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Cold Working 1B
Bay Area Glass Institute - BAGI
J. Schmuck
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

A piece of glass is not really done until it has been ‘finished’ with coldworking. From cleaning up an edge or a lip to fully altering the outer surface of the glass, there are many different ways to coldwork a piece.We will start by taking very raw glass pieces and quickly proceed to reshape them and  to give them an exquisite smooth matte finish with the Merker lathe, the belt sander, by hand lapping, and in the kiln by  fire polishing. Our emphasis will be on learning the ins and outs of the diamond wheels on the Merker lathe, and all those intriguing surfaces -- ie battuto, inciso, brilliant cutting --will be introduced  and expanded upon.  The belt sander will also be a major focus here -- looking at how one can subtly alter forms and transform surfaces. We will observe the differences of diamond and silicon carbide smoothing, and learn how to sequence them to further increase the ease of finishing a surface. We will be discussing strategies and options of coldworking that allow one to achieve some very satisfying and professional finishes in a very efficient manner, including the secrets of fire polishing and acid. By the end of this class, one will feel ready to pursue further explorations of the coldworking in the visual and tactile realms.

Fee: $300
Pre-Requisite: Coldworking 1A
Max # of students: 6