Don Berard on sat 8 mar 97
I've been lurking in this news group for some time,
trying to determine if it would be appropriate to ask my questions
in this forum. I've noticed other posts concerning porcelain, so
here goes:
My long term goal is to produce hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments
(the very fragile hollow kind that has a 'silver' coating on the outside,
and transparent paint on the outside).
I had originally thought that the molds are made of
either wood (water soaked fruit wood), or metal.
I've recently seen a German mold that is porcelain. It is a two
part mold about the size of a VERY large bar of soap.
My hobby is wood carving (again often Christmas ornaments), and
I'd like to replicate these carvings in blown glass.
(I realize that the masters should have no sharp edges etc.)
I'm looking for any info on the materials, or techniques required
to:
- make the porcelain molds (I've read that the molds themselves
will have to be fired in a kiln?) I've also read that the
porcelain may have a shrinkage of up to 20% !?!
- once the mold is complete, is it adequate for use as is, or
does it have to be glazed, and the fired again?
- heat and blow the glass into the ornaments.
(does the mold have to be 'hot', can a glass tube/burner
work? Once blown, does the glass have to be slowly cooled?)
- finish the ornaments (inside silvering, outside painting
firing etc.) Is it silver nitrate that is used - is it
safe? (I'm told that they used to use mercury)
I'm looking into whatever courses might be offered at a nearby college,
(UMASS Dartmouth), and someone also informed me that some craftsmen
make their own molds for porcelain dolls - this might be my best bet
in the short term (I'd REALLY like to talk to someone that does this...).
I've enjoyed reading this news group, and its given me a better
appreciation for the experience needed to produce the items that
we've purchased at art shows...
Thanks for any info that you may be able to provide,
Don Berard
Swansea, MA. USA
P.S. Is there a FAQ for this group? Techniques, suppliers etc. ?
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* Don Berard *
* dab@ssd.ray.com *
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