What kind of primer should I use on Stainless Steel Molds?

This month, Slumpy's has had many questions about what kind of primer to use and what steps are needed when priming a stainless steel mold. So here are some tips!

The easiest, fastest & almost all-around best primer (my opinion) and my preferred method is using the boron nitride sprays. The application time is maybe 10 minutes-- apply 3 light coats of the spray and you're ready to drape! With the boron nitride sprays, you are not required to heat the mold prior to application. Take your mold to a well ventilated area, shake container well before application, and hold can 6-8 inches away from mold surface spraying on a light coat. Let layer air dry before applying another coat. Continue until you have 3-4 light coats of primer. Slumpy's carries 3 different boron nitride sprays-- check out here! 



*If you want to cure the mold set your kiln to 200°F (93°C) and let soak for four hours, then increase your temperature to 1300°F (700°C) this will make the finish hard and last longer.

Another method requires you to heat the mold and then brush on the kiln wash in thin even coats. Of course with any application you must wait for it to dry in between applications. If the primer just drips down your shape, increase the temperature to get it to stick. When using the kiln wash, you need to apply several coats, covering any and all surfaces where your art glass comes into contact. Many recommend you mix 20% rubbing alcohol to 80% water you mix with your dry kiln wash powder. Adding rubbing alcohol into your mixture will allow it to evaporate faster so you don’t have to wait as long for it to dry when brushing on an application.

Both methods can be touched up easily with another few applications of kiln wash or boron nitride spray. You may want to apply another application when you see areas that are scratching off.

If you are going to try out one of our many stainless steel molds, keep these priming methods in mind. And as always feel free to contact us at slumpyartist@slumpys.com or 1.866.SLUMPYS

Slumpy's NEWS: 

We've announced our 3rd workshop & it's on the 3rd of May! 

Saturday, May 3 @ 8:30 am

DJ's Design Tutorial

Slumpy's released a new & funky mold a few weeks back! The DJ's Design mold has been so popular and seems to be grabbing everyone's attention. 

So… with that said! I'm going to walk you through how I created the final piece! 

Step 1: Choose your glass colors/ design and start cutting! Make sure to double up your glass to ensure glass doesn't pull in. 

2- 15" L x 1.5" W* 
15" L will guantee the base will be even on all four.

1-13" L x 5" W

1- 8.25" L x 3" W

Step 2: Full fuse the layers of each separately to make glass 0.25" thick. Fused glass likes to be .25" thick.

Step 3: Assemble the fused pieces on the [primed] mold and slump. The glass pieces will tack fuse together and slump in one step.

The DJ Design is so much fun and I would love to see what you create on the mold! Email pictures of your DJ Design final piece to slumpyartist@gmail.com. I would love to see your glass designs. 

Takeouts: I first full fused an 'H' design to use on this mold then quickly tossed any idea of that design! The piece pushed out a bit and didn't fit to the measurements of the mold. Soo… I created something a little different and pieced together the mold. 

Want to learn more about glass fusing and slumping? Visit our website for our Saturday workshops-- next one is May 3! Projects and techniques being taught will be announced soon. 

How to Make a Coral bowl

How to Make a Glass Coral Bowl

I've seen glass 'coral bowls' everywhere nowadays and I'm sure you have too. This little tutorial will help you use up some on your scrap glass with a couple simple steps!

I like to use the same color throughout my bowls but you can create shading with clear, transparent and opalescent glass colors. Make sure you measure your mold to determine the max diameter of glass-- marking the parameters on your shelf paper will make it easier for you (Tip: Flip the mold upside down and trace on your paper). 

Creating your piece on your kiln shelf (line with shelf paper) makes transferring to your kiln very easy. Begin arranging your bowl by 'branching' the glass strips on the shelf paper. Continue organizing glass until you are happy :) then Full fuse your piece. 

Once fused, rinse with soap and water then slump or drape on your favorite mold. 

My Coral Bowl is System 96 Orange Opalescent glass and draped over SS-540, Andrew Sphere 12" bowl. The total diameter of my bowl is 6" and can be used as a candle holder or just a cute accent piece in any room. 

This is just a cute print I found on Etsy/thedreamygiraffe, talking about creating everyday-- Happy Monday, slumpsters! And as always, email me with any questions! 

Beginner Workshop

On Saturday, January 11th, Slumpy's hosted their first [ever] Beginner's Workshop in Belmont! We talked about fusing basics (Tack, Contour & Full fuse), tools, and created two 6" glass projects. 

We worked with Slumpy's Carolina Frit and Frit stencils along with System 96 glass. Our Frit stencils are so easy to use and come in so many shapes. See more on our website!

Take a look at one students take on Frit Stencils and System 96 'Retro Squares' Project.

The Retro Squares project was fused and slumped in our Jumpin' Jill Mold and the Frit Stencil project was contour fused. 

For Slumpy's Firing Guide, check out our website. Also, our FAQ is up too! 

Don't miss our next Workshop on March 1-- more details here. See you soon in Belmont!

What is a Pot Melt?

What is a Pot Melt? 

Glass is placed into a pot with a hole in the bottom and melted at high temperatures so that the molted glass runs out of the hole making patterns. Here are all our Pot Melt patterns, kits and more.

Slumpy's has 2 Pot melt kits to help get you started! This is our Large Pot Melt kit that comes with 2 stainless steel rings, 1 stainless steel rectangle, 6 bowls, 1 Pot melt support, 12-15 pounds of Odd cuts, and large fiber strips. What a kit! 

We also have a Small Pot melt kit, find more information here. 


For smaller kilns, we have 6" and 8" Mini melts. Here is a video tutorial on how to use Slumpy's Mini Melt system… More information here. 

Your Pot melt final piece will give you a unique piece that will be one-of-a-kind. The amount of glass placed in the pot melt bowl will determine the thickness of your piece. After fusing, you can cold-work your piece to round off your edges or even full fuse your piece to create 1/4" thick piece then slump or drape on your favorite Slumpy's mold. 

Tips: Space colors with clear odd-cuts to allow color definition during melting. Use light, contrasting colors to achieve best result.

If you have more questions regarding pot melts, contact Slumpy's Lead Artist: slumpyartist@slumpys.com.

Only a few seats left for Saturday's Beginners Workshop! Sign up today! 

Slumpy's First Workshop

Did you hear Slumpy's is holding our first Beginner's Workshop on January 11, 2014?

This is such exciting news for all of us at Slumpy's! We are excited to bring you new ideas and learning tools! 

The Class will start at 8:30 am on Saturday, January 11th and end at 11:30 am. Students will be able to shop our NEW store from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm. 

You will learn the Basics to Glass Fusing! The class includes two (2) COE 96 glass projects- use of tools, safety gear, glass supplies and kiln firings. The cost of the class is $75 ($150 Value)! Space is limited to 8 seats.
Get Tickets. 

This a great opportunity to come together with aspiring glass artists and learn new techniques and tricks from others. If you have questions regarding the workshop, please email slumpyartist@gmail.com

We look forward to a NEW year full of a lot of NEW beginnings (ers)! See you in January, Slumpsters!

Also, our NEW store will be OPEN this Saturday, December 28th from 10am-4pm! 

Slumpy's Crew Ornament Party

This past Monday, December 9th, Slumpy's had an Ornament Workshop Party for our crew! We had a great time socializing and working with all the glass. The crew made an ornament for the Slumpy's Christmas tree and one for their own Christmas tree. 

To keep all the pieces in place, we used Klyr Fire adhesive. All the ornaments were contour fused and look great! We used Dichro pebbles, Irid glass, Buffalo Chips, Carolina Frit, and scrap glass. Click here to see our glass components selection!

We used Slumpy's Scientific Serum to glue jewelry bails to the glass ornaments for easy hanging. You could also drill a hole in the glass using ST-390, 1/8" Drill bit. 

Check out our Holiday section on our website!

Special Store Hours: Don't forget our Slumpy's Store will be 

OPEN Saturday, Dec. 28 from 10am-4pm!