The Casting Process

Casting glass is a more advanced form of kiln fusing using a very different technique.  It involves either melting glass into a mould inside a kiln, or pouring molten glass into the mould when in the kiln.  Casting glass is working deep.  Generally, the technique is based on creating work from fragmented glass into a single block inside a mould.  The fragmented pieces of glass melt and fuse together, more or less completely, to take on the inner shape of the mould.

More complex, and deeper shapes can be created when casting, although the process itself is very time consuming.

First, using clay, wax or resin, a negative image is made.  Then, using a plaster mix, a positive mould is created from the negative clay image.  The plaster mould is then dried, the clay removed and the remaining pattern / image is filled with various types and colours of glass to create the desired effect. 

Because the cast piece is a lot thicker. the fusing process, especially the cooling down / annealing time, takes a lot longer than simply fusing.

Cast glass items can also be cast into more glass.  This is done by casting and firing one or more pieces, for instance, your babies feet, into a prepared mould.  The feet, which have been previously cast, are then placed into another, larger mould, which is surrounded by more glass and re-cast.  The resulting image is of the babies feet suspended in a block of glass.

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