I just bought a wine bottle spoon rest mold. Previously, I had made my own mold to slump wine bottles, but it was used too many times and it has seen it’s last day as a mold.
I thought I would need to make another mold, but this time I was going to try making it out of clay so it would last longer. Fortunately, I found my new mold at http://www.crestmolds.com/glassaggers.html. I really like how the mold shapes the wine bottle. The sides of the bottle are raised up higher to create a bowl.
It would make an excellent gift, because it would look great on a stove. I will be adding this wine bottle to my website (www.mastersglassart.com) in a few days.
Christine — Glass Artist
June 7, 2007 at 12:20 am
I had no idea these “melted” wine bottles could be done in a mold – glass art fascinates me and your blog (haven’t made it to the other one yet) is really informative – thanks
July 30, 2007 at 4:47 am
Christine: My son recently married. I saved a wine bottle from the reception and would like to have it made into a spoon rest or cheese board as a keepsake for he and his wife. Would you do a personal order like that and could you remove the label then include it in the product with a glaze? Perhaps I could remove the label myself then send it with the bottle. I look forward to hearing from you. Judy May, Houston, Texas
July 30, 2007 at 8:46 am
Hi Judy,
Yes! I would love to do this for you!!
Do you want the bottle made into a spoon rest, like the one in this blog entry, or do you want the bottle fused flat?
I can remove the label, but if you would rather do it, that is fine, too. My husband has removed labels and he does a great job.
Send me an email at dmasters@wildblue.net and we can discuss the order more.
Talk to you soon!!
Christine
August 21, 2007 at 4:28 am
We have a kiln. Can you tell us where we could take a class on making slumped glass?
August 21, 2007 at 10:35 am
Hi Jane,
I took my first slumping class at the local Art Glass Studio, which is 60 miles away from me.
See if there are any glass studios near where you live. Even a class from a stained glass studio, without the kiln process, will be valuable in teaching you how to cut and handle glass, and those can be valuable time savers.
Some community colleges also offer classes, or there may be other local artisans in your area that are willing to teach a class. Be flexible and willing to travel a bit. Once you’ve got the basics from a class and are through the overwelming starting backlog of information on working with glass, then have some fun with it.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. Warmglass.com has a wonderful archive full of information, and you could spend many days there gaining some valuable training as well.
Finally, two questions for you:
1. Where did you get your kiln from? A garage sale where the seller had never used the kiln and didn’t know anything about it, as we did, or from a studio or kiln company? Many companies that sell the kilns also offer classes in using them.
2. Is it a ceramics kiln or a glass kiln? As a broad generalization, because there always seems to be one exception, ceramic kilns don’t have elements in the lids, only the sides, and a glass kiln will elements in the lids/tops so the heat radiates down evenly across the glass.
Either one will work for glass, but require slightly different techniques based on how the elements in the kiln are situated. We used a ceramics kiln successfully for two years before purchasing a glass kiln.
Hope those answers helped, and if I can be more specific about something, please ask.
Christine
September 6, 2007 at 3:21 am
Christine,
Thank you for your willingness to offer help to “up & coming’s” like myself (I hope!). I recently obtained a ceramic kiln and hope to begin slumping wine bottles. While I don’t have much experience doing so as of yet, I’ve been reading all I can about the subject. I was pleased to read your blog and tried to purchase a spoon rest mold from crestmolds.com, but to my dismay, it appears they have stopped selling molds. Do you have any other suggestions as to where I might obtain a mold similar to the one you’ve used successfully?
Thanks again,
Christie
November 17, 2007 at 9:27 am
where can i buy slump bottles (wine- coke bottles)
November 17, 2007 at 10:23 am
Hi Christie,
I didn’t see your message until today. I don’t know why I wasn’t notified before.
Anyway, I just bought some molds from them about one month ago. I think they have stopped making molds for ceramics.
Try this link: http://www.crestmolds.com/glassaggers.html. This is the site where I bought my molds. I usually call them to place an order.
Hope this works!
Christine
November 17, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hi Ramona,
Try this link to find the molds to slump bottles: http://www.crestmolds.com/glassaggers.html.
They have several sizes of molds.
Christine
January 1, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Hi Christine,
I love this spoon rest. Have you ever used frit made from other bottles to embelish your wine bottles, or other float glass? I would love to try that, certainly cheaper that art glass, and we enjoy the wine anyway.
I am looking at getting a kiln, I’m a bit of a dabbler and like to try all kinds of things so am just thinking of the Delphi ez-pro deluxe 15/6 by Jen Ken kilns, that actually fires from top and sides depending on set program. That way I can use it for my PMC and begin working with glass as well as clay. I was wondering if you have an opinion on this type of kiln.
I am also wondering as you mentioned making your own molds how you would go about that. I was hoping to eventually create some unique molds to slump glass into (a family crest, so a bit detailed and long term project) is this something that I could and would need to create out of clay. Would clay stand up to multiple firings? I am uncertain about what commercially created molds are made from.
Thanks for you help.
Mia
January 4, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Hi Mia,
I have never used any other kind of glass to embellish wine bottles. I am afraid that the whole thing will crack. Although, other people have told me that they have fused glass with other bottles.
I don’t know anything about the kiln you are thinking of ordering. I would go to http://www.warmglass.com. It is a glass forum site with tons of information. Do a Search on the kiln you want to buy. You should be able to find some information. You could always ask a question in the forum, too.
There are many ways to make molds for glass. The mold I made for wine bottle spoon rests was made out of fiber board that I carved and then added some hardener. This is available on several glass sites. However, the mold that I made didn’t last very long. It depends what kind of mold you want to make.
Clay will certainly work for a mold. Most glass molds are made out of clay, some out of stainless steel, and a variety of other things. If you work with clay, then I’d say go for it. It will work just fine. Remember to drill a couple of small holes in the bottom of the mold to let air escape during the firing process.
Have fun!
Christine
February 18, 2008 at 4:02 am
Hi Christine,
I guess I didn’t realize just how expensive the slumped bottles were – I thought they would be a bit more reasonable – but I guess I will have to re-think my gift idea for the time being, anyway! Someday, I would love totry my hand at this, but now isn’t the time, unfortunately –
Anyway, thanks for all the info!
BLOG-reader – Pam
February 18, 2008 at 8:09 am
Hi Pam,
Have I written to you before about the cost of slumped bottles? I don’t know where you got your information about the cost, but I think my costs are quite reasonable.
Check out my Glass Website, http://www.mastersglassart.com/products289162.html
Christine
March 13, 2008 at 5:08 am
Hi, this is my first time on you blog! I saw you slumped bottles, and want to share my experience. First, I went to the local recycling place and bought the bottles they let me hand pick at $.05. Then, I fused them flat, but put fiber paper neck for a handle. Then I decorated with dichroic slide. So,ld them at a craft center that was open for a 4 day weekend. At $25 each, I sold a total of $300. That’s a good profit for my $.05 investment! You should start looking for a wine bottle that has the “river series”, the “castle series” and one other. They fire jujst like the Vodka bottles and are lovely!
March 22, 2008 at 4:36 am
Hi Donnie,
You found a diamond among the sand
What do you mean by the “river series” and “castle series?” Is it a certain kind of wine? Can you tell me more about them?
Do you have pictures of any of the bottles that you recycled and sold? What kind of a design did you make with the dichroic slide?
Christine
September 20, 2008 at 9:47 am
I recently tried slumping wine bottles in my ceramic kiln. The flat ones turn out great. When I put a ceramic cylinder under the neck for a handle they break at the neck. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I did an Absolut bottle flat and was so surprised the paint did not fire off. I’ve ordered a mold from crest molds (your referral). I’m anxious to try it. Thanks for any advise you can give me.
September 21, 2008 at 1:56 am
Hi Pam,
It is hard to say why the neck breaks. There are different reasons. Do you put kiln wash on the ceramic cylinder? The glass may not be able to expand and contract if it gets stuck on the cylinder. It might have something to do with your firing schedule.
Once you get your new mold, be sure to put five layers of kiln wash on the mold and put it in your kiln to dry. Heat the kiln to 500 degrees at a rate of 600 degrees/hour. Hold for about 20 minutes and then let the kiln cool off on its own.
Have fun!
Christine
November 2, 2008 at 9:35 am
I am wanting to buy my first kiln. I just need one big enough to slump bottles,and run on 110, can you recommend one? I don’t plan on using it for anything else, can you use the small kilns in the kitchen? Thanks,jenifer
November 6, 2008 at 11:55 am
Hi Jenifer,
I measured my spoon rest mold and it is 15 1/2″ long. I looked at some kilns and all of the small kilns that run on 110 are too small for the mold. You will have to do a search for kilns. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
I don’t see any problem with using a kiln in the kitchen. You just need to make sure you set the kiln on a heat resistant surface and keep it about 18″ away from anything else when you are using it.
Christine
November 8, 2008 at 9:25 am
thanks for responding, i’m thinking about the jenken 15-6,i seen one on ebay for 495, it says to use it with an orton controller to be accurate ,but it is digital, is the controller nessecary?thanks,jenifer
November 11, 2008 at 10:22 am
I would definitely get the controller! This way you won’t have to babysit the kiln as it is firing. You just set the program you want to slump the wine bottle and then let it do its thing while you can work on other things.
Christine
December 4, 2008 at 8:06 am
I am also a glass fuser. I have not yet done any bottles but I am getting ready to. I saw several sizes of bottle molds at: http://www.bluefiremolds.com This company is local to me and I have been in their shop – The family that owns this company is great!
December 24, 2008 at 5:14 am
I have a half-bottle that I would like slumped. The label is of importance also. Can you slump it? Can you save the label? (the bottle is dark). Is the half bottle wide enough for a cheese tray? I would need this done by Jan. 15th, 2009.
December 25, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hi Twyla,
Unfortunately, it is very hard to reattach the label to a slumped bottle, because a slumped bottle is rounded and adhering the label would leave a lot of bubbles.
We can adhere the label to the bottle much easier if we fuse the bottle flat.
We can’t guarantee that we can save the label. My husband uses a heat gun to melt the glue, so it depends on the type of glue they use and the strength of the paper label. Can you get a couple of labels from the winery? Other customers have done this and it makes adhering the label much easier. And, you won’t have to worry about preserving your label.
How large is this bottle? The spoon rest mold that I have may not make a spoon rest out of your half-bottle. It may be too small to make a dish shape and it may turn out fairly flat with the neck of the bottle raised up off the counter. I have seen smaller molds and I can order one if you want us to slump your bottle. I’m not sure how large your bottle will be after slumping it.
We can get this done by Jan. 15, if you send the bottle right away. The fastest way for us to do this is to remove the label (if possible) and fuse the bottle flat with a hanger added to the neck, so you can hang it on the wall.
I hope I have covered everything. Let me know what you want to do.
Happy Holidays!
Christine
December 27, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Hey I’ve been having fun slumping wine bottles for friends – but about 50% of the time I get a somewhat big bubble by the neck of the bottle – is there any way to prevent this? I use the same bottles and timing for all of them and can’t figure why some do and some don’t. Thanks.
December 28, 2008 at 4:15 am
Hi Barb,
Sometimes I get a bubble like the one you described. I add a Segment to my firing schedule called a bubble squeeze. I take the temp. to 1200 degrees and hold for 30 minutes. You may try holding at 1250 degrees or somewhere in between, depending on your kiln. This allows most of the air to escape between the two layers of glass before the glass fuses together. If you want the bubble to go away or get smaller, you need to play around with the bubble squeeze that works best for you.
I hope this helps!
Thanks,
Christine
February 24, 2009 at 7:43 am
Hi Christine,
I am interested in having 50 wine bottles slumped (all the same size and color). The slumped bottles will be used as cheese & cracker platters at a special event.
We would purchase the wine bottles and send them to you for slumping and would need them by May 1st.
What would you charge to slump the 50 bottles.
February 24, 2009 at 9:13 am
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for contacting us about this order. We would love to slump these bottles for you. At this time, we would charge $700 plus shipping and handling for bottles that are clean and don’t have a label on them.
Thanks again,
Christine
June 29, 2009 at 3:31 pm
[...] Wine Bottle Spoon Rest « Masters Glass Art [...]
November 9, 2009 at 11:13 am
Hi Christine,
I am a sculpture and ceramics major at Salisbury University. Im taking a glass blowing class this semester, so when I saw your blog about making a wine bottle spoon rest I got excited. I have enjoyed reading all the comments and have learned alot.
Thank, Nikki
December 15, 2009 at 4:59 am
Good luck with your classes! I’m glad you are learning from my blog!
November 19, 2009 at 3:37 am
Hi Christine:
Would you mind recommending the best method of affixing a label to a slumped wine bottle?
Thanks Helen
December 15, 2009 at 5:03 am
I use regular white glue — nothing fancy, but it works great.