Glass, which has been around for a long time, served as one of the first discoveries of handicrafts, a fascinating material of naturalness, purity, and aesthetics. This unique material encountered in both industrial and artistic fields for centuries, has applications in many different techniques since its discovery, adapted to ever-evolving technology, and expanded its usage areas. Advances in technology have led to an increase in production speed and diversity, and hence an increase in consumption.

It is formed by melting raw materials such as glass, sand, soda, feldspar and lime at high temperatures. Glass behavior is related to the microstructures of materials, that is, the atomic order. In glass, atoms are arranged in a certain order in unit size. However, this order is not preserved at long distance. The basic unit structure of glass is silica tetrahedron, which consists of a single silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms. Silicon has a valence value of +4 and consists of regular tetrahedra with a silicon atom in the center and four oxygen atoms around it. Atoms are bonded by ionic and covalent bonds. Glass contains more than one oxide. These oxides are generally classified in 3 groups as; Glass Forming Oxides, Modifying Oxides, and Conditional Glass Makers. Glass has high viscosity even at high temperature with an inorganic-based silicate system that solidifies without crystallization at normal temperature. 

While the natural resources of these raw materials are decreasing day by day, they cause environmental problems such as energy spent, water, and soil pollution. In parallel with the growing human population, the number of studies on recycling has increased significantly to offset consumption needs. One of the biggest problems of industrialized countries is deterioration of the natural balance due to increased resource consumption. Soil, air, and water pollution caused by raw material consumption is the main environmental problem.

By transforming solid wastes, a country’s economy is supported and environmental pollution is reduced. In addition, raw material is saved. Recycling is the process of converting waste that can be recycled to secondary raw materials through various separation stages. Recycling in glass will contribute to the reduction of energy spent during production and the prevention of air pollution and excess water consumption by ensuring the protection of primary raw material resources. Glass can be recycled infinitely without compromising on quality with each conversion. Waste glass is not only transformed for the glass industry. Apart from this, it is also used in the construction industry, in the production of asphalt materials, and in many areas as decorative material. Thus, recycled waste glass contributes to the national economy and environmental protection.

Within the scope of this study, glass operation and packaging waste was used as a different approach in mold forming techniques, which have an important place in glass art. In order to avoid the thermal expansion coefficient incompatibility, glass from the same production was preferred in the enterprise. Within the scope of the studies, only two types of compatible glass was used together. Expansion coefficients of the two types of glass was very close to each other. No cracking or breakage was observed on the surface of the glass after use. Mold forming techniques are defined as the process of removing models from the mold by filling them with glass after firing the molds of the desired models with heat resistant materials. The technique has its origins in Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.

Many years after its discovery, it was put into practice by artist Henri Cross and emerged as an improved firing technique. This technique is created by preparing a model first. The prepared model can be made from many different materials. The most preferred modeling products for this technique are clay, beeswax, silicon, or plaster. After the model is made, its weight is calculated and the amount of glass required is determined. Plaster and silica etc. are used in mold making after the modeling. The materials are heat resistant refractory materials. Different materials supporting plaster and silica can be added for mold removal. After removing the mold, if the model is made of wax, the wax is melted with water vapor and removed from the mold. In this emptied area, glass as much as the weight of the model is added and put into the oven. Glasses are completely fused with the effect of temperature in the oven and a filled surface is obtained. It was possible to find many artists in the world who use waste glass in different techniques and evaluate them artistically. It was observed that waste glass was turned into art objects by using techniques such as glass forming with open flame, stained glass, mosaic, and fusion. The mold forming method is an important technique that requires effort in terms of material usage and the construction process.