How many bottles can be fired at once

[Sandi]

I am using a Paragon Ceramic Kiln to fire my glass. I am going to try slumping some regular wine bottles but am wondering how many to put in my kiln and about how far apart as I know that when they slump they will spread but by how much. My kiln shelf looks to be approx 23" and is round. I am going to use fiber paper directly onto the shelf to do the slumping. I tried looking in the archives but as of yet have not found the answer to my question.

[charlie]

use wash rather than paper.

i can get 3 or 4 at a time in my 23" kiln, depending upon the shape and size of the bottles.

[Sandi]

Thanks Charlie. Why the wash instead of the fiber paper?

[charlie]

it's smoother (unless you're using thinfire). it's LOTS less expensive since you have to cover your entire shelf. it's reusable.

there's very few reasons (although there are some valid ones) to use paper.

[rosanna gusler]

when you get some flattened, trace them on some poster board and make some cut outs. that really helps with loading your shelves. rosanna

[Sandi]

Thanks Charlie and Rosanna. I really like the idea of cutting out a template after the fact. I already have washed my shelf so it will be dry tomorrow to use. Can't wait to try this out.

[charlie]

if it were me, i'd go ahead and use it today. heck, go ahead and use them wet. they'll be dry by the time your kiln hits 212F. bottles don't have a large contact area so there's nothing to be trapped under them.

[hoknok]

I found that sprinkling a fine layer of sand underneath the bottles keeps them from rolling and also from sticking to the bottom. The sand seperates with ease afterwards by brushing it off with the hand. It does leave small sand marks underneath but it does not matter since its the bottm no one sees.
I can fire up between 18- 22 bottles at a time.

[Carla Fox]

What are all these flattened bottles used for? For the life of me I can't think of that many uses?

Carla

[Kim Bellis]

Carla:
I've seen some turned into clocks, ashtrays, cheese trays, windchimes, lamp shades etc. In my opinion glass art doesn't have to be functional. I really like dysfunctional art myself. I love eye catching glass items just sit around to make me smile
Kim

[Carla Fox]

What are all these flattened bottles used for? For the life of me I can't think of that many uses?

Carla

[whitejoyce]

Happy to know someone is doing wine bottles. Flattening them I mean. Is there more can be done with them after the flatten of them?

Open for any suggestions, commments.

[Sandi]

hoknok - What size of a kiln do you have if you fire that many bottles at once compared to Charlie's three to four. Do you use multiple shelves for each firing or just one?

[Bellknap]

As for use of the flattened wine bottles....I received one (dark beautiful colbalt blue) as a gift and use it as a cheese plate and server. It came with a small cheeze knife embelshed with a grape motif and coordinating cheeze holder. Looks great hanging on the wall. Since it has a neck as a handle you could serve all kinds of little tidbits. lydia

[charlie]

Happy to know someone is doing wine bottles. Flattening them I mean. Is there more can be done with them after the flatten of them?

Open for any suggestions, commments.

i use them for spoon rests on the stove, and serving things. i use the down side as it's much flatter. sometimes i sandblast the flat side, and sometimes i blast an image. these sell well in craft fairs around here if they're blasted with southwest designs.

another hint is to figure out the temp where they aren't fused flat, but sort of organically partially slumped. they work much better as a spoon rest as the top dents down somewhat and forms a little bowl, and the neck makes a curved handle. i put a U shaped piece of metal under the neck to make a higher handle sometimes.

[Tyler Frisby]

what would be the most effective temp to fire bottles at ? is they're anyway to get rid of those bubbles caught by the neck of the bottle collapsing first ?

[charlie]

what would be the most effective temp to fire bottles at ? is they're anyway to get rid of those bubbles caught by the neck of the bottle collapsing first ?

it depends upon how flat you want them. i use 1500 to get them really flat, around 1300 for differing times (depending upon type) to get them to be more rounded and bowl shaped.

[Gale aka artistefem]

"What are all these flattened bottles used for?"


"Long neck frisbees!" she says with a wicked

[Gale aka artistefem]

........and no poo-poo here. I flatten 'em and sell 'em too. Good sellers!

But the occasional second makes for a great river frisbee.

[hoknok]

hoknok - What size of a kiln do you have if you fire that many bottles at once compared to Charlie's three to four. Do you use multiple shelves for each firing or just one?

Sandi,
I have a 22 cubic Ft. Cone Art kiln from Cananda. I can fire three or four shelves. Each level can hold about 9-12 depending on the bottle layout and size. I have a local wine/Bar dinner supply me the extra bottles on a weekly basis. My kiln was used for ceramics before I switched to glass.

I will also fuse bottles together to make, tables, crosses, odd looking animals and the standard cheese plates. I also experiment with placing colored beads, glass and things inside of it.

About half of what I fire is a keeper, the rest is chaulked up to testing and fun.

I think I am about to slow down on these bottles since I got it out of my system. I just have about four cases left to fire and will donate them to a local church for a fund raising event.