The Cast Glass Serenbe Project Installation: 54 days

Ok, I published this post on 9/3/2008, but don't see how to re-list it with its' correct date. Enjoy.

During this project there are a lot of studio processes that I have had to refine. I'm showing one today. These pictures show a process that I use after I have determined the weight of the glass that it will take to fill the mould.

Basically what I worked out is that I number the moulds, for this project, then I number the leaves that are in that mould. For example, in the mould to the left, mould no. 3, I numbered each leaf in that mould. Then, after I have determined the weight of glass that goes in each leaf (a process for another post), I don't have to weigh it each time. I just replicate what I did before.

This system has worked well for me, since I have several different moulds for The Serenbe Project. I made a total of 11 different leaf patterns. Since I keep a notebook page for each mould number, after I calculate the weight of glass needed for each leaf, I write that down on the page with that particular mould information. The next time that I cast in that mould, I just look the info up in my notebook, that gives me the total amount of glass that I need to fill each leaf in the mould, I weigh the glass, fill the mould and fire. I also mark the mould each time that I fire to casting temps (1500+degrees). This will enable me to track the performance of this mould material and I can determine how many times I can re-fire the mould. It also gives you more reliable cost information for calculation of retail pricing.