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. 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. 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: COE 96* Casting Schedule Seg 1! 300 F/hour 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, cool kiln, don t vent 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 Tools Small Dragonflies w/ Wing Slumper mold Soft artist s brush Digital scale Supplies Hotline Primo Primer Fine frits (see text for suggestions) Kiln paper
the dragonfly bodies with the crease in the slumping surface. Fire the molds using the schedule below: Slumping Schedule Seg 1! 300 F/hour to 1225-1250 F, Hold 5 minutes Seg 2! AFAP (As Fast As Possible) to 960 F no venting. Hold 30 minutes Seg 3! Off, cool kiln, no venting 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: COE 96* Tack Schedule Seg 1!200 F (110 C)/hour to 1250-1275 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 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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 Schedule Seg 1! 300 F/hour 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, cool kiln, don t vent Supplies Hotline Primo Primer Fine frits (see text for suggestions) 8 Black noodles 10 Oval Lighting Hardware Clear sheet glass Medium Dark Blue frit
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, 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. 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 no stray frit is on the noodles or dragonflies. Fire the panels using this schedule: COE 96* Tack Schedule Seg 1! 200 F/hour to 1150 F (620 C), Hold 30 minutes Seg 2! AFAP to 1260 F (680 C), Hold 10 Minutes Seg 3! AFAP to 960 F (515 C), Hold 90 Minutes, No Venting 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 Venting 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.
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. U s e H o t l i n e P r i m o 1 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. 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 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 2 any nylon kitchen brush or a toothbrush to remove all traces of the primer from the mold. We strongly recommend wearing a dusk mask. Always follow the firing 3 schedule recommended on our website and packaging. made from a specialized ceramic material. Like glass, this ceramic will crack or shatter if it is heated or cooled too fast. Finished pieces will have 4 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. Use only crushed art glass 5 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. If the finished piece 6 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 piece still doesn t fall out, the mold probably wasn t properly primed. Occasionally, a few glass 7 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. Butterflies, dragonflies, 8 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. A sugar fire yields wonderful results with Colour 9 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. Don t be afraid to experiment. Add CMC solution 10 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.