[ATM] glass blank

["Jerry B. Hillman" <JBHillman@ev1.net>]

Hi Everyone,
I have been scoffed at each time I bring this up, but after reading some
posts from 1995 in the archives about melting glass to cast blanks I have to
bring it up again.
What can I use to put glass in to melt it?  I thought about a steel
container but doesn't steel melt sooner than glass?
Here is my project.
I have a wood pile that I am going to burn.  I have determined that I can
build a small fire that will melt a beer bottle.  This woodpile has about 40
tons of wood in it.  It is as half as large as my three bedroom house.
I throw away a dozen beer bottles a week.  Given enough time, I could
collect enough beer bottles to make a good sized blank. (24" x  4" thick.
No more thin mirrors for me.)
I could bury the mold full of glass inside this immense pile of wood and
burn the wood.
>From previous burned wood piles, I know the temperature will get high enough
to melt glass. I also know it will take about two or three weeks to
completely cool off.

The only thing that has kept me from trying this is I don't have a mold for
the blank.  The only cost to this project is the mold.  I buy the beer
anyway, and I already have the wood.  Labor is free considering it is my own
time I would be investing.  Of course, if I succeed, then I'll have to build
a mirror grinding machine to actually make the mirror.

Anyone have any suggestions for a mold that will stand up to this?

Clear skies,
Jerry

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