Fine frit supply in Canada

[Planet Glass]

I'm having a hard time finding a supplier of clear fine System 96 frit here in Canada. I have a wax model of a bird feeder with thin walls (3 mm) and I'm afraid regular pellets will not flow readily in the cast.

Anyone knows of a supplier that has a good chance of having a few kilos of fine frit in stock?

[Planet Glass]

I couldn't find a Canadian supplier that had this material in stock, so I emailed Tracy from Tracy's Workshop (http://www.tracysworkshop.com) - she called me the next day, and yes, she did have 10 bottles (5 lbs) of fine frit system 96 clear glass, yay!!! I gave her a shot remembering that I once was flabbergasted to find out she had 8 repeats of some oddball corner bevel cluster in stock and I got them the next week.

I'm really thrilled, I needed FINE frit to better go through the 3 mm wall of the bird feeder I want to cast (lost wax technique). The model is finished and ready to go.

The cap is going to be a screw on cap, made of plastic. The top of the feeder has a thread which I copied from an actual bottle. I made a rubber mold of the top of the bottle, then poured hot wax in it. I used microcrystalline wax for this, but in hindsight I should have used parafin because it's more rigid and more "carvable."

Next task is to make a wax model of the cap. I want this cap to extend outward to function as an umbrella to shield the feeder from the rain. I have two ideas. I could make it like an actual umbrella, or like a coneflower (the petals spread out downward like a daisy umbrella of sorts). I also have to find the best cold casting plastic for this for squirrel resistance!

[Janet McFadyen]

Hi I just joined this site today what part of Canada do you live in? I am on Vancouver Island....are you going to pack the mold as a pate de verre or are you using a reservoir to hold the glass and allow it to flow? or both methods? I am not sure why you needed fine frit that is why I am asking. Janet