Sand Casting at Liquid Glass

[garishglobes]

Sabine, I've just had another look at the hand, you must be really chuffed.
I'd love to see pics of the mermaid, even in pieces - and Charlotte's trees.
Sand casting was fun, would love to have another go.

[theflyingbedstead]

I would love to see everyone's pieces too...all of them - it would be great to have a record of them all together.

I haven't got my pieces back yet.  Tom is going to pull my murrini bundles, so I'll go and pick them all up together.  I WILL post photos when I get my trees and tin cans back!

[garishglobes]

Well, here are mine:




I'm glad I chose the eye shape, because in two halves, this cast looks like waves

[julieHB]

Wow.....and WOW!

I am so impressed with you, ladies! Great, great, pieces and so beyond a bead maker's experience! Wonderful!

[sparrow]

You know what, Emma - I know it was meant to be an eye, but the waves work, too......Sydney Opera House silhouette, methinks  I really like them both!

[turnedlight]

Wow! These are all amazing, I love the ice look of the blocks, fantastic work - do you put pieces in the sand impression and heat up? I've done metal casting in sand but not glass, this is so beautiful

[garishglobes]

I'd love to do more sand-casting!  You make a sand impression (making the edges nice and smooth) then add powders, flamework, copper etc... either on the sand, or after some glass has been poured in (you need to have annealed pieces ready-heated in a kiln to place between layers of molten glass)  or both. It usually takes a couple of pours of glass to fill the mould (at least!!)  It is definitely a very cool thing to do.

[Lloki]

It's a real shame the eye shape cracked (I love the blue & white "stringer things" - just how do you do that?!) but I think the shapes have HUGE design potential - I'm imagining all sorts of paperweights, trophies and garden ornaments (I really must start taking my medication again!)
How big is the other shape, could we be talking stepping stone size?
I really do think they look fantastic - brilliant!

[Steampunkglass]

Wow, looking at the flickr pictures was amazing so it's so cool to see the end results!

[theflyingbedstead]

I have picked up my sandcasts, and when the sun EVENTUALLY came out Ben took some pictures:







I am really pleased with the main cast of the tree - I love the way the leaves interact with each other when the piece is moved (difficult to explain!).

One of my test pieces has cracked.  It seems to be around the ivory figure. The other tin-can shaped piece poured in the same sand box (but without the figure) is fine. 

[garishglobes]

oooooh, Charlotte....those are stunning, amazing and just plain gorgeous!!

coincidentally, I've been having an email discussion with Julie today about the cracking and she asked if anyone elses apart from mine and Sam's did - I knew Sabine's skyscrapers had, but you should mention the figure to her.
I think she was worried because she too had a couple of cracks and was trying to work out why, given that she'd used the glass before and it shouldn't have caused problems. Last I heard she had figured out a hypothesis, so it would be interesting to know if your figure fitted in with it.

[theflyingbedstead]

Thanks Emma! 

I've already sent Julie an email with pictures, so it will be interesting to see what she thinks of the cracking issue.  I didn't know that she had experienced them too.  I am not unhappy with my test piece cracking, as it was a test, but I feel for you and Sam - your main pieces had so much work and love put into them.

I am contemplating making a mould for my test piece and bringing it back up to slumping temperature to try to mend those cracks...and then see what happens.

[sparrow]

Ooooh, they're fab, Charlotte, no wonder you're chuffed 

[Black Heart Beads]

I love your final piece Charlotte and think it must look even better close up as I know how detailed the leaves were. In fact I like all of them, the mesh has worked so well. Do let us know if you have any luck healing the cracks, if you can I guess it would rule out incompatibility.

I have not taken a photo of mine yet but also got an email from Julie so I better get it done tomorrow. It would be good to know why this happened as I would love to have another go at casting (will chant less is more until it sinks in next time). I would probably learn more in the long run from having the cracking problem than if all had gone to plan. And I must say the week was so great that the lack of a kick ass final piece does not bother me at all  

[garishglobes]

And I must say the week was so great that the lack of a kick ass final piece does not bother me at al

Couldn't agree more! I learnt such a lot, it really wasn't a big issue