frit pendants made with molds

[rverk47]

has anybody tried to make pendants with the mini molds and fine frit? i want to try it but haven't found much info on it..anybody have any suggestions where i can get more info on it..thx

[FlamingFrog]

Hi Renee!

Here is a tutorial on making a frit pendant. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like fun.

Lonni


http://www.jsavinacollection.com/pages/FritPendantTutorial.php

[ptyser]

Where can I find the mini molds?
Patricia Carberry
www.illusionjewelry.com

[FlamingFrog]

Hi Patricia!

Delphi sells some.

http://www.delphiglass.com/fusing/molds/

Lonni

[FlamingFrog]

I thought these looked really interesting.

http://www.cookinwithglass.com/channel%20molds.htm

I wonder if you could use a bead release coated mandrel instead of the wooden thingies because what I would like to do would require firing 2 times and I think the wooden thingies wood burn up the first time.

Has anyone used these before?

Lonni

[Phoenix]

I haven't use those- but I've got an order going in as of this weekend- I'll let you know after I do some playing :-)

[Listenup]

What you're talking about is called Pâte de Verre. Molds don't need to be complicated - you can make your own out of plaster (yes, plaster does hold up in the kiln). If you GOOGLE "Pâte de Verre" you can come up with some good tutorials on it. I've only done it once or twice so I'm hardly an expert and have already told you about all I really know about it.

[rverk47]

thanks for the info, i ordered some basics and i'll let ya know how it works.,.thx

[beadgoodies]

thanks for the info, i ordered some basics and i'll let ya know how it works.,.thx

If it works out, do show us what you make! I'd love to see some more of these things. I've never used frit like this before. Sounds interesting!!

Candy

[Karen Hardy]

Couldn't resist.
I ordered a few molds from Delphi.
They are having a bogo sale right now
(buy one-get one at 50% off).

[misfit]

I make molds and provided you're not looking for the extremely complecated, drop me a line and I'll see what I can hook people up with. Single peice molds are very simple to do. 2 peice are a bit of a pain. on average the more parts the nastier to make. they're not exspensive to make. a simple single peice mini mold with 4 cabs in it runs around $5.00.

Alan.

[nitefire]

I make molds and provided you're not looking for the extremely complecated, drop me a line and I'll see what I can hook people up with. Single peice molds are very simple to do. 2 peice are a bit of a pain. on average the more parts the nastier to make. they're not exspensive to make. a simple single peice mini mold with 4 cabs in it runs around $5.00.

Alan.

Hi Alan
Do you have any pictures of molds that you have already made. I would really like to see some. I have a glass sand dollar that i love, and would like to possibly make something like it.
Thanks
Elaine

[misfit]

Hi Alan
Do you have any pictures of molds that you have already made. I would really like to see some. I have a glass sand dollar that i love, and would like to possibly make something like it.
Thanks
Elaine

I'm working out a mold with (6) 12x18 oval cabs in it. I can send you a pic via e-mail when I finish pouring it. I'm also taking a peek around to see what other shapes I can come up with without sacrificing a stone I care about.

I don't suggest making molds from anything you care about. It frequently/ussually destroys the original. what I would suggest is making a latex mold of your original, pouring a wax of it and making a mold of the wax.
the benifit of this is the latex will not destroy the original and will clean off easily. the down side is a good latex to make the mold with runs $200.00/gallon. the less exspensive latex I've tried does not have the same quality as far as crisp detail or for holding up to the heat of wax pouring.


Alan.

[bead crazy]

Alan could you use some fimo clay to make the pattern you want then do the plaster in it?

[misfit]

Alan could you use some fimo clay to make the pattern you want then do the plaster in it?

yes I can make a mold from a master made with fimo. it would have to have NO undercuts at all, or it will not release from the mold, and neither would anything cast in it- such as a glass cab. but sure fimo would work fine if you wished to create a master so that you would have a mold pattern that no one else had. ;)

I've also carved masters from jewlers wax.

Just make sure your finished master has the finish you want from the mold. ;)

Alan.

[beadworkstudio]

You can use wooden skewers with a heavy coat of mandrel release, and you can fire the piece more than once. I fused a sheet like this and cut it into pendants, then refired to polish the edges. The wood burns out on the first firing, but the bead release holds the holes open on the second firing. I'm not sure how well it would work if you took it to full fusing temps, though.

[nitefire]

What you're talking about is called Pâte de Verre. Molds don't need to be complicated - you can make your own out of plaster (yes, plaster does hold up in the kiln). If you GOOGLE "Pâte de Verre" you can come up with some good tutorials on it. I've only done it once or twice so I'm hardly an expert and have already told you about all I really know about it.

I have some old ceramic plaster type molds. I will have to try this in one of them and see what happens. I am willing to sacrifice at least one mold anyway.
Elaine

[Karen Hardy]

This is my first time doing this. I got that tutorial (awesome)
and I bought a book on Pate De Verre which looks pretty good.
Bought a shitload of powdered frit (96) from Pacific Art Glass
(and some awesome dichroic frit from CBS).
..plus I have a boatload of 96 frit (including some of yours, Candy!).

I mixed up some of that mold goop and I've been painting it on.
I've got about 6 layers now (is that stuff supposed to be so thin?).

Next - I'm going to fire these in my kiln at 500 for approx 5-10 min
to "set" the mold goop. Then I'm going to go to town and experiment.

Do these have to be recoated EVERY time you use them?????
Blech.

I'm demoing at Winship in Torrance this Saturday (come on down!!!)
so I'll probably do this on monday.

[FlamingFrog]

Hey Karen! What kind of mold making material did you get?

Lonni

[misfit]

for those people interested and waiting photos. I'm regrinding the backs flat on my masters since their was a tiny bit of an undercut that showwed up in two of the cabs not releasing from the mold. <sigh> really can't stress how important it is to have *NO* undercuts at all. ;)

A.

[rverk47]

Hey Karen, what book did you buy on Pate De Verre..thx

[Karen Hardy]

Hey Karen, what book did you buy on Pate De Verre..thx

Glass Kiln Casting with Colour de Verre by Jayne Persico.
It had the best instructions and the best pictures of all the ones
I looked at.

[Karen Hardy]

Hey Karen! What kind of mold making material did you get?

Lonni

HA! I'm not crazy enough to make my own molds (yet).
I went to Delphi and bought three molds.
The round one (4 cabs) the square one (4 cabs) and
a pendant teardrop one. Also the kiln wash stuff they
recommended.

[rverk47]

I don't want to make my own molds either, i hope that is not what the book is about i ordered it from amazon. i bought my molds at delphi, i just want more info on glass fusing, and making pendants with frit. anybody know where is a good place to buy plain white frit more than just a few ounce?

[Karen Hardy]

I bought a bunch of system 96 powder frit from Pacific Art Glass in Torrance.
I believe that they were on sale at the time.

Here's the 4 lb jars
http://www.pacificartglass.com/index.php?file=products&cat_id=497

I didn't see any white there, but that doesn't mean they don't have it.
You might give them a call...

..and no, the book isn't about making your own molds. It's full of different
projects (mostly large scale, but made with smaller components). It also has some wonderful color blending techniques in several of the tutorials.

[ArtcoInc]

Glass Kiln Casting with Colour de Verre by Jayne Persico.
It had the best instructions and the best pictures of all the ones
I looked at.

Do you have an ISBN number, or anything, for this book? I can't find it. The only books Jayne has listed on her website are "Innovative Adornments" and "Jayne Persico Presents Kiln Formed Bracelets" (both of which I have), plus the videos she did with Vicki Payne.

Malcolm

[rverk47]

ok i made my first batch and there are a lot of bubbles, anybody know how to prevent this..for the base on half of them i used a small grade frit and on the other half fine, like confectionate sugar, and they all have bubbles, picture to follow, after i get the kids off to school..

[rverk47]

I can't figure out how to attach pictures it always says i have exceeded some limit..i don't know how to make the picture different so it will work..any suggestions..

[jessedog]

Karen,

I'll be sending out some of that boro frit and binder today we discussed at the demo last Saturday. Let me know what you think. Thanks Karen, and thanks for your participation at our open house last weekend. Let's do it again eh?

Couldn't resist.
I ordered a few molds from Delphi.
They are having a bogo sale right now
(buy one-get one at 50% off).

[Karen Hardy]

That was the most fun I've had with my clothes on :wink:.
I would love to do it again!!!


Karen,

I'll be sending out some of that boro frit and binder today we discussed at the demo last Saturday. Let me know what you think. Thanks Karen, and thanks for your participation at our open house last weekend. Let's do it again eh?

[Karen Hardy]

I can't figure out how to attach pictures it always says i have exceeded some limit..i don't know how to make the picture different so it will work..any suggestions..

Your pictures are too large. You need to resize them.
For JPG pics, the limit is 78k.
If you tell us what software you are using for pictures
we can advise you.

[Karen Hardy]

ok i made my first batch and there are a lot of bubbles, anybody know how to prevent this..for the base on half of them i used a small grade frit and on the other half fine, like confectionate sugar, and they all have bubbles, picture to follow, after i get the kids off to school..

The reason you are probably having bubbles is because you used the small
frit for the base. What is recommended is that you use powdered frit for
the base.

[Karen Hardy]

Do you have an ISBN number, or anything, for this book? I can't find it. The only books Jayne has listed on her website are "Innovative Adornments" and "Jayne Persico Presents Kiln Formed Bracelets" (both of which I have), plus the videos she did with Vicki Payne.

Malcolm

Here's the book:

http://www.wardellpublications.com/bk_detail_pgs_new/gkc.html

ISBN# 0-919985-55-6

[lunamoonshadow]

I use irfranview to resize my pix--it's a free program that loco told me about--simple to use! (and I'm a computer idiot)
dying to see the pix here!

[jokersdesign]

what I want to know is how can one make there own molds?

[ArtcoInc]

what I want to know is how can one make there own molds?
Cheap 1-shot molds: Plaster/Silica, 50/50 by weight
Above that, there are a lot of investments, such as R&R. There are also some investmants for molds that can be used over and over, such as Cast-A-Lot & BestMix.

Malcolm

[misfit]

Castalot is good, but better still is to make your model, make a high density mold of it and pour and fire a bisque mold. The bisque will hold up to the firing temps much better and last much longer. yes it is a pia, but sometimes it is worth it.

[misfit]

what I want to know is how can one make there own molds?

Okay, now that I have more time to explain I'll do a quick run down of the process I use to make a bisque mold.

#1: clean and examine the original for undercuts- even a tiny not visable undercut will destroy the end result. (original is positive)

#2: make an rtv mold. allow to cure. cut mold from original (This rtv mold is negative)

#3. Pour rtv mold with jewlers wax. allow to cool. Clean wax. look for flaws or undercuts. (this wax is a positive)

#4: make any necessary repairs/alteration in the wax. sand back flat if need be. go to 2000 grit.

#5: glue wax to 1/8th inch poly styrine to create the mold face

#6: build mold frame to fit. This creates the shape and body of your mold. This is a replica of your finished mold. (this mold model is a positive)

#7. Build pouring box that allows at least 1/2inch pour.

#8: Pour RTV mold. pull mold. suggest using a vacum jar. Removes bubbles that can ruin a mold. RTV is exspensive stuff. (this rtv mold is a negative)

#9: Pour a plaster master out of high density mold makers plaster. pull this mold. clean this mold and inspect for any flaws. (this plaster mold is a positive)

#10: pour a greenware mold (this will eventually be your finished mold) allow to dry at least leather hard. Pull and allow to dry. clean mold. inspect.

#11: fire cleaned greenware mold. yay- you now have a finished negative that will create a positive of your original!!


hints: get yourself some "wet water" to pour detailed peices in step #9.

5+6 can be combined if you have access to a vacum former.

The benifits of a bisque mold are that they can withstand the heat of repeated use without breaking down for a VERY long time. They are less fragile and need less special care than plaster/silicone molds.

The benifit of high density mold makers plaster in step #9 is that it will hold fine detail and a smoth surface for a greater number of pours. With this mold you can make many copies of your bisque mold and have replacements at need.

Hope the explaination of the process I use helps.

A.

edit- this process also gives one an incredibly smooth surface result for easy cleaning on the mold face and body and very faithful replication of detail.

[rverk47]

let's see if i can attach this picture, then maybe someone can help me figure out how to get rid of all the bubbles..70222

[rverk47]

oh geez its a little bit, i'll figure out how to make it smaller..anybody know how to get rid of the bubbles..

[misfit]

did you use powder as your base? The only bubbles I can see in the pic seem to be very close to the top. powder in the base ussually will help with that issue. pretty much the finer the frit/powder the less chance of air being trapped in the mix. could try packing it a bit tighter.

[rverk47]

i used a powder on half of the bases and a small frit on the other half, they all look about the same

[ArtcoInc]

let's see if i can attach this picture, then maybe someone can help me figure out how to get rid of all the bubbles..

The key word here is *ALL* the bubbles.

Whenever you are 'casting' with powder/frit, you are going to get bubbles. The only way I know of to eliminate them is to go much hotter (well over 2000 F.), and soak longer at temp.

You can use larger pieces of glass, but taken to the extreme (one large piece), you're now slumping.

Malcolm

[rverk47]

i tried a second batch and packed the base powder glass and still got bubbles..the tutorial mentioned below made the pendants and there doesn't appear to be bubbles in hers..i attempted to email her to get her advice but have not heard from her yet.

http://www.jsavinacollection.com/pages/FritPendantTutorial.php

[misfit]

are you going high enough with the temp? that may also be an issue. I find more bubles when I don't allow enough time at a high enough temp when I use larger sized particles. But I sometimes like some bubbles.

[rverk47]

I am going to 1450 for 15 minutes..is that long and hot enough?????

[Raven Wylder]

Renee - it'll depend on your kiln. Have you done the Bullseye Kiln Test (it's on their website under tips I think, I can't remember)? It helps to know if you have hot/cold spots in your kiln. Also, I think you need to add a bubble soak if you don't currently have one before you reach your fusing temperature. If you go too hot for too long, you can also get devit. Otherwise, it's just a matter of trial and error finding the right firing schedule. Good luck!

[rverk47]

bubble soak??? guess i don't know what that is..i'll check out the bullseye website and look into that also..

[ArtcoInc]

I am going to 1450 for 15 minutes..is that long and hot enough?????

Depending on the piece I'm casting (that is what we're talking about here), I've been known to go as high as 1600, and to soak for hours. My partner has taken her castings up to 2000.

For pieces this small, if you're using powder and only going to go to 1450, I would say that 15 minutes isn't long enough. Either go hotter, or soak longer (or both).

Malcolm

[rverk47]

thanks for the suggestion, i'll give it a try this morning..i'll let ya know what happens..

[rverk47]

ok i did it..i used a lot more base color a lot less clear or no clear and upped the temp to 1550 for 25 minutes..they came out a lot better..thanks for the help guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Karen Hardy]

My buddy Dragon is coming over today to play!
She's a kiln goddess - so we're going to play with
the molds! Whoo hoo!
If anything comes out in one piece, I'll post pics.

[jokersdesign]

Cheap 1-shot molds: Plaster/Silica, 50/50 by weight
Above that, there are a lot of investments, such as R&R. There are also some investmants for molds that can be used over and over, such as Cast-A-Lot & BestMix.

Malcolm

do you sell this stuff at artcoinc?

[jokersdesign]

Okay, now that I have more time to explain I'll do a quick run down of the process I use to make a bisque mold.

#1: clean and examine the original for undercuts- even a tiny not visable undercut will destroy the end result. (original is positive)

#2: make an rtv mold. allow to cure. cut mold from original (This rtv mold is negative)

#3. Pour rtv mold with jewlers wax. allow to cool. Clean wax. look for flaws or undercuts. (this wax is a positive)

#4: make any necessary repairs/alteration in the wax. sand back flat if need be. go to 2000 grit.

#5: glue wax to 1/8th inch poly styrine to create the mold face

#6: build mold frame to fit. This creates the shape and body of your mold. This is a replica of your finished mold. (this mold model is a positive)

#7. Build pouring box that allows at least 1/2inch pour.

#8: Pour RTV mold. pull mold. suggest using a vacum jar. Removes bubbles that can ruin a mold. RTV is exspensive stuff. (this rtv mold is a negative)

#9: Pour a plaster master out of high density mold makers plaster. pull this mold. clean this mold and inspect for any flaws. (this plaster mold is a positive)

#10: pour a greenware mold (this will eventually be your finished mold) allow to dry at least leather hard. Pull and allow to dry. clean mold. inspect.

#11: fire cleaned greenware mold. yay- you now have a finished negative that will create a positive of your original!!


hints: get yourself some "wet water" to pour detailed peices in step #9.

5+6 can be combined if you have access to a vacum former.

The benifits of a bisque mold are that they can withstand the heat of repeated use without breaking down for a VERY long time. They are less fragile and need less special care than plaster/silicone molds.

The benifit of high density mold makers plaster in step #9 is that it will hold fine detail and a smoth surface for a greater number of pours. With this mold you can make many copies of your bisque mold and have replacements at need.

Hope the explaination of the process I use helps.

A.

edit- this process also gives one an incredibly smooth surface result for easy cleaning on the mold face and body and very faithful replication of detail.

sweet. bisque mold is what I want. seems like it is harder to do then I thought

[misfit]

sweet. bisque mold is what I want. seems like it is harder to do then I thought

another option if its just for you for a bisque mold is to get some of the cone 6 bisque with talc in it. also called 10T sometimes. you can form a mold with that as well. make sure your bottom is flat and it sets level. make sure there are no undercuts ect. but you can form your basic shape while wet, allow to dry leather hard, work it a bit more and put the final touches on in the dry greenware. if you are not looking for presicion in the mold this works fine if done with care.

A.

[ArtcoInc]

do you sell this stuff at artcoinc?

I'm working on it. Trying to come up with the best way to not have 2 shipping costs in each sale. Thanks for asking :)

Malcolm

[Smokeylady54]

Does any one know were I can buy a goddess mold?????

thank you

[dy1]

Misfit - best explanation for mold making that i have seen!

Smokeylady - i make a lot of custom slumping and casting molds for others - what are you looking for?

[menty666]

I bought my plaster and silica from a pottery supply place. I think I paid 25.00 for two 50.00 pound bags (1 bag plaster, 1 bag silica. Just be careful handling it, the silica is a respiratory hazard.

[Indigo_Beads]

just wanted to post this link for a frit pendant tutorial.
http://www.jsavinacollection.com/pages/FritPendantTutorial.php
i saw it on robin koza's glass diversions's website once
(www.glassdiversions.com)
hope this is a good little tutorial.
shelley

[barbaracollins]

I cannot print out the tutorial, must have some protection on it. I wanted to take a copy into my studio.

[rkoza]

Jeanette's tutorial is fantastic. It's very detailed and gives you all the info you need. The first time I tried it, I didn't fill my mold cavities enough so be sure to FILL the cavities with the back ground frit up to the top of the mold. Otherwise you'll pendants won't come out right and will be really tiny!

Barb ~ I'm not sure what the problem is with printing it from her site. You might email her.

Have fun,
Robin

[Smokeylady54]

Great Tut!!!!!!!!

Thank you