Topic: one for Kevh

[RAY]

these photo's are off Vasart bar ware, corkscrew and a bottle opener, got them today, i think they are signed in the centre cane " V " in the form of smaller canes could it be for Vasart or Vincent?, what do you think Kev? because i can't find any similar cane's on your's, Franks or Richards site


click to enlarge

[KevinH]

I just happened to be looking in when this message popped up.

I then checked my web pages because I thought I had produced a discussion on possible V canes - but no, it's not there. There is a page that shows a weight with a cane that raises the same question, but I never got around to making a cane table section for that and other weights!

The short answer to the "V" cane is, in my opinion, "No". Bear with me and I will try to show why I think that's the case.

Watch the space below.

[KevinH]

So, why do I say "No" to a "V" cane.

OK, let me start with something quite amazing ... it's almost unbelievable ...

This first link below shows a cane in a signed Paul Ysart weight. I have deliberately played around with sharpenening and blurring to highlight the cane to look at - as well as it taking most of the centre of the image:
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-4987

Now, get the next image and look at them side by side. Not so good a view on this one as the glass over it is very scratched and so I have really gone to work on the "highlihting" to get a reasonable look at the details:
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-4984

Is it the same cane?

Well, the first is the "normal" view through the top of the weight. The second is through the clear flat base (well scratched, though). It's the same cane. Honestly. During the setting of the canes, this one simply got distorted so much that the top view has lost all sight of some of the interrnal smaller canes. And I have rotated and flipped the second image so that the surrounding canes can be compared to prove that it is the exact same section from the same weight.

Now, consider what else can happen when a cane gets distorted.

Here's one of my Vasart weights, as shown in my web pages:
http://www.btinternet.com/~kevh.glass/pages/vas-strath/weight01.htm

It can be seen that there are five cream-coloured canes with small-cane centres.
And here's a closeup of one of those canes (another image with a whole bunch of "highlighting" to bring out the detail):
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-4986
Point 1 ... the structure is 3 larger and 3 smaller canes in the centre of the main cog cane.
Point 2 ... each central cane is itself made of a cog cane with canes in their centre (and perhaps it goes further than that, too?)

Look at the innner cane at the (just past) 6 o'clock position. Clearly, this has the same 3 + 3 type of structure as the main cane.

Now look at the other two similar canes. They both look like a "V"!! And, in fact, when I bought this weight, the dealer remarked that there appeared to be several "V" canes in it - if I cared to look very closely (which, of course, I did .

Those "V" canes are just the result of hot slippage during setting with the main core of the cane overlaying and displacing the 3 + 3 structure. It just happens to look like a "V" when seen without the closeup detail.

Same as the cane in your weight, Ray. A fairly convincing "V" under normal viewing, but actually the result of hot slippage rather than a deliberate design.

But that does not take anything away from the fun of these things and to be honest, it was exactly this sort of illusion that got me looking very closely at lots and lots of canes.

[Frank]

Oh well the excitement wanes, unlucky Ray and what a fascinating bit of work Kevin A+++.

Ray if you know an X-ray operator, perhaps they can get some slices through the cane... just in case. 

[RAY]

oh well bang goes my villa in France, thanks for the explanation Kev