Paperweights
Cheeky Torch Paperweights I usually use COE 96 Glass - melted in crucibles that I'll dip a pipe or punty into before marvering and doing the detail work. After putting on a design the piece gets blocked into shape at a bench, followed by some number of subsequent re-dips and more detail work. This process repeats until complete. Finally I'll swing it out (for taller pieces) followed by one last fire polish. After creating a chill line with the flat bladed Jacks, the piece can be cracked off the pipe into a fiber filled basket, and carried to the kiln for 20 hours or so of annealing. The very last step is cold-work of using a grinding machine and diamond coated disc to form a nice level, smooth base. As with pendants, I like floral type implosions but will also experiment with patterns, floating blobs of glass (ala lava-lamp), honeycombs, air bubbles, rakes, swirls and textures of all kinds. Sometimes I will use silver wire or fume pieces with sterling silver or high-purity gold. Occasionally, etching acids to frost the base or the bottom (or both). Pieces usually aren't named until after one comes to mind. If I sign a paperweight, it will usually be an engraving of the CT Logo (backwards C abutting a sideways T) on the lowest side just above the base. |
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Grabbing
a Gather
 Blocking into Form
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Example
Paperweights
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