Kim Cylinder, Cone and Vessel Shaper

This is one of the most versatile graphite glass shaping tools. It is used for shaping bi-cones, cones and vessel shapes. It can be used two different ways. One method is to hold the mandrel, with glass on it, perpendicular to the direction of the tapered V groove and rotate the mandrel to shape a symmetrical bi-cone with straight sides and a 90º center angle. The over all size of the bi-cone is determined by the amount of glass originally put onto the mandrel, up to what will fit in the mold. The other method is to hold the mandrel, with glass on it, parallel to the direction of one of the two V grooves. Two tapered grooves are arranged in reverse to each other to facilitate easy shaping on both the left and right side of the bead. By holding the mandrel at different angles to the groove, you can make any length or angle cone, bi-cone or vessel shape with either a straight or curved profile. Typically, one end of a bi-cone is shaped in one of the V grooves, then the other end is shaped in the other V groove. The over all size of the finished shape is not limited by the size of the V groove.