New Kiln

Look how small the old bead kiln is compaired with the new one!

 

When I started working in glass I got myself a little second hand kiln so I could anneal my beads so they wouldn't explode as they cool.  When I say second hand I think I might be its third or even fourth owner, but it doesn't matter - it works. 💜

 

But it is tiny.  After all it's just for beads.  But I do sometimes use it for fusing glass.  If I want to do this I can do one coaster sized thing at a time (or more smaller things).  Which is a pain if you want to do a set of coasters. 

 

Then at the end of last year I received a bonus at work!

I could finally buy a bigger kiln!

But I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.  I don't have a lot of space in the studio so everything has to pull its weight, and I don't do that much fusing so was it really worth it?  And even with a bonus it was still a lot of money.

 

I liked the idea but kept putting it off. 

Then I started taking pottery classes which got me thinking about doing some pottery at home.  Could I use my little kiln to fire clay?  No.  Clay fires much hotter than glass does, even when casting.

Anyway, long story short, I found a kiln designed to do both glass and clay!  Wow.  It's a Kilncare IKON V46.

So after a lot of thinking I ordered one.  It's not that much more than a kiln just designed for glass and the ability to do both things makes it feel like a better resource.

Don't worry I'm keeping the little bead kiln.  I don't think beads would work that well in the new one, but it's great to have a few more options.

 

It does mean a bit of a reorganisation in the studio, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.   Watch this space to see what happens next!

 

Blown Hollow Glass Beads with Ikuyo Yamanaka

For the last couple of months or so I have been following along with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers - online learning for making blown hollow glass beads.  

 

With 7 different modules it covered how to blow a glass bead then different ways to decorate and shape them.

I've been fascinated by hollow beads forever, but have struggled to improve mine with no real guidance.

 

The online course has meant I can watch the videos in my own time before attempting my own beads.  I also have the option to ask Ikuyo questions too. 

 

While I have found some techniques quite hard, for instance stretching or twisting the beads, it has definitely improved my glass handling skills, and I finally know how to add an additional hole to my beads, something I struggled with for ages.

 

And while my twisted beads didn't come out all lovely and round like her's, some of them have a lovely sculptural quaility to them that I really like. 

 

I've really enjoyed the course and learning new techniques which I'm sure I will incorporate into other projects.  It's also been really nice to have a focus for going down to the studio each week, even if I only made a couple of beads each time.  

 

Maybe if I keep practicing I'll end up with something as beautiful as Ikuyo's beads.

 

Small Sculpture in Flameworked Glass

 This weekend I was back at West Dean.

The weather was so nice it was nearly a shame to be stuck inside all weekend, however what we'd be learning was too exciting to worry too much about the sunshine.

 

As you might have seen, I do some lampworking (flamework) in my spare time in the studio 'im outdoors built me.  I work in soft glass which is pretty easy to make into beads but has to be kept hot until you are done then straight into the kiln to anneal.  If you don't keep it warm it can crack and break and be a pain in the ass.

This weekend I learnt how to work with hard glass - borosilicate, which is much more forgiving.  It's less likely to explode than the soft glass and you can put it down and cool it while working on a project before annealling it when you are done.  It makes it very good for creating sculptures.

 

The class was taken by Andrea Spencer a very talented glass maker who came all the way from Northern Ireland for the class! 

I was the only person in the group with any hot glass experience, but while some things were similar, like the tools and how the glass moves, it was also quite different, with it being stiffer than the glass I normally use and there being no need for mandrals (or bead release! Yay!).

 

I was quite happy to watch and listen and learn everything about this 'new' type of glass.

We started by making some leaves, which suited me just fine.

Then we learnt how to make the leaves into a 3D sculpture by using a framework of glass to hold things in place while we melted them together.  Then we learnt how to make a little bird.

 While waiting between things while Andrea helped others, I manage to create a pair of sycamore seeds, based on Andrea's demo from Friday night.

On the second day we learnt how to make flowers and I embraced this and managed to make 3.

 

It was all so different from the other things I've done with glass and I loved it!

It was very satisfing to come home with a handful of lovely glass things, that I made and I could make again if I bought the right glass.  I just need to stick them all in my kiln tonight and set them to anneal and they should be pretty robust. 

Definitely worth missing the sunshine for...

Enamelling for Beginners

 This weekend I was back at West Dean for their Enamelling for Beginners course with Sheila McDonald.

I wasn't really sure what to expect and to be honest I was starting to regret booking a course on the first weekend of January - right at the end of two weeks off work and just before I went back to work on Monday.  And with a yellow snow warning in place.

Enamel is made from crushed glass, which is how this course made it onto my list of things to try in the first place, but it is closer to fusing glass than the lampwork I'm more used to.

On our first session Sheila gave a demonstration and I was surprised how quick it was.  I'm used to putting things in the kiln and having to wait for hours before seeing the end result.  The small tiles we were working with were cooked in minutes and we only had to wait for them to cool down before adding our next layer!

We started by sieving the enamel powder (powdered glass) onto copper squares.  A couple of layers of white and we could make a design on top.  I tried a stencil, which took a few attempts to get a clean 'print' but I'm very happy with the end result.

We then tried wet packing which is where you add the enamel powder while wet.  You need to dry your design before putting it in the kiln otherwise the enamel pops off.

 

We then tried a technique called cloisonne, which involved adding very fine silver wire to your work and working the wet enamel powder round it.  This can look stunning but I over heated my first attempt and melted the wire.  Doh!

 

My second attempt was much better, but I found it fidderly.

 

I also tried ginding my own enamel from a chunk of glass which was very satisfying.  (And does involve a hammer to start with.)

On our second day we were given silver discs to decorate and turn into whatever we wanted.  I decided on earrings and a matching pendant.  I started by adding texture to the silver, before dilling a hole and doming it.  Finally I added my enamel and fired it.  I am so pleased with the results! 

With some time to kill I also had a play with some colour.  I love this brilliant pink!

 

Considering I didn't know much about enamel a couple of days ago, I'm now at a place where I'd be more than happy to mess about with some in my studio.  I'm wondering if the powders I use for making glass leaves would work?  Something for next weekend I think...

Glass Stars for Christmas

 In an attempt to feel more festive I was back at West Dean this week for a one day course on copper foiling.

When I booked it there were several different classes to choose from but in the end the stars won.  If you know me, that probably didn't surprise you!

 

We were a group with mixed experience, some had done this and stain glass work before, some were complete novices.  I've never really been interesting in stain glass, past admiring it in passing but I'd been thinking about ways to use and display my glass leaves and the copper foiling looked like a possibiliy.  Then I found out and you can make 3D things this way and I had to have a go! 

 

Copper foiling and stain glass are very similar, but stain glass is more robust and can be used outdoors if finished correctly.  Copper foiling is more delicate which is just what I was looking for.

First we were shown how to cut glass.  I have cut glass before, but not much, so it was good to get a refresher and by the end of the day I was much more confident.

 

Preperation was everything, so we needed to make sure we cut our glass precisely.  Any lumps or bumps needed to be ground off and the glass had to be washed to make sure it was really clean, otherwise the foil won't stick.

We had 3 different sized star templates on paper to work from, which worked very well.  We also had 5 different types of glass, one for each point of our stars.

 

With all our bits cut and cleaned we then learnt how to apply the copper foil.  It's very important that this is stuck to your glass very well, otherwise it can come off when you start to solder!  This means lots of rubbing to make sure it is stuck fast.

Once all our parts were ready we could then solder everything together.  First we tacked them together so they wouldn't move around, then we covered the edges before doing the joints.  It was quite a fast process.

 

The class was for 3 stars, but we could make more if we had time.  I made 2 more, a medium and a small.  I rushed the last small one so it didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, but I learnt lots from the mistakes I made. 

This was a fab little class.  It's very different from working with hot or even warm glass, but another string to my glass bow that I am very happy to have added.  I've got lots of ideas now that I want to try out!

Leaf Box

 

As I've mentioned in a couple of my posts I've been making glass leaves and going to a regular jewellery making class.  And I've wanted to combine the two.  However, glass leaves are very fragile and don't travel well.

 

So I decided to make a box so I could take a couple to class with me, without having to worry if they would get broken on the way.

I started by finding some foam sheet in my stash.  This gave me the size of my box.  I then used grey card from my stash to make the two parts of the box, which I then covered in some brown paper, which had originally been a M&S paper bag.

 

I then made a cover so I could stick the two boxes together and make a 'book' as I felt this would be more secure for my leaves.  This was also covered in paper bag.

Lastly I used some off cuts of copper and silver to make a catch to keep everything closed.

 

It works very well, keeping the leaves safe while being moved.  I might play with the catch a little as it's a little loose, but otherwise I'm very happy with it.

Spinner Ring and Sliding Necklace

 Since I reduced my working hours in May, I've been going to a weekly jewellery class where I've been learning lots about how to work with metal and how I can incorporate my glass creations into the mix.

Some classes have been frustrating, mostly where my soldering hasn't gone to plan, some have been successful, but I've learnt so much from each one.

So I thought it was about time I did a quick update on some of my favourate pieces form recent weeks.

Firstly is my sliding necklace.

I was at West Dean earlier this year learning about fusing glass.  When I set some pieces to fuse I added an off cut of plain glass just to see what it would do.  Well it came out as a lovely rounded length of glass and I knew right away that it would be perfect for a sliding necklace.

It took me ages to get there, but I finally had time to make a little silver cap for it, along with a silver ring for it to slide through and to add some chain.

I was very pleased with how it came out.  It's now on the possible list to wear at a big event happening next year, although I do have a few other ideas to try out too.

 

The other thing that I've recently worked on that came out very well was a spinner ring.

These are traditionally silver with two parts.  The main core and then the spinner outer piece.

 

I wanted to know if I could do the same with a glass outer.  So first I had to make a glass ring, before making a silver core to fit it.

 

This took a little work, but I was very happy how it came out with the texture of a leaf.  Then came the nerve racking bit - fitting the two together and flarring the ends of the silver ring so the glass ring won't fall off.

It worked a treat.  So now I need to see how safe it is.  Glass and metal can be a bit tricky together, so I've been wearing it and playing with it to see if I can break it.  So far so good.

 

 I have loved working on these project.  Not just the beautiful outcomes, but also the problem solving and learning new skills.

We've only got one more term left before Christmas, but I hope to have a couple more things to report on by the end of it.

Wild Glass Creations - The Shop

 

I make things because I am curious about how to make things and because I like to own things that are personal to me.

However, I'm starting to build up a bit of a collection of glass now, and every time I show someone a new ring or piece of jewellery I've made they tell me I should sell my work.

Seeing as I currently work full time I've never really been bothered about trying to turn my creativity into an income, but it wouldn't hurt if it could pay for itself at least.

So I have now set up a little online shop where you can buy things I have created.  Mostly in glass with a few other materials thrown in for varity.

You can find everything at wildcreationshandmade.co.uk and I'll be adding more as I make things.

(I did think about an Etsy shop, but their fees keep going up and I've heard from friends and family who have had really bad experiences with them, so I've kept it independent.)

Maybe I'll also try some craft shows at some point too.  This is the start of something...