Problems with Mold

I have been working to replenish my inventory after the end-of-the-year sales splurge.  2025 was a great year, so I am working hard to create exciting new items for 2026.  My first new design is the fox peeper that was last week’s blog.

This week I have been working on new designs for incense holders and small dishes perfect for rings, coins or tea bags.  Shown here are two of the small dishes.  The blue one on the left looks finished and ready to use.  The teal one on the right has jagged edges on the lip that are unacceptable for a finished item.  The reason that the edges are jagged relates to the mold, shown in the center.

The mold that forms the slight curved shape of the dish is made of dried clay.  Before it can be used, it has to be brushed with a kiln wash solution that allows the glass to melt into the shape of the bowl and be released from the mold.  Without the kiln wash, the glass will stick to the mold.

What the jagged edges told me was that I had tried to use the mold one too many times and it was not releasing the molten glass easily, leaving jagged edges.  To correct this, I had to do two things.  First, I had to kiln wash the mold again, as it is shown in this picture.  Next, I had to grind down the jagged edges of the teal dish before I returned the dish to the mold and fired it in the kiln a second time.

Shown here is the successful re-firing of the teal dish with a nice smooth lip edge, just like the blue dish.

If there is a particular item, color or design for an object that springs to mind and you want to know if we can create it, get in touch and we will see what we can do. Contact us by emailing here or contact us on Facebook.