Topic: Owl and skull paperweights: how were they made?

[RAY]

it looks like the same way they do engine blocks.... could of been done with highly compressed powder in a mould, take the mould apart and the effigy of the owl is there.... pour molten glass on top shape it and wait till it has cooled add water or vibrate to dissolve the powder and hey presto ..... that's just my theory

[chopin-liszt]

I've just been to the exhibitions currently on in Perth Museum - the Caithness one, Loch, Heather & Peat, but there is also "Trove", an exhibition organised by the Scottish Glass Society on, showcasing the work of 25 contemporary artists.

A couple of them have made things which are very similar to your weights - with hollow insides of strange and complicated shapes.

There is an image of one by Elizabeth HH Cull on her website here (inspired by corals) which I have just seen, and it is described in the exhibition as being "a kiln formed positive air sculpture using the lost wax technique"

http://www.elizabethcullglass.co.uk/

[Leni]

These look to me very like Anne Arlidge's (Assenden Glass) 'Lost Vegetable' castings.  As I understand from Anne, the vegetable (or fruit, or fish) burns away when the clay mould is fired, and then the void is filled with molten glass.  All that would be needed was to then case the resulting item in a layer of clear glass and you would get the result seen here with the owl and skull!   

[chopin-liszt]

I thought Wuff's weights had hollow insides. :spls:

[RAY]

i dont think wolfs weight has been done with the lost wax technique