A blow mold is a manufacturing process for forming hollow plastic parts, such as bottles or containers. The process involves softening plastic by heating a preform or parison, which is a tube-like piece of plastic with a hole in one end through which compressed air can enter. There are three main types of blow molding: extrusion blow molding, injection blow molding, and injection stretch blow molding.
Vintage blow mold decorations have been a classic part of holiday decorations for over a century, and are still highly sought after by collectors. These hand-crafted decorations are created out of melted plastic, and the mold is filled with liquid plastic, then air pressure is applied to shape the plastic into predetermined design patterns. They are available in classic Halloween motifs such as witches, ghosts, and pumpkins, but can also be found featuring iconic Christmas images like Santa Clause, snowmen, and Christmas trees.
Blow molds are also used to create plastic figures that are placed outside, such as those used for holiday decorations. Most of the blow molds used for holiday decorations have lights in them, but not all blow molds have lights. Blow molds are made by filling a mold with liquid plastic, then applying air pressure to shape the plastic into the desired design.
Blow molding is a cheaper process than injection molding, and produces cheaper plastic pots, both in price and in quality.
