This class will mainly be a mold making class. Students will work with the instructor to create molds for the purpose of blowing glass into, for the purpose of creating specific forms in glass. Students should come to class with ideas and forms, which they wish to reproduce. We will discuss ways to best approach the chosen form and over the course of the class we will make the models and molds and then blow the glass into the molds. (Please see detail of class days for more info). No experience is necessary one only need an idea of what they want to achieve.

Model making and mold making will take place on Thursday nights. Saturday mornings we will be in the hot shop blowing the forms. The last Thursday of the class will be dedicated to cold working, finishing and photographing your work.

Thursday nights 6:00 to 10:00 (maybe a little less if we get done early).
Saturdays 10am to 2pm

There are a number of possibilities for how we may approach your model and idea’s. Some forms may lend them selves to pursing rubber molds and making wax models and then making an investment mold for blowing into. Blowing into a plaster silica mold will give you glass that looks cast but was actually blown. Another option may be to create a mold out of steal, graphite or wood. This is a good option for making objects that have very flat areas and straight lines. Other materials, which may be used, include wet newspaper or sand. Stranger material may even be used think of blowing glass into a carved out pumpkin for example.

Scale should be bigger than a plum and smaller than hatbox. Details like large areas of undercuts will pose problems but I welcome the challenge and ensuing conversation.

Color can be added in the blowing process and possibilities are limitless but please note that specific color location in the mold is limited and will be challenging.

Th - October 18th - meet and discuss models and process for the class - bring ideas and objects to look at and discuss.

Th - Oct. 25th - models should be ready for mold making. We will use the whole class time getting molds made. Come early and expect to stay late if you have not made molds before.

Th - Nov. 1st - more mold making and discussion of first blow mold results.

Sat - Nov 3rd - Glass blowing studio. Molds will be already placed in the kiln and ready for blowing. We will go over basic hot shop techniques. Instructor will fill molds with blown glass.

Th - Nov. 8th – Divest molds and look at results from Saturday blowing. Cold work if necessary. Discuss and work on new models
Th – Nov 15th -  Prepare molds for next blow slot.
Sat - Nov. 17th - Glass blowing studio. Molds will be already placed in the kiln and ready for blowing we will go over basic hot shop techniques. Instructor will fill molds with blown glass.

Th - Nov. 29th - Discussion of second blow mold day results and work time for cold working and finishing of pieces. Photograph finished pieces. Discuss further options for more projects.

Here is an example of a project I did for a fellow artist Kevin Guannie. A rubber mold was made of his original woodcarving it was about 14 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter. Wax replicas were made from the rubber mold. An investment mold was made around the wax with chicken wire re-enforcing. After the mold had dried a week we brought it up to 1000 degrees in the kiln over the course of about six hours. When the blown glass was ready we took the hot mold out of the kiln and blew glass into the mold breaking it free from the pipe and returning the mold to the kiln for annealing.

Mold in oven after blowing cooling down in annealing oven. To the right. Mold after divesting the glass out of it.

Steel and cork mold was used to blow these cylinders.