hello from Mexico Feb. 3 2009
I have been working on making a glass Jack and Ball (like the child's game Jacks) since June 2009 ... I have wanted to make a glass Jack for many years. There has been a big learning curve on this project for me.... I am using the lost wax method for this sculpture... I made a rubber silicon type (RTV) two part mold from my metal "jack" which I have had for years it is in the metal sculpture I made in University in 1998. there is a photo of that sculpture by our fish pond in the top right of my blogs' opening page..The Jack and Ball are approx. 6"
I made many wax patterns from my RTV mold as each failure taught me about the flow of the wax ( or lack of flow) and trapped air preventing the the wax to flow to the extremities ....I drilled many air vents into my RTV mold and making slow progress to a fully complete wax pattern on my jack. Which also helped me understand the problems I may have getting glass to flow into these areas... Then to get my wax jack into the air with vents, sprues and a reservoir for the glass to sit in... the vents allow air a way out and the glass a way in... It had to be stable enough to to withstand the pressure of 35 lbs of plaster being poured into the bucket. It was a huge challenge to get even this far.. the plaster mold is made.... the wax has been steamed out and the mold is drying while I vacation with my husband in Mexico for a month yeah!!
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close up of the upside down reservoir ( looks like a cone) attached to the jack ( the round ball)
this is a top view of the jack with many sprues and vents I used wax for the sprue/vents and toothpicks for air vents only.
full view The Ball
I finally decided after a few false starts that the best way to get a nice smooth round sphere was to use a beach ball deflate the ball to the size I needed ...I added vents to the ball and poured the mold when it set up I popped the ball and removed it.
the ball with many bamboo chopsticks used as vents and wire to hold them in place and strengthen the mold as it's going to have a lot of pressure on it with glass wanting to escape...
the ball with many bamboo chopsticks used as vents and wire to hold them in place and strengthen the mold as it's going to have a lot of pressure on it with glass wanting to escape...When I get home the challenge will be to try and get the mold interior hot enough before the glass flows... then heat up the glass nice and juicy hoping to reach all the extremities in the jack and remove bubbles from both the jack and the ball... I want to fire both molds at the same time. The ball will be 13 lbs of solid glass that will take a long time to cool slowly so that the center of the ball is the same temp. as the outside edge for this reason I think it will be in the kiln at least 2 weeks to one month.... stay tuned when I get back in at the end of Feb. I will be learning more I am sure... peace Janet
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