Small Dragonfly Instructions

REUSABLE MOLDS FOR GLASS CASTING
Small Dragonflies
The Small Dragonflies with
Wing Slumper mold has been
one of the most popular designs.
Why not devote a project sheet
just to making, shaping, and
tacking these designs.
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Start by cleaning the dragonfly
mold with a stiff nylon brush and
remove any old kiln wash. Then
coat the mold with four to five
thin, even coats of Hotline Primo
Primer. It is the only primer we
recommend because it doesn’t obscure the mold’s fine detail and is
easy to remove after firing. Use a
soft artist’s brush to apply the
primer and a hair dryer to completely dry each coat before applying the next. The mold should be
completely dry before filling.
Availability
Colour de Verre molds are
available at fine glass retailers
and many online merchants
including our online store,
www.colourdeverre.com.
To keep the dragonflies delicate,
use only 30 grams of frit for the
large dragonfly and 20 grams of
frit for the small dragonfly. (This is
less than the fill weight listed on
the mold’s packaging.) Additionally, the molds will be fired cooler
than the general instructions.
Weigh the mold and note its
weight. The filled mold will weigh
50 grams more.
Highlight the dragonflies’ wing
and body details by sprinkling just
enough fine Black frit into each
cavity to fill the wing veining and
the head and body. Gently tap the
mold to cause the frit to settle into
place. Sprinkle a dark, fine frit
(Pale Purple, Dark Blue, or Dark
Green) into the head and down
the body’s length. “Feather” a little of the dark, fine frit out the
dragonfly’s wings. Place the mold
on the scale and fill the wings with
a light, fine frit (Clear, Neon Orchid, Urobium Pink, or Ming
Green) until the the scale reads 50
grams more than the mold’s
empty weight. The mold’s cavities
will only be about one-half full.
Gently tap the mold to level the
surface. Place the mold or molds
in the kiln and fire according to
the following schedule:
Tools
✓Small Dragonflies w/ Wing
Slumper mold
✓Soft artist’s brush
✓Digital scale
COE 96* Casting
Sche dule
Seg 1! 300˚F/ho
ur to 1350 1375˚F (720˚C),
Hold 10
minutes
Seg 2! AFAP to
960˚F (515˚C) no
venting. Hold 30
minutes
Seg 3! Off, co ol
kiln, don’t vent
* Increase 25˚F (15
˚C) for COE 90
Shaping the Dragonflies
On the mold’s reverse side is a
wing slumper. A slump firing on
this surface slightly bends the
wings up and gives the dragonflies
a much more lifelike appearance.
Start by preparing the reverse side
of the mold in the same way the
casting surface was prepared.
Place the dragonflies, textured detail side up on the slumper. Align
Supplies
✓Hotline Primo Primer
✓Fine frits (see text for suggestions)
✓Kiln paper
REUSABLE MOLDS FOR GLASS CASTING
the dragonfly bodies with the
crease in the slumping surface.
COE 96* Tack Schedule
Seg 1!200˚F (110˚C)/hour to 12501275˚F (675-690˚C), Hold
5-10 minutes
Seg 2!AFAP to 960˚F (515˚C),
Hold 90 Minutes
Seg 3!50˚F (30˚C)/hour to 800˚F
(425˚C)
Seg 4!100˚F (60˚C)/hour to 600˚F
(315˚C), Off, No Venting
* Increase 25˚F (15˚C) for COE 90
Fire the molds using the schedule
below:
Slumping Sche dule
Seg 1!
Seg 2!
Seg 3!
300˚F/hour to 12251250˚F, Hold 5 minutes
AFAP (As Fast As Possible) to 960˚F no venting. Hold 30 minutes
Off, cool kiln, no venting
* Increase 25˚F (15˚C) for COE 90
Adding to Other Pieces
The dragonflies can also be added
to plates, platters, and other larger
works. To tack fire the dragonflies
to the larger pieces, use the schedule below:
If you wish to tack fire dragonflies
that have been shaped, you will
need to support the wings during
the tack firing. Use a small dab of
white glue on the dragonflies’
body to hold the loose pieces in
place. Tuck small squares of kiln
paper under the wings to support
them during the firing.
Variations
Experiment with adding small,
dichroic glass shards to the wings.
Encase the shards between thin
layers of fine frit to ensure a
smooth surface.
REUSABLE MOLDS FOR GLASS CASTING
Start by cleaning the dragonfly
mold or molds with a stiff nylon
brush and remove any old kiln
wash. Then give each mold four to
five thin, even coats of Hotline
Primo Primer. It is the only primer
we recommend because it doesn’t
obscure the mold’s fine detail and
is easy to remove after firing. Use a
soft brush to apply the primer and
a hair dryer to completely dry
each coat before applying the next.
The mold should be completely
dry before filling.
Oval Dragonfly Lamp
The result is both beautiful and
useful: An accent lamp that fits
perfectly in your – or a friend’s –
bedroom, living room, or den.
Use this project sheet as a
starting point for creating your
own designs with your favorite
Colour de Verre castings.
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Here’s the plan:
1. Create the dragonflies.
2. Tack fuse elements to the
sheet glass panels.
3. Slump – really drape – the
panels.
4. Assemble the lamp.
Availability
Colour de Verre molds are
available at fine glass retailers
and many online merchants
including our online store,
www.colourdeverre.com.
To keep the dragonflies delicate,
use only 20 grams of frit for the
large dragonfly and 15 grams of
frit for the small dragonfly. Additionally, the molds will be fired
cooler than usual. Weigh the mold
and note it weight. The filled mold
will weigh 35 grams more.
light, fine frit (Clear, Neon Orchid,
Urobium Pink, or Ming Green)
until the the scale reads 35 grams
more than the mold’s empty
weight. The mold’s cavities will
only be about one-half full.
Gently tap the mold to level the
surface. Place the mold or molds
in the kiln and fire according to
the following schedule:
COE 96* Casting
Sche dule
Seg 1! 300˚F/ho
ur to 1325˚F
(720˚C), Hold 10
minutes
Seg 2! AFAP to
960˚F (515˚C)
no venting
Seg 3! 60˚F (35˚
C)/hour to
700˚F (370˚C)
Seg 4! Off, co ol
kiln, don’t vent
* In
crease 25˚F (15˚C
) for COE 90
Highlight the dragonflies’ wing
and body details by sprinkling just
enough fine Black frit into each
cavity to fill the wing veining and
the head and body. Gently tap the
mold to cause the frit to settle into
place. Sprinkle a dark, fine frit
(Pale Purple, Dark Blue, or Dark
Green) into the head and down
the body’s length. “Feather” a little
of the dark, fine frit out the dragonfly’s wings. Place the mold on
the scale and fill the wings with a
Tools
✓10” Oval Panel Former
✓Small Dragonflies w/ Wing
Slumper mold
✓Priming brush
✓Digital scale
Supplies
✓Hotline Primo Primer
✓Fine frits (see text for suggestions)
✓8 Black noodles
✓10” Oval Lighting Hardware
✓Clear sheet glass
✓Medium Dark Blue frit
REUSABLE MOLDS FOR GLASS CASTING
Cut two pieces of single-thickness
glass to 10” by 10” (25.4 cm by
25.4 cm). Place the two panels on
a primed kiln shelf or a piece of
kiln paper on a kiln shelf
Removed the cooled panels from
the kiln and make sure the frit,
noodles, and dragonflies are securely bonded to the clear glass.
The panels are next slumped over
the 10” Oval Panel Former. Follow
the instructions that came with the
former. If you lost the instructions
you can find a copy at our website,
www.colourdeverre.com.
Frame the two panels with eight
Black noodles. (We find the easiest
way to cut the noodles is with a
mosaic tile cutter.) Glue the noodles into place with a few drops of
Aleene’s Tacky Glue. On one of
the panels arrange and lightly glue
the cast dragonflies in place. Once
the glue dries, sprinkle a layer of
medium Dark Blue frit on both
panels making sure that the
clear glass is completely covered and
COE 96* Tack
Sche dule
no stray frit is on the
S
e
g
1!
2
0
0˚F/hour to 11
noodles or dragon50˚F (620˚C),
Hold 30
minutes
flies. Fire the panels
S
e
g
2
!
A
FA
P to 1260˚F (6
using this schedule:
8
0˚C), Hold 10
utes
MinSeg 3! AFAP
to 960˚F (515
˚C), Hold 90 M
utes, No Vent
inin
g
Seg 4! 40˚F
(22˚C)/hour to
700˚F (370˚C
Seg 5! 60˚F
)
(35˚C)/hour to
400˚F (200˚C
Off, No Ventin
),
g
* In
crease 25˚F (1
5˚C) for COE
90
One thing that can’t be stressed
enough: Don’t rush the slump firing. Between the frit, noodles, and
dragonflies there is quite a variation in the panels’ thicknesses.
They require a slow ramp and
cool down to avoid thermal shock.
Instructions to mount the panels
onto the 10” Oval Lighting
Hardware can be found in the
hardware’s box. Choose a lamp
wattage that complements the final piece.
REUSABLE MOLDS FOR GLASS CASTING
stiff brush to stir the compacted
particles off the bottom of the
container and back into solution.
It is not necessary to pre-fire the
mold as long as the primer is dry.
After firing the mold, use
any nylon kitchen brush or
a toothbrush to remove all
traces of the primer from the
mold. We strongly recommend
wearing a dusk mask.
2
Tricks of the Trade
We want our customers to have
a great experience and wonderful outcomes with our molds.
Let us pass along these hints
and advice.
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Use Hotline Primo
Primer. We tested many
kiln washes and primers
from a number manufactures.
Only Hotline Primo Primer offered us the three properties that
we required: thin, even coats that
don’t obscure the design; consistent release; and fired primer can
easily be removed with a stiff
brush.
1
Mix the powder with water according to the label instructions.
Apply four to five thin coats to the
mold’s inside surface. Let each
coat dry before applying the next.
A hair dryer can be used to accelerate the drying between coats.
Keep the primer well stirred. The
primer’s fine particles – the active
components – settle out of the
mixture rapidly. If the primer settles, the particles will start to cake
on the container’s bottom. Use a
Always follow the firing
schedule recommended on
our website and packaging. Colour de Verre molds are
made from a specialized ceramic
material. Like glass, this ceramic
will crack or shatter if it is heated
or cooled too fast.
3
Finished pieces will have
much smoother edges if
you use a small brush to
move the frit away from the top
edge of the mold. This “trough”
only has to be 1/8-inch wide and
deep.
4
Use only crushed art glass
or frits in Colour de Verre
molds. The molds are not
designed for Pyrex glass, float
glass, or crushed bottles. We don’t
recommend firing Colour de Verre
molds above 1500°F (815°C). At
higher temperatures, the primer
will start to fuse and becomes
more difficult to remove.
5
If the finished piece
doesn’t fall out of the
mold, don’t panic. Turn
mold face-down and tap it against
a hard surface cushioned with several layers of newsprint. If the
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piece still doesn’t fall out, the mold
probably wasn’t properly primed.
Occasionally, a few glass
spurs might be on edges of
the finished pieces. These
are easily removed with a wet
diamond block or grinder. Following hint #4 will minimize these.
7
Butterflies, dragonflies,
flowers, and leaves can be
given more life with a second, slump firing. Some of our
designs have a specially designed
slumping surface on the reverse
side.
8
A “sugar fire” yields wonderful results with Colour
de Verre snowflakes. Fill
the mold to half of the recommended fill weight with fine frit.
Fire to a “partial fuse” – about
1300°F (705°C). This technique
can be used with any of our
molds.
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Don’t be afraid to experiment. Add CMC solution
to your glass powders to
make a pate de verre paste. Mixed
crush dichroic with your frits. Tack
fuse finished pieces to slumped
plates and platters. Mix shredded
copper, silver, or gold foil into your
frits. Embed smaller forms inside
of larger, clear forms. The possibilities are endless.
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Availability
Colour de Verre molds are
available at fine glass retailers
and many online merchants
including our online store,
www.colourdeverre.com.