slight evel then the glass slumps onto the entire surface of the mold prior to dropping through the hole in the center of the mold. If the top of the mold is flat the glass tends to bend along the inside lip of the mold. There is less friction and the glass tends to slip through the hole. I used to use/make molds that had flat rims and had a lot of slippage problems. I now use/make molds that have a bevel in the rim and have not had any uncontrolled slippage. Examples of shapes that I get using drop throughs are at:

http://www.leatherbarrow.ca/Bowls%20Main%20Page.htm

Look at many of the commercial drop through ceramic molds and you'll likely see a bevel. It really has an impact, not only on the likelihood of a successful slump, but also on the asthetics of the form (in my opinion).

Just another variable in the mix.

Cheers,

Bob

[Sandpiper]

Kim and Andy,

It was a couple of months ago, and I'm not a spring chicken, so let me think.....

The mold is ceramic. It was flat on the kiln posts. The glass may not have been the same diameter as the mold, so that makes sense that it slipped through. The drop was 3-4 inches if memory serves me, but I think the top of the mold may have been kind of close to the element.

Maybe I should try this again, huh. You guys gave me a lot to think about it. Maybe while I'm at it I should check the level on my kiln again. It was level to start with, but who knows. We did have a slight earthquake, so who knows.....

Thanks for the input

Robin

[Sandpiper]

Bob,

Cool, ok I'm going to try again. I was so disgusted with my first attempt, and I was brand spanking new at warm glass. I just moved on to other things. Time to revisit. Thanks for the inspiration

Robin

[Cyndi]

Kim, That is really cool!!
So, you just raise the drop ring up and the glass melts through the middle?
or does it melt into something to form that shap? Sorry, I'm REALLY new to this. I do not quite understand.
Thanks
Cyndi

[Kim Bellis]

Cyndi:
Your right, I just let it drop through the middle. As it hit the kiln shelf I just kept an eye on it. It is one of my favorite vases - I love the red to begin with so vibrant.

I want to try some new experiments with different angles, perhaps using fiber board and cutting out an unusal shape for the drop ring.
Kim