RE: [ATM] glass blank

["Thomas" <tomjan@ozemail.com.au>]

Two materials that come to mind are, graphite and silicon carbide. Make
a mold out of fire bricks and the over coat it with a refractory wash
containing a high proportion of those two materials and you should be
well on the way.

You should also try to make a roof or some other cover for the mold to
keep the amount of ash contamination to a minimum. I did see a rule of
thumb for annealing, but I can't remember it right now. 

Richard, if you are reading this, you have a experience in this facet of
ATMing what's the go here?

Clear skies,
Thomas Janstrom
http://www.tjanstrom.com
http://www.norsewines.com.au
"Your nobody untill you've been ignored by your seventh cranio-facial
nerve."


-----Original Message-----
From: atm-bounces@atmlist.net [mailto:atm-bounces@atmlist.net] On Behalf
Of Jerry B. Hillman
Sent: Thursday, 25 November 2004 1:58 PM
To: atm@atmlist.net
Subject: [ATM] glass blank


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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