Casting glass is wicked tough, but really fun. For those of you interested (and who isn't?), here's some photo documentation of the process. To left is a wax figure I worked on for 2 days- a sleeping woman covered in roses. The reason it took 2 days is that this is about 8 inches long, and the 26 tiny roses on her took HOURS to make and attach in wax. It isn't quite finished here- as you can see in the next photo below, I added some vines and leaves carved into her body. |
The below left picture is the finished figure (carved with vines and leaves) on a clay base, being molded to the clay in preparation for making a plaster mold of her. Below right is the mold material poured over her in a mold box clamped together to fit her size. And below left, the finished plaster mold. Once the plaster set, I picked out the clay base and melted the wax out of it. Now you're looking at her from underneath, through the space that once was the clay base. I'll pack pink glass powder in the roses, and green glass powder for her body, and then fire her in the kiln for about 35 hours for a pate de verre figure. If it works. I have no idea- all that work may be for nothing. I will post a picture of the result- success or failure. But below right is a picture of a finished box with a pate de verre that DID work- a green glass frog top on a glass box detailed with vines. It's SO great when it works.
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And below, one more cast glass cat (this will be sandblasted white) and an abstract-ish horse (also to be sandblasted white). Animals and more animals this week out of the Beachwalker kiln.
And below left, out of the kiln last week, a cast glass mermaid in blue. We think we'll make a black box for her. And below right, new today, 2 helical figures in shift-tint glass to sit on top of a box. It was a pretty happy kiln-opening day, except for the fucked-up gold girl above. Sometimes glass does weird things.
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AuthorTom Beach and Amanda Walker Archives
September 2015
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