Glass studio and technics

This semester is going to be another whirlwind, a wonderful but testing one though. Our glass department have really tried to give us the best they can offer in a creative way. Our classes have lengthened and nearly all our classes have three teachers with different expertise coming in and out for different parts.

Glass studio
This morning Andrew gave us our timetable and explained it. Homework is to research 3 glass artists who use sand casting, sand casting in general and to have a proposal for our cast piece ready.

Good websites for "How to sand cast"
Linda Fraser


Glass tech
Uri's artist talk was at 11am and and fascinating as all are. His experiments fusing stone and glass were very interesting. I love all the installation work as the philosophy behind it is fun and kind..the intent is to give someone an 'out of experience' experience on a random day. To my thought it's a bit like RAOK (Random acts of Kindness) but in a different form. Anyhow it resonates well with me... I enjoy it. So check out his webiste at Neptune glass works



Our Tech class was taken by Uri who showed us some very 'cool' flamework techniques. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it..must get back into it...must buy some borosilicate glass and start practicing. Great day! Great week!

Glass tech, week 13

Continuing on with our casting project, we spent this class in the cold room being assisted and directed by Eliot Brand who has been filling in for Marcus who is on paternity leave.

Our project is to have the base ground, polished and beveled.

All machines and students got a work out.

This class was also Jaime's last official 'glass' class. She is moving onto photography next semester.
Good luck and don't forget to come and visit.

Glass tech, week 12

Oh the anticipation! Similar to a ten year old at christmas.

Waiting for our mould's to have cooled enough to be taken out of the kiln let alone broken out.











the 'delicate' task of setting free one's casting.

Sarah's piece was most reluctant and needed the persuasion of an electric drill to emerge.

It's a bit like eating a complicated seafood dish.

Lots of cutlery and suspense!















the curious dead possum mostly free of plaster.

The next bit of waiting is at least a day before doing any cold work on it.

Glass tech, open faced moulds, week 10

A practical demonstration on making an open-faced mould.

Open face moulds suit models that have a wider base than the top.

Make your object in clay

surround with (baffels?) fix with g clamps and seal edges with clay.









Mix your plaster.
















Plaster should achieve this consistency.













Flick plaster in to begin with (some techniques do differ)

Pour in plaster carefully preferably in a corner not on the clay (causes bubbles).

watch out for leaking.
Jiggle table ot tap baffles...causes bubbles to rise.

wait.

Glass tech, casting, week 11

All our moulds are ready! See the odd white things on the table.

Now for a suitable firing cycle.

Imagine a zone of silence and no small amount of pressure as we wait for Eliot to come up with the perfect table.

Glass tech week 8

Marcus re introduced us to the kiln room.
Kiln shelves, kiln wash, the extractor & props were identified and exampled along with safety precautions.

Our "made up" firing schedules were checked and tweaked..


For the rest of the lesson we tried to figure out how to set the kilns. Some of us were more successful than others. I'm not sure if I am hugley confident.

The test strips were put in and this is what they looked like when they came out.






Float test strip after kiln with schedule


Bullseye test strip after kiln with firing schedule

Glass tech, week 5

Marcus is away so the class will...grind and polish our cubes

Glass tech, Week 4

Our stacks of cut glass are now fused cubes..some neater than others...ready for grinding and polishing. Marcus had introduced us to the machines but today was a chance to get beyond a little small talk. A demonstration on each machine refreshed our initial introduction. A little daunting at times but getting more confident.

Equipment in the cold working room for cutting, grinding and polishing:

Flat lap or flat bed grinder
Linisher
Diamond saw
Rotary hand tool (dremelesque)

Glass tech, Week 3

Glass cutting with Marcus.

Straight lines squares and a circle, well that was the idea! also we were given our glass cutters!
The squares all get stacked to go in the kiln to be fused..which will become next weeks task.

Glass tech, week 2

Marcus walked us around the different areas of the glass studio:

Hot shop
Kiln room
Cold working
Mould room
Sandblasting
Gluing
Flameworking

A quick rundown of all machinery was given.