As the temperature in Phoenix today is reaching records high, I thought appropriate to talk about how art glass and fusible glass are made.
The process of making art glass is complex and impressive.
Glass starts as sand, the cheapest and most common thing we can find in the world. And by adding heat and human skills, it will transform into this magical and mysterious material.
Sand is mixed with chemical elements that will create colors: cobalt, copper, erbium, selenium and even gold are used alone or in combination. Glass factories have a team of chemists who constantly work to create new exciting colors that artists are going to use in their work.
Sand and chemicals elements are mixed in precise proportions, following a formula kept secret as if it was the Fort Knox safe combination.
The mix is stored into barrels that are shaken, rolled, turned and returned for hours to make sure that all the components are perfectly mixed. Today, the barrels are handled by machines, but years ago, it was made by hand.
The mix is then transferred into a 2000F hot furnace. Such a high temperature causes the mix sand/chemical elements to melt and to become fluid.
Using a ladle with a long handle, a glass technician (wearing all the appropriate eye and body protection) scoops out a portion of the fluid glass and pour it onto a stainless steel table. Once on the stainless steel, the glass will very fast start to solidify. Time is crucial. The table is equipped with rollers where the glass is pushed and pressed into a sheet.
I have visited the Uroboros Glass factory in Portland, Oregon. The process looks like a ballet. Several technicians are at work at the furnace. Scoop the glass, pour it on the table, roll it, send it to the annealing kiln. They work with speed and coordination.
The annealing process is what will give the glass its strength. If the glass cools down too fast, it breaks on the spot, or will break later. Annealing will allow the glass to cool down progressively following a precise schedule, thus giving it strength.
The annealing kiln looks like a long tunnel where the sheets of glass travel very slowly. When they reach the end of the tunnel (LOL), glass sheets are quality controlled, labeled and stored.
Sheets are not the only form of glass that artists are using. You have rods to make beads, powders for pate de verre, blocs for casting, stringers, confettis and frits to use as accessories. All those wonderful products that us, artists, are using in many ways in a form of art where only imagination is the limit.
The two following videos are posted here with the authorization of Uroboros Glass factory.
This first video is rather short. It shows the process of sheet rolling. At the beginning, please note the Zebra bowl made by my friend Kathleen Sheard. She works only with glass powders that she places using tiny tools to create those wonderful animals portraits. No paint in involved, only glass. By placing the powders in layers, she obtains a 3D effect that no painter can have. Each piece is about 1/2 inch thick and takes many hours of work to prepare.
The second movie is longer. It shows more of the glass fabrication process and you will also see nice views of the factory as well as artists at work.
It is possible to visit Uroboros Glass factory and this is fascinating. I do not believe it is open to the public all the time, but if you are in the area do not hesitate to give them a call to ask. You will find phone number and address on their site at www.uroboros.com
The process that I have described here is all done all by hand. There is another factory, Spectrum located in Seattle, who creates machine made glass. There are differences between hand made glass and machine made glass.
Hand made glass is more expensive and has a personality of its own that is appreciated by many high level artists.
Machine made glass is less expensive and easier to work with. Those are appreciated characteristics, especially for production work.
Both have their own applications and artists today have a very large palette of products they can select, according to the work they want to create.
I hope that you liked this post. Questions and comments are welcome!
A bientôt,
Patricia
© 2009 – Unleash the Spirit of Glass!
