Pancakes

Göran Wärff is a name often mentioned in connexion with the method ( see article in Dagens Nyheter). Wärff was, at that time, working at Pukeberg, and brought the method to Kosta, where he started working in 1964.

The method works like this: a "blob" of hot glass is placed on a plan surface, often patterned. The "blob" is then lightly pressed, then, still red-hot and malleable, it is manually moved to a slumping mould where gravity helps giving it the final shape.

The film is a part of a circa 15 min promotional for OKB from 1997 (the whole film can be seen here), the less than minute-long part showing the "pancake baking":

Pancake products can be recognized by the characteristic rounded edge, and by the fact that the pattern usually is at the bottom.

The slumping moulds were often used "right side up" (like in the film), but sometimes were reversed — one example is the butter dish from the service Party from Kosta.
To make this the pancake had to be flipped over a raised mould. Then it had to be manually "helped" so that the glass was formed tolerably even over the mould. This means that the butter dishes can become quite different.

Designarkivet in Nybro holds some sketches by Monica Backström showing "flipped pancakes".
As Designarkivet applies copyright to its images, we cannot show them here, but follow the link!
Note that there are two pictures. On the second there are descriptions of the coal (graphite) mould(s) (which is placed in the press) and the raised moulds: "mould onto which the glass is flipped" (my translation) (orig "Malle som glaset vändes på efter plattan").

More pictures (sketches and artifacts) from Digitalt museum here.

på svenska För andra språk erbjuder vi/ for other languages we offer Start page for the museum About us Machines and artifacts in our museum About the building Glass as a material, and the glass industry About hot glass techniques - Glass melting furnaces - Glass pots - Pressing, a general descripion - Swedish pressed glass - "Baking pancakes" - Centrifuging - Vacuum flasks About cold glass techniques Links Literature list Downloads, catalogues (opens in new window) museibloggen (written in Swedish) Facebook group for the Museum Contact us How to find us More about Bergdala		On "baking pancakes" During the 1960-ies a different method for glass pressing was developed. It became known as "baking pancakes". Göran Wärff is a name often mentioned in connexion with the method ( see article in Dagens Nyheter). Wärff was, at that time, working at Pukeberg, and brought the method to Kosta, where he started working in 1964. The method works like this: a "blob" of hot glass is placed on a plan surface, often patterned. The "blob" is then lightly pressed, then, still red-hot and malleable, it is manually moved to a slumping mould where gravity helps giving it the final shape. The film is a part of a circa 15 min promotional for OKB from 1997 (the whole film can be seen here), the less than minute-long part showing the "pancake baking":

		Pancake products can be recognized by the characteristic rounded edge, and by the fact that the pattern usually is at the bottom. The slumping moulds were often used "right side up" (like in the film), but sometimes were reversed — one example is the butter dish from the service Party from Kosta. To make this the pancake had to be flipped over a raised mould. Then it had to be manually "helped" so that the glass was formed tolerably even over the mould. This means that the butter dishes can become quite different.
		Designarkivet in Nybro holds some sketches by Monica Backström showing "flipped pancakes". As Designarkivet applies copyright to its images, we cannot show them here, but follow the link! Note that there are two pictures. On the second there are descriptions of the coal (graphite) mould(s) (which is placed in the press) and the raised moulds: "mould onto which the glass is flipped" (my translation) (orig "Malle som glaset vändes på efter plattan"). More pictures (sketches and artifacts) from Digitalt museum here.