Potato in Glass
Dipping a potato in a hot glass furnace may seem like an odd thing to do. This is actually an old glass factory trick. This little known trick helps with melting clean, bubble-free glass… And there is some actual science to back this up. Melting a pot of glass We fill the glass furnace with the raw materials for glass, known as ‘Batch’. Here is a link for more information and a video about what is in our glass. The cycle for melting glass is known as charging… And putting batch into the furnace is known as – “throwing in a charge”. It...
Read MoreGlass Blowing – using torches on glass sculpture
A short video clip of Bernard Katz and his team blowing glass during one very hot humid day in August. This video clip shows the glass blowing team using bench torches to spot heat a piece in progress. While working on a custom glass sculpture with custom colors using the bench torches helps keep areas of the piece hot. This can keep a glass piece from cracking if areas get too cold. We also use this torching method to add extra heat to parts of the piece we are working on. We use these bench torches extensively between trips to the glory hole when working. They are an important tool in...
Read MoreGlass Sculpture from Clay Sketch
Creating our glass sculpture begins with a thought, idea, and concept of direction. I develop these thoughts and ideas in a number of ways before actually creating them in glass. Almost everything I make has had its origin in the form of simple quick sketches on paper. These quick sketches may be derived from a past glass sculpture series I want to explore further. Sometimes these quick sketches open the door to new ideas and direction… And sometimes these sketches are attempts to resolve ongoing concepts. My glass sculptures are 3-dimentional… They have “volume”....
Read MoreStand Placement video
Quick video instruction for placement of the glass sculptures, the Avelino, the Caladesi, and the Montara on the custom made metal stands. stand placement video...
Read MoreGlass Blowing basics Tutorial 3
This is the 3rd tutorial video in a series of glass blowing basics and glass studio processes. In this short tutorial video, Bernard Katz covers what the main components are that make up a basic simple glass formula. Bernard fills the furnace with the ‘batch’ along with some recycled glass. He throws in about 50 pounds or so every 1-2 hours until the furnace is full. Filling the furnace is a process called ‘charging’. Melting a full tank of glass takes about a day with the furnace at a high temperature of around 2400 degrees. Resources and more information used in...
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