S/S ring source

[Jeri D]

I have forgotten who supplies 12" s/s rings. I am not getting enough info from archives. OK , I admit, I get frustrated sometimes!
I am working approx 1/2" thick for small table tops and don't like how fiberpaper sticks to MY pieces . Do they stick to yours?
Is there ever an end to getting more molds? I
I think therfore I buy more molds.
Jeri

[Tom White]

Jeri, I found a 10 foot long piece of 26 ga stainless steel sheet about 7" wide at the local metal seller and had it cut into 3/4" wide strips at a local sheet metal shop. I shaped some of the 3/4" wide strips into molds for the skewed hearts I an making as seen at http://photos.yahoo.com/tomwhite2 the last wider strip I kept to dam thick circle fuses. I have used iron crating straps for this before i bought the ss. I apply a heaver concentration of kiln wash to the inside of the dam, dry it then wrap it around the stacked blank with the ends overlapped at least an inch and secure with one wrap of bailing wire around the outside and twist the ends to hold it in place. After firing it is simple to remove the bailing wire and peel the strip off the glass. The fact that the ends are not fastened tightly allows it to slip slightly instead of choking the glass when the ss shrinks more than the glass after firing it. A slight touch up on the wewt belt sander takes care of the joint where the ends overlap.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

[Phil Hoppes]

Email my son at:

Matt@profabllc.com

He's not fast but he is reasonable and will do you a good job. He's got some issues with his email at the moment so if you want send me your order and I will see that he gets it.

Phil

[Tony Smith]

Jeri,

It was Phil Hoppes' son Matt who was making the ring molds.

Find a post of his and PM him

Tony

[The Hobbyist]

Matt Hoppes makes very good SS rings and reasonably priced. I have four and am about to order some more.

Jim

[Jeri D]

Thanks all for the advice. Tom , I also like your advise for the stripping, It could be great for my small tabletops with out taking up all the room with damming material.
Jeri

[BillBrach]

For small shapes, I wonder if you could use stainless steel cookie cutters. You might want to cut the handle away, to give better access for placing the glass.

http://www.bakingshop.com/cakes/cookiecutters.htm

[Tom White]

Bill, the cookie cutter moght work. My concern would be that the metal form might shrink more than the glass when it cools and be hard to reemove or even crack the glass. Look at the experiments album at http://photos.yahoo.com/tomwhite2 for a picture a small ss heart mold I shaped from a 3/4" wide strip of 26 ga metal. It is alightly lighter than the 24 ga cookie cutters you referenced. Also, one end only overlaps the other end instead of being welded shut. I think this construction allows the mold to slip slightly when it cools around the glass. I have used a dozen of these molds to produce 250 of these hearts for an order.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

[Amy Schleif-Mohr]

If you are going to use ss rings you need to remember that the ss shrinks more than the glass. When I have cast with them I use 1/4 fiber paper on the first firing then 1/8 fiber paper on each successive firing. You need the cusion so the ss doesn't crack the glass.

Amy

[Jeri D]

thanks for the tips on shrinkage. I liked tom's idea about having the ends ovrlap for a little movement. Does fiberpaper stick to everyone's pieces, or am I just lucky
Jeri