Question on chargers

[Scott Young]

OK, here is one I've no clue on...

potential order for chargers (the plates "under" your dining plates). Only drawback is, the dinner plates must fit inside the chargers without wobbling, etc. Anybody have any clue how to do this (besides slumping in a mold)? The dinner plates are approximately 5" bases.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Jon Myers]

I think you answered your own question. The most direct (skipping the years it takes to make a nice repeatable flat footed blown charger) way I would think is to take a bisque ware charger and slump a flat rondel into it. You know, lay it on there, heat the kiln to say 1100 (what I've used) and hit it with a torch on top. It will slump and not pick up any texture on the back side. let it sit and firm up a little and reach in and switch the one in the mold for one on the stack you preheated next to the mold. The rondels don't stick together even though it is 1100 probably because that is air temp and the glass is cooler (and I keep opening the door). Any lower and the shit started breaking on me while I had the kiln open. Or you could be like Ed and slump your glass in the glory hole... (a couple of days bumping around Ed's shop gave me years of stuff to think about.)