Beer Bottle Slump Mold

Beer Bottle Slump Mold

This mold can be used to slump a small (25 cl.) beer bottle in a kiln,
resulting in a fun serving tray for olives, peanuts, tapas... etc.
Do not use as an ashtray - it's bad for your health.

Instructions

Print all 4 parts
Assemble the bottom-parts and the sides using some clamps on a stable, flat surface
Prepare a fluid mixture of fine plaster and cold water
Pour the plaster-mixture in the mold
Tap the sides of the mold to eliminate air-bubbles
Let the plaster dry (after an hour or so the sides can be removed to speed the drying process)
Carefully remove the 2 bottom parts
Let dry for some more time - put it in the oven with your pizza !
Have a beer with that pizza ! remove the label, clean the bottle and let dry
When the mold is totally dry, put your bottle in the mold (see pictures)
Put mold + bottle in a kiln.
I used the following simple firing program : (temperatures in ° C)

StepRamp rateTemp. ° CHold time
126060010 min.
213070020 min.
3Full8005 min.

After firing, let the kiln cool down to room temperature, do NOT open the kiln before
Follow the safety instructions that came with your kiln.

Remarks

Firing scheme may have to be modified depending on type/size of bottle, type of kiln
It is very, very important that your plaster mold is completely dry, so put it out in the sun for some days, in an oven,...
Some people may tell you that a slumping mold should be made with a "special" mixture of silica and plaster, refractory mix etc.
For bottle slumping I used simple fine plaster and this works just fine : the mold does not crack, the glass does not stick
to the mold, the mold can be re-used many times, no need for 'kiln wash' etc.
FYI : I use a Paragon SC-2 mini kiln, and Belgian 25 cl. beer bottles (Leffe, Grimbergen,...)


All parts are printable on small-platform printers,
no supports needed.

Enjoy !

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