Topic: Huge numbered doorstop? Paperweight?

[ahremck]

I would suspect that this weight is in fact from the USA and is not Caithness.  I have a number of Caithness weights(c.16) and none as far as I can remember have anything but a smooth bottom.  American artists tend to sign at the edge of the base.  Also I know of artists like Josh Simpson who makes a range of weights from 1.5" up to 6".

Removing glue here in Australia is easy.  Just get a bottle of Eucalyptus oil and wipe it on with a cotton bud.  Most glues soften promptly and you can scrape them off and then use a paper towel to tidy up.

Ross

[Lustrousstone]

Patience and longer soaking if it's that crusty yellow glue...

[chopin-liszt]

Hiya Wuff,
I haven't got a scanner, and I haven't a clue what a dpi is, but I can be very tenatious when it comes to tracking info down. I was rabbitting so much to the salesfolk they got fed up and eventually got one of the glassblowers out from the back to help me.

The makers on the cards are Sarah Patterson, Scott Miller, Alan Scrymgeour and Franco Toffolo.

I can probably do better than scanning them too - next time I go, I could get more, if they have them, and send you your own set - or bring them to the conference if you're going to be there.

( and why aren't you asking for pics of my weight??  not a snob about seconds of very limited editions are you?  :ha: )  

It's a Helen MacDonald design of Edinburgh Castle. I grew up in Edinburgh, and the castle was right in the middle of the view from the sitting-room window.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac1.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac2.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac3.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac4.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac5.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac7.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/more%20glass/HMac8.jpg

[jonchellycain]

another little tip for getting glue off is a solution called 'sticky stuff remover' (i keep a few gallons in the house, as i have a 5 year old boy :thud:), they sell it in either the betterware catalogue or the other one (cant for the life of me think what its called now :huh:.. not avon, the other one that you get put through the door every month or so)
Anyway you could probably get it on ebay also, its great for getting label marks and so on off glass
michelle

[Wuff]

Hiya Wuff, ...
( and why aren't you asking for pics of my weight??  not a snob about seconds of very limited editions are you?  :ha: )
It's a Helen MacDonald design of Edinburgh Castle. I grew up in Edinburgh, and the castle was right in the middle of the view from the sitting-room window.

Your weight was mentioned in another contribution - missed that - sorry ... and thank you for the images! BTW - the catalogue name would be "Edinburgh Rock", issued 2008 with a planned edition size of 100 (which doesn't mean they actually made 100 of them).
Another question: is it marked at all on the base? I was always told that with LE weights there were no seconds - either perfect or destroyed (which would have been a pity with your weight!!) - but this one definitely was not finished (front facette missing).

If you could get me my own set of cards, this would be very nice! I'm planning to come to Edinburgh in October (flight and hotel already booked).

BTW - dpi stands for "dots per inch" and desribes the resolution of an image file during scanning or printing.

[chopin-liszt]

 :24:
Edinburgh Rock is a very specific confection Wuff, - a sweetie, not a pw.  :spls:
You'll have to try some when you're over (the ginger stuff is the best!).

There are no marks on my weight at all - the base is not completely polished either - it's slightly satinised. I prefer it without the facet, it came in a proper box and has the sticky label warning you not to put it in direct sunlight.
If I can't get more cards, you can have mine - it was with Scotland's Glass and specialist interest such as yours, that I had in mind when I bought them.

In Crieff, they do have the remainder of the unsold weights which came from the previous glassworks, there are some stunners, and there are seconds like the one I bought.
There are only a few on show, but more seem to keep coming out. Some of the ones on show (for sale) include the absolutely MASSIVE things - sort of flat topped, about 7" in diameter, designed by Helen MacDonald (I think) but made by Franco Toffolo.
Franco Toffolo has finally retired completely from glass - he's no longer working with John Deacons and Willie Manson. He's moved down to England now.
Sadly, I never got introduced to him, but I did see him hurrying out of the Strathearn Gallery a couple of years ago - it wasn't until he'd gone I was told who he was.

[Derek]

Hi Wuff and Sue

An unmarked LE Caithness could well be a pre-production weight.

With abstract weights especially they would make many versions of the
same basic design to see which method was quickest and gave the
best match to the design. There would be no point in completing
the weight as it was not a final design.

Cost was everything in Caithness, they needed to find the cheapest
way to make the weight and another important factor was to get the
weight to fit into a particular price bracket. I have a copy of 1993
Midnight Orchids, the only quadruple overlay design Caithness ever
made -pictured below. My copy has an additional row of 8 facets
cut through to the white layer of the overlays which do not appear
on the production design.

Reason? Caithness obviously wanted to get the retail price under the
psychological £500 mark - by cutting out this row of facets they were
able to market it at £495 !

Re Franco - I was lucky enough to be at John Deacons when Franco popped in.
John got him to make one of his glass horses for my wife - He didn't have his
own tools or the correct glasses but he made it in under 2 minutes!


Best regards

Derek
 

[kane_u_pain]

A simply method you could try is diluting some salt in water, place in a saucer and allow to soak.

This is one of the reasons glue (even the strong stuff) is removed from skin after sweating.

Not sure if it will work on glass though as it is a different substance...

[Wuff]

An unmarked LE Caithness could well be a pre-production weight.

This is correct, of course - especially with unlimited weights I have seen lots of them, usually marked "CIIG".

I have a copy of 1993 Midnight Orchids, the only quadruple overlay design Caithness ever made - pictured below. My copy has an additional row of 8 facets cut through to the white layer of the overlays which do not appear on the production design.

I have just copied your image for my personal use - may we also use it for Scotlandsglass ?  :rah:

[Derek]

Hi Wuff

No problem re using the image - I will email you the high res version

Derek