Topic: Mike Hunter demonstrating the Pastorale pick-up technique @ Edinburgh meeting

[Wuff]

Pastorale is the Italian glassblowing term for a large metal tool: it has a long handle, and a flat plate on the end. Canes are placed on the plate, and heated in the gloryhole, in order to fuse them. The fused canes can then be picked up with a gather of glass, and further blown and shaped. It is critical for the technique that the circumference of the gather and the width of the fused canes are identical: a Pi divider is used to check this.

During the recent International Glass Conference at the Edinburgh College of Arts, organised by Frank Andrews and Shiona Airlie, supported by the helpful people at ECA, Mike Hunter demonstrated the technique when making a small vessel.

The following selection of images will come in parts, as only 4 attachments are allowed per post.

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There were also two paperweight making demonstrations at the meeting:

Mike Hunter made a closepack weight with complex canes, and a "painted flower" weight.

Alastair MacIntosh made a paperweight applying the "Vetro a Reticello" technique.

[Cathy B]

 :hiclp: Fantastic technique and piece! In that second picture, is he pushing them together so that the orange canes form that squiggly shape around the black triangles?

[twists]

Mike here! Yes, simple isn't it all the best techniques are, I also used the pastorale technique to try to get into films and be the first glass blowing hobbit in "Lord of the Rings", heres the picture!
 :hi:

[twists]

 He was too tall and his feet too big ,
Shame because he might have found a career that paid.
Now he knows how to put pictures up and  reply to messages I will never  get any work out of him today, :thup: at least till the novelty wears off.
Sue

[chopin-liszt]

 :hi:
Lovely to see you both here!
(even if my head is still in Edinburgh, reliving the things which happened last weekend - I shall be dining on that emotional and intellectual feast for some time to come.)