What are the basic materials and equipment needed for glass casting? Depending on the size of your studio, your glass projects, or your techniques, you’ll need a variety of different tools and machines.
Here’s the list of basic materials and equipment I use to create my glass sculptures:
Materials
- Fine art plasticine or clay to create the prototype
- Refractory investment mix (50% hard plaster, 50% quartz) – or already mixed choices like Hydracast
- Optical glass (I use S-BSL7 from Ohara)
- Silicon carbide for grinding
- Cerium oxide for polishing
- Diamond pads for bevelling edges
- Corundum powder for sandblasting
Machines
- Industrial kiln (I use this model: Rohde TE 200 MCC+)
- Eccentric grinder (I use this model) or Rociprolap (here is a great tutorial) for grinding and polishing
- Wet-dry vacuum cleaner (to clean the polishing machine disc)
- Sandblasting machine
- Glass cutting machine (if the glass company can’t cut it for you)
Safety equipment
- FFP3 mask (mandatory for mold making)
- Protective gloves
- Goggles
- Ear protection (if you have loud machines)