Ceramic Fusing Molds

Ceramic fusing molds are made out of pottery clay. They make excellent molds. This clay mold is the most inexpensive and widely used mold. Molds made out of clay should be good for dozens of firings. These molds are made with attention to allowing your piece to have a clean shape with attention to detail. Molds will break if dropped or not coated with kiln wash.

Most of these molds are made for slumping into the mold. Ceramic fusing molds cool more slowly than the glass. Because they are made so that the glass slumps into them, it allows the glass to contract first. Slumping on the outside of a ceramic fusing mold can sometimes trigger the glass to break as the mold cools. The rule of thumb is you slump into ceramic or clay molds and over stainless steel molds to prevent the glass breaking as it cools down.

Be sure to cover it well with kiln wash before using it. Make sure you properly apply kiln wash. There's nothing worse than ruining your mold with stuck glass! Four coats of kiln wash should be sufficient for any slumping project. Just apply the kiln wash in alternate directions with each coating. After the coatings have dried, use a nylon to smooth out the surface of the ceramic fusing mold. Kiln wash tends to last longer on a mold than on the kiln shelf, because slumping temperatures are much lower than fusing temperatures. Slumping takes place at roughly 1200-1300 degrees. These molds should be sanded and new kiln wash applied if there are any signs of cracks or pits in the coating.

Slow down the rate of temperature change around 1050 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where the clay tends to change the most in volume. Slowing down the temperature in this range helps to reduce the possibility of cracking the mold.

Slumpy’s is a great source for these ceramic warm glass forms. This company designs and produces high quality clay slumping and fusing molds at the lowest prices. They have a wide selection of molds including: Belmont Molds, Studio Molds, Drop Out molds, stainless steel molds, fusing molds, and character pods.

Return from Ceramic Fusing Molds to the homepage