Glass saga 2020, 2 new bricks February 26

Another poor man's vase melt slab from four dollar purchase at thrift store. 5/8 inch thick 8 pound Asian made machine blown vase sample passes melt test with slightly elevated Spectrum 96 full fuse schedule. Sawn, hammered and nipped(fritted ?) until all passed through a 5/8" strainer. Should melt out to a 19 inch puddle 1/4 inch thick. Then will be sawn/lap shaped/tumble shaped/tumble polished into jewelry pendants. Great glass as sample came out kiln polished. Most of the reduction to 5/8 inch was done with 4 ounce hammer blows. Pieces that were too large were sawn individually on a tile saw. 3 hours prep time. Glass dust fully washed away in stainless colanders and then dried on the stove.

Am starting to maximize capacity of kiln as confidence and know-how increases.
A third shelf could easily be added.
Such large slabs could also be slumped into vases and bowls.

Initial reduction of vase using tile saw.



Sample passes melt test



The whole vase reduced to 5/8 inch and smaller



Closer view



Ready to cook on 21 inch shelf. Should make a 19 inch slab 1/4 inch thick.



Bottom shelf is another large slab using glass blower's scraps. Easy, simply screened scrap and laid it out.
Total weight of 2 slabs about 14 pounds. Two rotary barrel's worth.

I like your slumping idea. Have used bowls as a form for slabs of clay in the past. Cut and pressed glass patterns worked great for adding texture to the slab. Determining the correct wetness/composition of the slab and correct material to put on glass for release was the hard part.

Can imagine all sorts of slumped bowls made from worldwide sources of glass combined into one piece.

Yes, the Native firing methods were great. No glaze, per say, back then. In HS, I did a special project to replicate the traditional methods. Our land was filled with very pure clay. 4 colors, yellow, red, gray, and a very dark copper color.
The pieces I made were allowed to dry. I then coated them with pine resin. From there, they went into a burning pit. I had dug the pit and lined it with stones. The coals had been in progress for several days. Lots of dead Elm, as it burns forever at high heat. Other hardwoods. I had another burning area, too. As the upper coals cooled and became ashes, I would scoop those out. Then add fresh coals. This went on for a week.
My success rate for initial firing was about 50%. After that, the fired pieces, were removed and allowed to cool to the point I could apply more things to them. I made natural dyes from plants. Brushed that on. Allowed to dry for a few days. Then, back in the coals for another week. Almost everything survived this firing. My art teacher was impressed.

I can see where slumping glass would be much easier that clay, even with modern methods. To me, the hardest part with glass would be adding texture to the outside of pieces. Simple grooves would be easy, when the glass was still somewhat soft. A form could be made, with inner and outer portions to place the glass within. It would need another piece for the center of the glass creation. There would need to be some type of release solution applied to the forms so the glass did not stick to them.
Sorry, my mind is an a creative, experimenting state right now, but am too sore to create much of anything.

These old brick kilns speckle Columbus Georgia well south of Atlanta along the Chattahoochee river fernwood.
The Chattahochee flows thru Atlanta.
The east side of the river from north to south and thru Atlanta had the clay hills removed. Now called the Chattahoochee and Fulton Industrial districts.
The shale and clay on the east side of the river is prime for brick making. The hills along the river were leveled flat and factories and warehouses now sit on these properties.
Many converting to residential property. Basically graded flat to prime real estate for easy development.

I live at the south terminus of the clay hills and close to the river.
An area recently annexed as "Chattahoochee Hills" by the well-to-do folks raising my taxes lol.
The last property mined (~1995 to 2005)is just a few miles north of my home.
Thankfully they stopped digging clay.
I was able to watch the brick shale/clay mining process.
They would uncover top soil and trees off of a 'rectangle' of clay/shale at a time about 150' X 150' x 20' tall.
Cover it in plastic sheet till the moisture was close for firing and then dig and truck it to brick operation.

Never did watch the brick making process but many additives are added to make color and texture on a massive scale.

I did purchase 100+ year old used Chattahochee brick to for a building on my property.
It was a soft solid slightly larger brick with no holes in it. Gave the brick layers tennis elbow because it was soft and hard to break with a trowel.
New brick is fired to brittle and with holes so it can be broken to smaller sizes with a trowel easily.

Check out old brick kiln:



"Old factory" barn/in-law suite/studio I welded up with repurposed steel and had the masons brick structure with era brick.

Close ups of two melt slabs.

The slabs



The vase facing heat



Vase slab on bottom



Glass blower's scraps



Vase slab pendants ready for tumble.
Ratio of size of broken glass before melting needs to be proportioned for pendant scale patterns if that makes sense.
3 hours breaking/sawing vase into 5/8 inch and smaller pieces. Much of the glass blower's scraps already broken to good size, a big labor saver.



Got to get buddy Stan melting glass for his spearhead business. He saws and sells slabs for spearheads out of cherts and agates.
Going to have a come to papa meeting with him to get him started in melting. He is timid about venturing.
Two blanks for him to knap into spearheads in a trade for one of his finished spears.

Nice color palettes on both of those melts.  That spearhead your friend made was amazing.  

I sure do enjoy playing with the glass Robin. Equally enjoy tumbling stuff.
Combine the effect of tumbling and composing and it seems to make a happy camper.
Local silversmith is on to me about setting glass and selling it. Looks like a serious and capable client.
Feel confident about getting clients.

Native man without metal tools, vises, etc. How did he do it ?