04 March 2008

8 operations



These three are in the kiln as I blog: 1) the circles one from 2 weeks ago I had high hopes of and which is way too thick and I am hoping will flatten and flow out a bit more; 2) a failed attempt that I am flattening; 3) a cut-up, already flattened piece that I am re-fusing. Somehow I was all day setting up my kiln. Is it viable? To get a panel, I go through the following:
  1. make a mould
  2. create a pate de verre bowl
  3. pick it up on a bubble and blow it out
  4. flatten the bottom on the grinder
  5. slump it flat in a kiln
  6. cut it into rectangles on a diamond saw
  7. make a fibre-board box (hardened and then batt-washed in the kiln)
  8. lay out the pieces with glass frit to fuse-fire in the kiln

So preparation stages and 4 hot-working operations. I'm not using my best roundels for these tests, but it's going tohave to be really stunning to justify all this. I don't mind as it's all part of the MA exploration, but it wouldn't be financially sensible.

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