Topic: How was this made? Graal? Fused? I'm stumped.

[krsilber]

Now that we have a suggested maker, why not contact John Lewis and ask if he recognizes it. Then if it is one of his early pieces he may be able to explain how he did it

Dandy idea, Adam...will do.

A lot of collectors don't realize what a monster glass batching can be.

Tom, I love hearing about glassmaking "from scratch."  It really does seem incredibly tricky, an art form of its own is right.

The crystals can grow at some temperatures and you're not aware of it as it happens.

Crystals?  I thought you didn't want crystal formation, that it would destabilize the glass - is this not true?

painting with enamel on cold rod then reheating ..? depends what your binder or vehicle for your enamel is.. ..might burn out before enamel fuses

It's that how painted hot enamels work though?  The enamel has a flux (e.g. lead) to make it fuse at a lower temp.

..often will roll first gather in white enamel then case a few times with clear ..then do colour work on surface ..flower designs ..find white enamel back ground ..creats nice bright canvas for colours ..makes them richer ..kinda of vailed cloudy back ground ..with clear colours creates many variations of shades and tones ..kinda like painting with molten glass

I'd love to see some photos of this!  Why case a few times with clear - once not enough?

Powdered enamels - additional flux, for lower fusion temperature?  Always opaque?

I really think it's probable that the disks started as straight pieces, at least partly decorated before being made into donuts.  Look at how the fine lines are so much closer together in the centers.  Take a rod, heat it with a torch, roll one side in fine thread-like bits of black to get thin lines perpendicular to the length of the rod, partially embedded in it.  Add some brown before or after the rings are made but before they are mushed, so it doesn't cover the black (which at that point still protrudes slightly above the surface).  ...It just seems logical to me, considering the pattern of the fine black lines.  That pattern has always seemed to me to be the key behind figuring this out.

I feel kind of like this is a rerun of the skeleton mold thread, when my ideas were so oft rejected as impossible, or ignored.

[aa]

I really think it's probable that the disks started as straight pieces, at least partly decorated before being made into donuts. 

Quite a reasonable assumption, but not a breakthrough.  It just shows how careful we need to be in describing some of these techniques. When marvering and trailing was discussed earlier by number of different members,  including myself, there was an assumption that it would be clear that this involved normal colouring techniques in which you prepare "straight" coloured pieces that would then be heated up and brought to the piece hot, applied to create the "doughnuts" as short trails or bits, and then marvered in. I am afraid that it never occurred to me, nor I suspect to anybody else, that anyone would assume that the doughnuts would be made first and then coloured.

I think you should seriously consider taking a short glassblowing course as I think you would have a lot of fun and would understand some of the techniques you have been discussing with a greater insight. In just one afternoon, much of what fascinates you would come to life.

[krsilber]

Quite a reasonable assumption, but not a breakthrough. 

No, I don't think it is, either.  All I needed was a little validation!

there was an assumption that it would be clear that this involved normal colouring techniques in which you prepare "straight" coloured pieces that would then be heated up and brought to the piece hot, applied to create the "doughnuts" as short trails or bits, and then marvered in.

This is why I asked for details.  It's a false assumption that it will be clear to me exactly what steps are involved.  Even now I don't quite understand - are you talking about preparing straight pieces while cold?  And preparing them HOW?

Now I get it about the donuts being made of trails, formed directly on the piece.

I would love to take a course in glassblowing.  I don't have the money for it.  (So why do I care how this d**n thing was made?!)  I've sat for hours watching it being done, though - you can learn a lot even doing that.

[mtpaul]

red glass a passion ..
copper tin reds... add antimony to get redder reds 200grms per 50lbs sand
cad sel.... add silicon carbide..50 grm per 50lb sand
gold ...add sel. and antimony ..50 grm and 200 grm per 50 lbs sand

watching glass workers great way to learn
working solo 16 yrs ..miss watching ...

reheat reds and yellows ..reduction atmosphere ..
will hold colour better .....more gas less air ..
think hot ..work hotter
peace out ...mt paul ...

[krsilber]

I heard back from John Lewis.  Not his, but he thought maybe Charles Lawton or Mark Peiser, two more people I don't know anything about.  Couldn't find any glass by Lawton in a Google search, though it wasn't exhaustive by any means.  The Peiser stuff I saw was cast glass.

[Fuhrman Glass]

It's Charles Lotton, but I don't think it was his and not Mark Peiser's either. I'v known both of them for many years. Maybe George Thiewes? He was in VT or NH in the 70's. I haven't seen any of his stuff in years and can't recall exactly all he did.
Mark Peiser and Charles Lotton are 2 great glassblower's though and have their stuff in many museums. Check out their prices, they are the top level of modern day glassworkers.