Quote:
Originally Posted by glasshouse
Thank you for posting those links to the Craftweb site. Very fascinating reading. I can't wait to tell my dad about that site. He started blowing glass in 1971 I think, and probably knew a lot of the people posting there. He had a one-man studio until '81 and did all his glass color batching and blowing without any assistants. A lot of the technical stuff he's talked about started to make sense when I read through those links. There really is so much more to glass compatibility than COE. I'm kind of glad that lampworking is less technical though- we can get away with mixing a broader range of glass than the glassblowers and casters can- so I won't need a degree in chemistry to make pretty stuff that won't break.  (Plus- it's a bead- if it breaks it's not the end of the world. Try, try again, right?)
Thanks again,
Kelly
PS I was reading somewhere- can't remember- that Lucio Bubacci was mixing COEs in a single piece- like starting with 90 as a foot, then mixing 90-96 for the stem, then 96, then 96-104 mixed, then 104 for the bowl of the piece...and he was successful? did anyone else read this? |
I do love the Craftweb site. Being here at the birthplace of the Modern American Art Glass Movement has instilled a real interest and respect for where our art came from.
Furnace work is really no more or less scientific than flameworking, in fact probably less. There seem to be more flameworking glass manufacturers that treat glassmaking like a science and less like an art than there are furnace glass manufacturers. Compatibility between batch and colors is a constant issue. And I mix glasses regularly in the hotshop. Effetre works great for "cane painting" on a blown piece with a torch.
Re: the PS... As I recall it's called "transition glass". Not sure about Lucio specifically, but it is done successfully. The secret is to be sure that the transition is gradual and that the mixing is very complete.