Diatreta Vase, Frederick Carder,
Corning, NY, 1953. Gift of the artist. 53.4.26
Take a look at the information for pate de verre. The technique generally starts with a wax model that is coated with plaster to make a mold. The mold is filled with "frit" - powdered glass or tiny chunks of glass - that may be painted on the surface of the mold to make a delicate vase. Or, the frit may fill the mold to make a solid piece of glass. Either way, the mold is placed in the kiln to fire.
Some artists use larger chunks of glass to cast their glass in a mold (Libensky, for example). Henry Halem's book gives a description of their kiln process. [Halem, Henry. Glass Notes: A Reference for the Glass Artist...3rd ed. Kent, OH: Franklin Mills Press, 1996. "Libensky/Brychtova Casting Methods," pp. 29-41 (including how to make a wax positive); "Libensky Annealing and Cooling Method," pp. 22-23. The book includes other chapters that are relevant to kiln casting.
The Warm Glass website has some information on the subject: Kiln casting, General information. There is also a "tips" section of the website that has a section on lost wax casting, including a section on removing wax from a mold. You may wish to take a look at the "warm glass forum" or bulletin board to see whether there are questions and answers that are relevant to your research.
The Rakow Research Library has a Molds and Moldmaking Guide that with a page on Wax Mold resources. This includes books and articles that could help with research on the topic.
It is important to look at some books for more in-depth information. For example, Philippa Beveridge's book, Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques - Fusing, Slumping, Casting (published by Lark Books) has step-by-step instructions for kiln casting and pate de verre, pp. 102-119; project, pp. 142-149. The book describes using a clay mold instead of wax, pp. 72-77. Lucartha Kohler creates large kiln-cast sculptures. She describes her process in her book - Glass: An Artist's Medium. This is just a start - attached is a casting bibliography to help you find additional resources.
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