casting rResults
If you have been following my progress, this is the post where I get to review my first cast objects, and to begin polishing and finishing the glass.
After a busy, hot summer, it felt like a long time between visits to Angela, but I think it's more that the time seems to be flying by.
We have had successes and some issues. Firstly, my Moth and Moon cast very well ( the long fire-crackers did the job, so the wings came out intact) , and i'm pleased with the effect of the thick to thin glass. However, although the outer mould was gently soaked away, some of the wings broke off, unearthing it from its plaster.
Soooo frustrating. I have removed the damaged moths, ( using my pendant motor with diamond grinding tools, ) then reviewed the balance of the design. I think it's still good. The open spaces are luckily pretty balanced.
Where each riser was attached, I have carved each Moth back into shape, and spent a long time working on the surface quality of the glass, between the moths.
The Bees and Blossom design soooo nearly worked. Have a look at the pictures below. The core, with its narrow neck obviously moved under the weight of the glass, and has drifted across the model. As you can see from the photos the core looks wonky. The bees are just as I hoped. grrr. We are going to try a slightly different core method, and make it again. I have removed the core plaster anyway, even though he’s now a workshop window ledge item for me, because I wanted to see if the core effect was good. It is.
Because of the Bees and Blossoms, Angela hasn't cast the Honeysuckle piece. This is a major advantage, not to have wasted more money on glass. They were constructed the same, so had a high chance of the same issue happening. All a bit frustrating, but part of the learning curve.
My Hedgerow piece has cast very well. All the surface texture is there. I saw this on a photo before seeing it in the flesh, and was a bit overwhelmed by the bright colour. In reality it's attractive, and I think my silver will work well here. The base sprue was ground off, and I reinstated the grasses at the base with hand diamond files, just to soften the edge again, then the base, neck and interior were sandblasted, the outside was brush finished ( meaning a huge brush and polishing pumice ) and the rim polished to a high shine on the linisher.
We also did some finishing work on my floral glass object. Maybe I should start calling it a paperweight, just because it's less of a mouthful, but anyway, it's coming on. The process has been to hand file and clean up, mask off the carved work, sandblast the edge, grind the base to the correct height, add a beveled edge ( purely to stop any chipping ) and it's now begun the process of polishing on the reciprolap machine. Many stages still to come.
Angela has been working on my large glass piece, with the Beetle and Vervain core. It's looking good, and although I was worried because I have already made the silver honeysuckle stopper, I don't think the glass is shrinking too much.
Because it's in the same family of ideas, I also snuck in a new design I have been working on in wax, (a large wasp core) for Angela to look horrified about, before I complete it, and have to rework it to make it viable. ; - )
Really, I knew the wings would be an issue… but I still hoped there would be a solution. Well, there is, thicken them up. Durr. back to the carving board…
I really feel the silhouette is what will make this piece. I am hoping the brain recognises the sharp bum shape and large head of a wasp, hopefully even when devoid of all warning colours, and in glass! Im working on the balance now, and making the core thick enough to hold its not inconsiderable weight. Watch this space as they say.
And last but not least, we did a lot of work on my cast lizard ‘samplers’. These are testers for patination, and I will cover this in a different post, but it was fascinating to see the effect of the different finishes on the same object.