Taming Precarious Slumps
One alternative to commercially available slumping molds is to use a ceramic dish or bowl that has been properly prepared by roughing up the surface (a quick sandblast works best) and applying either primer or boron nitride. With this approach, thrift stores and IKEA become excellent mold shops!
Not all forms are equally easy to use though. Some, like this one, can be difficult to use due to the precarious position in which the glass must be placed prior to firing. For example, with the dish below the corners of the glass rest on raised corners of the mold. It takes very little movement for the glass to slide off of those corners.
To keep the glass in place, kiln furniture can be carefully placed to hold the glass in place while the kiln heats into the bending range.
The important detail here is that the furniture is placed so that it will stop touching the glass as the dish slumps into place.
Properly arranged, the result is a perfect piece every time!
