Lighting Covers

I have been asked to provide two dozen diffusing light covers for an auditorium.

I've finally got the mould sorted.

This has involved getting an existing cover to take a mould from.  The refactory fibre paper used to make the mould was soaked in hardener and formed around the master.  I left it to dry for a week while I went on holiday, but it was still damp when I came back. I had to remove all the weight packing the fibre to the master and let it air dry for days.  When it could support itself, I put it into the kiln to fully dry and cure.

It came out of the kiln firm, but it needed sanding to final shaping and to smooth the surface.

This is the mould sanded, hardened a second time and now washed with a separator to keep the glass from sticking to the mould.  The advantage to this kind of mould is that it is light weight and reasonably easy to shape and adapt to a number of simple shapes.  Its big disadvantage is that it is pretty fragile. Also it is not cheap. 

The tests have been made for the diameter of the discs and the temperature required for an appropriate slump.

These are the two test pieces together with the original piece.  Now I'm ready to produce two of these a day for the next week.

Studio views

I have been asked to put some photos on the blog of my studio.  These are three general views of the studio today.

This is the East end of the studio.  Today the concentration is mainly on leaded glass.

This shows the North and part of the East of the studio.

This shows the South West portion of the studio during a sunny spell.

Cupola

A client has recently purchased a house built in the early 1920’s.  It contains a cupola that has become ugly over the years through exposure to nicotine and general dirtiness.

Rather than trying to clean it, the client has decided to replace it with something in keeping with the period of construction that will allow light through into the hallway, but also obscure the view of the roof.

After trying out several ideas, I came up with one that I liked and developed it.

In my enthusiasm for the flow of the piece, I overlooked the desire for roses that the client had expressed.  The client gently pointed this out to me when I showed the design.  Oops, time for a re-think.  Everyone agreed that the flow of the green forms, although not rose leaves was desirable.  You can see the beginnings of a re-design on the original.

So I came up with a variation.  I worked on making a simple but clearly rose shape instead of the elongated buds that were the colourful feature of the first design.  I also worked to bring more of the colour lower into the panels.

You can get a better impression with the new design over laid on the old.

This is now at the glass cutting stage and soon to move to the building of the panels.