5/3/2018 Glass casting - Wikipedia

Glass casting
Glass casting is the process in which glass objects are cast by directing
molten glass into a mould where it solidifies. The technique has been
used since the Egyptian period. Modern cast glass is formed by a variety
of processes such as kiln casting, or casting into sand, graphite or metal
moulds.

Contents
History
Roman period
Modern techniques
Sand casting
Kiln casting
A cast glass sculpture from a kiln firing
Pâte de verre
Graphite casting

See also
References

History

Roman period
During the Roman period, moulds consisting of two or more interlocking parts
were used to create blank glass dishes. Glass could be added to the mould either
by frit casting, where the mould was filled with chips of glass (called frit) and
then heated to melt the glass, or by pouring molten glass into the mould.[1]
Evidence from Pompeii suggests that molten hot glass may have been introduced
as early as the mid-1st century CE.[1] Blank vessels were then annealed, fixed to
lathes and cut and polished on all surfaces to achieve their final shape.[2] Pliny
the Elder indicates in his Natural History (36.193) that lathes were used in the
Roman cast-glass plate from the
production of most glass of the mid-1st century.
3rd century, found in Cyprus.
Italy is believed to have been the source of the majority of early Imperial
polychrome cast glass, whereas monochrome cast glasses are more predominant
elsewhere in the Mediterranean.[3] Forms produced show clear inspiration from the Roman bronze and silver industries,
and in the case of carinated bowls and dishes, from the ceramic industry.[4] Cast vessel forms became more limited during
the late 1st century, but continued in production into the second or third decade of the 2nd century.[2] Colourless cast

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bowls were widespread throughout the Roman world in the late 1st and early 2nd century CE, and may have been
produced at more than one centre.[3] Some revival of the casting technique appears in the 3rd or 4th century, but appears
to have produced relatively small numbers of vessels[2]

Modern techniques

Sand casting
Sand casting involves the use of hot molten glass poured directly into a preformed mould.[5] It is a process similar to
casting metal into a mould. The sand mould is typically prepared by using a mixture of clean sand and a small proportion
of the water-absorbing clay bentonite. Bentonite acts as a binding material. In the process, a small amount of water is
added to the sand-bentonite mixture and this is well mixed and sifted before addition to an open topped container. A
template is prepared (typically made of wood, or a found object or even a body part such as a hand or fist) which is tightly
pressed into the sand to make a clean impression. This impression then forms the mould.

The surface of the mould can be covered in coloured glass powders or frits to give a surface colour to the sand cast glass
object. When the mould preparation is complete hot glass is ladled from the furnace at temperatures of about 1,200 °C
(2,190 °F) to allow it to freely pour. The hot glass is poured directly into the mould. During the pouring process, glass or
compatible objects may be placed to later give the appearance of floating in the solid glass object.[6] This very immediate
and dynamic method was pioneered and perfected in the 1980s by the Swedish artist Bertil Vallien.

Kiln casting
Kiln casting involves the preparation of a mould which is often made of
mixtures plaster and refractory materials such as silica.[7] A model can be
made of any solid material such as wax,[8] wood or metal and after taking a
cast of the model, (a process called investment), the model is removed from
the mould. One method of forming a mould is by the Cire perdue or "lost wax"
method. Using this method, a model can be made from wax and after
investment the wax can be steamed or burned away in a kiln, forming a cavity.
The heat resistant mould is then placed in a kiln with a funnel like opening
which is filled with solid glass granules or lumps. The kiln is heated to a
between 800 °C (1,470 °F) and 1,000 °C (1,830 °F), and as the glass melts it
runs into and fills the mould.

Such kiln cast work could be made of very large proportions such as by the
Czechoslovakian artists Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova.[9] Kiln
cast glass has become an important material for contemporary artists such as
Kiln-Cast lead crystal 'Nuclear
Clifford Rainey,[10] Karen LaMonte[11] and Tomasz Urbanowicz.
Family'

Pâte de verre
Pâte de verre is a form of kiln casting and literally translated means glass paste.[7][12] In this process, finely crushed glass
is mixed with a binding material, such as a mixture of gum arabic and water, and often with colourants and enamels. The
resultant paste is applied to the inner surface of a negative mould forming a coating. After the coated mould is fired at the

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appropriate temperature the glass is fused creating a hollow object that

can have thick or thin walls depending on the thickness of the pate de
verre layers. Daum, a French commercial crystal manufacturer, produce
highly sculptural pieces in pate de verre.[13]

Graphite casting
Graphite is also used in the hot forming of glass. Graphite moulds are
Three pate de verre vessels.
prepared by carving into them, machining them into curved forms or by
stacking them into shapes. Molten glass is poured into a mould where it
is cooled until hard enough to be removed and placed into an annealing
kiln to cool slowly.

See also
Glass art

References
1. Stern, E.M., Roman Mould-blown Glass, Rome, Italy: L'Erma di Fretshneidur in association with the Toledo Museum
of Art.
2. Grose, D.F., Early Imperial Roman cast glass: The translucent coloured and colourless fine wares, in Roman Glass:
two centuries of art and invention, M. Newby and K. Painter, Editors. 1991, Society of Antiquaries of London:
London.
3. Price, J., A survey of the Hellenistic and early Roman vessel glass found on the Unexplored Mansion Site at
Knossos in Crete, in Annales du 11e Congres. 1990: Amsterdam.
4. Allen, D., Roman Glass in Britain, ed. J. Dyer. 1998, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire: Shire Publications.
5. Henry Halem (1996) Glass Notes (3rd Edition). Franklin Mills Press
6. Linda R Fraser Sculpture - Sandcast Glass Design Process and Art (http://www.lindafraser.com/Courses/course_2.ht
m)
7. Peter Layton (1996) Glass Art. Craftsman House
8. Knitting#Glass.2FWax
9. Dan Klein (1989) Glass A Contemporary Art. William Collins Sons and Co
10. Speer, Richard. "Clifford Rainey: Head On" (http://www.richardspeer.com/glassquarterlyrainey.html). Glass Quarterly.
Retrieved 2 April 2013.
11. Bell, Nicholas. "In Conversation: Nicholas Bell on Karen LaMonte" (http://eyelevel.si.edu/2010/01/in-conversation-nic
holas-bell-on-karen-lamonte.html). Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
12. Pate De Verre (http://www.warmglass.com/pate_de_verre.htm)
13. Clemente, Maribeth (2001). The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide (https://books.google.com/books?id
=iU6M_qitRwkC&pg=PA130). St. Martin's Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-312-26907-2.

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