Method for forming ice sculptures
AssigneeInfanti Chair Manufacturing Corp.
InventorVittorio Infanti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method for producing an ice scupture employing the steps of forming rigid metallic mold halves from the objects, said mold halves having recesses which collectively define the object; yieldably joining said rigid mold halves together at discrete locations; filling said mold halves with a freezable liquid; chilling the assembly sufficient to freeze the freezable liquid; allowing the mold halves to become differentially displaced from one another as the freezable liquid expands; disassembling said mold halves from one another to remove the ice sculpture therefrom peeling away said rubber mold from sculpture. In another embodiment, the rubber mold is eliminated and replaced by a sealing gasket. Additives may be employed to add color and/or obtain clarity.
Claims6
A method for producing large decorative ice forms comprising the steps of:
- providing a pair of metallic mold halves each having a cavity extending into a planar surface of each mold half;
- joining the mold halves whereby their planar surfaces are positioned in close proximity to one another and aligned so that the cavities in said mold halves cooperatively define a unitary hollow mold;
- placing a resilient, compressible seal between said planar surfaces surrounding and immediately adjacent to and conforming to the perimeter of said cavities defining said hollow mold to seal said hollow mold and prevent leakage therefrom into the region between said planar surfaces;
- urging the mold halves together with an initial force sufficient to compress said compressible seal to thereby provide a watertight seal about said hollow mold;
- applying yieldable forces at a predetermined plurality of individual locations at spaced intervals about said mold halves;
- filling the hollow mold with water through an opening along the upper portion of the mold assembly cooperatively formed by the coaligned cavities;
- placing the mold assembly in a cooling chamber to thoroughly freeze said water whereby the cold is conducted to the water by the metallic mold halves;
- independently adjusting said yieldable forces to apply sufficient pressure to keep said mold halves closed while said water freezes;
- moving the mold halves apart in a controlled manner to allow for the expansion of the water as it freezes whereby the yieldable force urging the mold halves together is less than the expansion forces exerted upon the mold halves by the freezing water to enable the aforesaid expansion without distortion or damage to the mold halves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.