Friday 12 October 2012

Glass Table (and new site is up!)

The new web site is up! Look for some 'adjustments' and editing in the next few months, but I am happy to have many new images of glass projects over the last ten years.

On the home page is a table I made last year for Traditional Log Homes (Salmon Arm, B.C.) that we installed in a beautiful log home they built on the shores of Shuswap Lake in Sorrento, B.C.

This was a bit of a challenge, as other work I have done with 19mm (3/4") thick glass were smaller and easier to handle. Due to the size of this piece 150cm square (60") and weighing  113 kilograms (250 pounds) I decided to work on it without turning it over, as I do with smaller pieces. This required me to do the edge chipping from the bottom up. As the way the 'faceted' edge breaks off while chipping with a hammer leaves an 'undercut', I usually chip this type of work with the finished face down. This makes it easy to 'flake' the edge down and away from my face.  As this is a substantially larger piece, I chose to chip it with the finished face up. This required me to chip it up into my face with shards landing on my arms and scattering around the studio. After the initial chips, I realized I needed more arm protection in addition to the safety glasses and face shield!

Other than the involuntary  blinking as shards of glass hit my face shield, this technique worked well and allowed me to work on it without having to turn it over twice (once for chipping, and another for the finishing work).

The edge finishing was done with a hand held 1 1/8" wide wet belt sander, with a variety of belt grits, finishing with a cork belt.

We installed the piece on a four hundred year old upturned stump that came from a tree from the house site. The sandblasted edge frosting accentuated the tint of the glass (due to the iron content) and gave the piece a 'melting ice' look.