Trial #7

It is almost impossible to keep any of the foils smooth the way that they start.  It doesn't seem to matter in the final product, however.  The krinkles and creases so not leave a pattern on the final piece.  The experiment below was actually designed to see if running the stringers to one side would pull escaping gases away from the central image and toward OR off the edge.  I was also wondering if a heavier stringer (i.e. 2mm,) would be more effective that the 1mm I previously used.

Trial #7 - white glass, cyan frit, French vanilla frit, 2mm clear stringers, silver stars, capped with clear glass (COE 90)

My thinking was that the thicker stringer would take longer to liquify and resist gravity longer. 

Trial #7 - White, cyan frit, French vanilla frit, two silver stars, 2mm stringers capped with clear glass

It does look like the escaping gas has gathered in one central location over a denser pocket of French vanilla frit, but it has not moved totally off the piece but remained above the frit.

Trial #7 - Impact of 2mm stringer

The heavier diameter of the clear stringer has also created a negative space appearance when interacting with all of the frit.  It is also very obvious that a stringer has been used. 

Trial #7 - Green reaction is only cyan and silver over white and under clear

Notice in the image above that the cyan frit and the silver star have just barely begun to interact in a way that is allowing the reaction to be green.  This is really the first place where that reaction has occurred in all of the trials.  It is in a location where there is no French vanilla, and only cyan and silver.  

Trial #7 - white, cyan frit and French vanilla frit

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Aluminum Reaction - Trial #6

At is interesting to see what the results are of adding aluminum foil instead of silver foil in the reactive investigation.  I particularly like the brown, reactive streaks that must have something to do with the French vanilla base AND the cyan frit in the star-shape.  (The cyan star was formed by repurposing the paper left from cutting the aluminum star as a stencil....that is why both stars are the same shape and size.)

Trial #6 - Layers, beginning with the bottom:  white, French vanilla fine frit-cyan frit and aluminum foil, clear glass

The concentration, as with earlier trials, once again appear to be concentrated around the edge of the cyan frit.  I would really like to know if the reactive brown swirl is due to actual contact of glass OR the escaping vapors/gas moving away from the point of reactive contact (where the color is the most dense.) 

Trial #6 - Close up

In the image below, the aluminum foil has retained it's shape, shine and silver-metallic color.  I would like to do so additional trials to see if this pattern is consistent.

Trial #6 - close up of aluminum star

Notice in the close up image below that the concentration of air/gas bubbles are concentrated over the top of the cyan - clearly a reaction is happening here that is causing a chemical change - the color of the proximity glass changes and gas is released but isn't able to travel too far.  I wonder if it would travel further along a stringer????

Trial #6 - Close up of lower aluminum star and cyan frit

 Aesthetically speaking, I also find the color of the cyan, French vanilla interaction to be a warmer, more desirable tone!

Trial #6 - Focus on aluminum

Trial #5 - Closer Look

The French vanilla fine frit turns a creamy  white color after firing unless it is near cyan.   These two colors being positioned next to each other is a perfect example of reactive colors.  The heat from firing provides the catalyst to activate the chemical reaction between these two frits.  Notice in the example below that the places where the French vanilla frit is the most dense, the particles that are not in contact with the cyan frit have turned white but the particles that have ANY contact with the cyan have turned a dirty brown.  This layering effect is the easiest to view in the third example below.

Trial #5 - Layers for reactive test.  Bottom layer is clear glass, then rectangle of silver foil, followed by white fine frit in lower left, clear string, French vanilla fine frit, then light cyan fine frit.  All is topped with clear glass. 

Lowest image - after firing, French vanilla (both dirty brown AND white.)  Next layer is light cyan and lowest layer is silver foil. 

In this close-up, the layering effect allowing the surface French vanilla frit to remain untouched by the cyan frit has allowed it to turn white and NOT react.

Trial #5 - Lots of Variables

There are a lot of things to check for in this trial, but I am not sure I can determine what caused what with so many variables to choose from.

Trial #5 - Layers for reactive test.  Bottom layer is clear glass, then rectangle of silver foil, followed by white fine frit in lower left, clear string, French vanilla fine frit, then light cyan fine frit.  All is topped with clear glass. 

The white fine frit on top of silver appears to have turned metallic gold.  The french vanilla turned dirty brown against the cyan.  If you look very closely inside the cyan star, you will see that a few of the frit granules have a light green tinge; not the pronounced green of the Bullseye example, but a move in the reactive direction.

Trial #5 (rotated)

Notice that around the sides of the clear stringer, there are some tinges of metallic gold.  That suggests to me that the stringer allowed escaping gases to move away from the concentration of frit and react in some way with the silver.  The stringer also carries the largest air/gas bubble in the piece.  Notice the pattern of bubbles around the outer edges of the cyan star - a space also fairly far away from access to the egress the stringer seems to provide.   Lots to think about here!

Reactives - continued

Bullseye Glass brings representatives to a glass business in Cape Coral and provides examples of ideas to explore.  Below is one of the examples they shared during their 2015 visit (this piece is also featured in Bulleye's 2015 catalog.)  I was very intrigued by the chemical reactions in this piece and interested in learning more about how to replicate the interaction. 

Bullseye Glass example of French vanilla, cyan and silver. 

Trial #5 - Layers for reactive test.  Bottom layer is clear glass, then rectangle of silver foil, followed by white fine frit in lower left, clear string, French vanilla fine frit, then light cyan fine frit.  All is topped with clear glass. 

As I continued to add different elements to this trial, I was concerned that there were so many variables that I would not be able to determine what reacted with what when observing the end result. 

Consistencies from four trials

I have found the copper that is not protected by clear glass cap during the firing process to be undesirable for most applications.  It looks charred and loses all of it's color and shine.  It is interesting to observe the gradual transition over the length of the copper piece, however.  Note in the strip below, the body of the copper has retained the crimson color.  About 3/4 inch from the end, it transitions to a dark brown color, and the end looks black and charred.

Layered trial example - Blue streaker, copper and partial clear cap.

The longer copper piece that is exposed in the left hand side below is not the crimson of the piece on the right, however, it is not fully charred either. 

Layered trial example - White, copper and partial clear cap.

In the fired piece below, the exposed edge appears to have oxidized and burned off in layers.  What remains is a darker, dry-appearing version of the crimson.  I wonder if using an abrasive cleaner or scrub brush would result in a more aesthetically appealing piece, or if the magic lies solely with the application of heat?????

Layered trial example - White, copper and partial clear cap.

Trial #4 - Four layers

I wondered if filling in the grid pattern with fine frit would change the gas-release pattern.

Trial #4 - Layers include blue streaker on the bottom, copper grid with star-shape cut out, clear frit, and topped with clear glass pre-kiln firing.

Although there is clearly gas released in this firing, as well, the pattern appears to be different than by simply sandwiching layers without the addition of fine frit.

Trial #4 - Layers include blue streaker on the bottom, copper grid with star-shape cut out, clear frit, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

From a distance, the gathering of larger bubbles at the edges of the grid are visible.  Notice, also, that the bubbles are spherical, unlike the bubbles in the grid pattern in the previous post.

Trial #4 - Layers include blue streaker on the bottom, copper grid with star-shape cut out, clear frit, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

On closer observation, not all of the grid cells have a bubble, but of those that do, these appear to all be spherical, as well.

Trial #4 - Close up of layers include blue streaker on the bottom, copper grid with star-shape cut out, clear frit, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

Of course, there is no way to know with one trial if the difference in gas bubble patterning is a result of the addition of frit, temperature, type of glass, humidity, etc.   To learn more about the clear differences in bubble patterning would take more experimentation, but there is a clear difference!

Trial #3 - Copper grid with white non-reactive glass

There seems to be a couple of attributes that are consistent when using copper. To date, in everything that I have fired using a clear glass cap over any form of copper (foil, heavy foil, grid, etc.) the copper turns crimson.  On close inspection, the area around the edges of the copper contains more bubbles than any other area.

Trial #3 - White non-reactive glass with 3 stars cut from copper grid, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

The air bubble pattern in the grid copper is fascinating.  Look below in the star grid.  Inside almost every grid within the copper mesh, there is an air bubble - each looks like it is trapped by the walls of the grid.  Notice, also, on the lower right hand side, there is a larger air mass that runs the length of two side of the star points.  When copper heats, it not only chemically changes to result in a different color, but it is also releasing something (I am assuming O2,) as well. 

Trial #3 - White non-reactive glass with close up  of one star cut from copper grid, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

In another example, I tried laying a clear 2mm stringer perpendicular to the copper material, and run it to an outside edge.  It appears as though the released gas follows the path of the stringer.  For smaller pieces, less gas appears to be trapped in the fused piece when using the stringer and running it to the outside edge.  In larger pieces, the gas appears to have traveled along the stringer and made it about 2 inches. 

Trial #3 - White non-reactive glass with close up on one star cut from copper grid, and topped with clear glass post-kiln firing.

That would suggest to be that there is a time factor involved.  At a specific interval of time, the glass "above" the stringer slumps down (impact of gravity on a fluid,) and seals the escape pathway before the gas has had a chance to escape.  The time factor/temperature relationship must also play in to the trapping of gas in each of the non-copper grid openings (notice the regularity of the pattern of trapped air in the close-up of the copper grid above.) 

After additional experimentation, I think it would be interesting to further establish gas-release patterns when using copper and use that information in the design process.  For now my main question is, "....where do they sell fine copper mesh/grid material??"  Any ideas??

Consistent reaction so far - copper

Glass and copper layers - bottom layer is blue streaker glass, then a narrow strip of heavy copper foil and topped with clear glass.

This is the second of several trials investigating metals in and with glass.  As in the last experiment, the copper began as a metallic rusty-golden color and after firing became burgundy-red IF the copper is covered by glass.

Three layer glass/copper/glass stack from above after kiln firing.

In the close up below, it is possible to see the bubbles around the edges of the copper.  There seems to be a pattern when copper is sandwiched between two pieces of any kind of glass.  There are bubbles that appear to have something to do with the firing and/or oxidizing process.  More examples of this pattern will follow.

Close up of glass, narrow copper strip and clear glass topper after kiln firing.

Notice below the pattern in the burgundy strip.  On the left it appears as though a layer on the top of the copper has oxidized in a way that has raised the surface. 

Copper strip after kiln firing.

Trial #2 on Opaque White

This example uses the same shapes and sizes of heavy copper foil, the same clear glass cap, but a different anchor piece.

Three layer trial - white, opaque, non-reactive COE 90, heavy copper foil, and narrow clear cap before entering kiln.

The white glass on the bottom of the triple layer is solid an opaque, but not labelled "reactive.  I did not expect it or the copper to show signs of chemically being effected by the other.

Three layer trial - white, opaque, non-reactive COE 90, heavy copper foil, and narrow clear cap after firing in kiln.

It was interesting to me that the copper in this "sandwich," has more variation in the coloring under the clear glass.  In the enlargement of the area around the star, seen below, the variations in the copper are more easily seen. 

Close up of three layer trial, specifically designed to study variations in copper coloration after firing.

It would be interesting to try several variation of base color, heavy copper foil and narrow clear cappers to see if the variations are a result of the base glass or can they be attributed to something else.
 
I have learned that, at its very best, working with glass is a series of trial, error, and LUCK.

Chemical Reactions in Fused Glass

I had the opportunity to participate in a class at Delphi Glass in East Lansing, Michigan last summer.  My  interest in understanding the chemical reactions resulting in the interaction of some glass and some metals has increased as I work more with fused glass.

Roy, the teacher, was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information in a relatively short class.  Over the next few days I will share some of the interesting things I learned and provide an example or two.

Below is a three-layer stack ready to fuse.  On the bottom is blue streaker glass, which is somewhat opaque and NOT solid blue, but marbled with a lighter tone of blue.  On top of that is a piece of heavy copper foil, and topped with a narrow piece of clear 90 COE glass.  Notice that neither piece of copper is completely covered by clear glass.

Copper foil on blue glass with partial clear cap before entering the kiln.

Below is the same piece of three-layer glass/copper/glass after it has been fired.  Notice that the copper covered by clear glass has oxidized to a burgundy-red, but the exposed edges, not covered by the clear glass, look much more charred and have little burgundy-red color.  Also notice that the marbling in the blue glass is more pronounced.  I do not believe the characteristics in the blue glass are related to a reaction to the copper.  The rounding of the corners of the glass is a characteristic property of fluids when the are able to move - for glass this means heating.  The property creating the rounded corners is "surface tension."  All fluids will try to occupy the least space possible - think of a soap bubble.  Surface tensions pulls the surface molecules together as much as possible for the environment they are in.  In the case of a soap bubble, they create a sphere.  In the glass below, contact with the firing paper and gravity interfere with the formation of a sphere.......gravity wins!

Copper foil on blue glass with partial clear cap after leaving the kiln.

Natures True Beauties

Putting together several variations of accurate snowflakes can create an ascetically interesting image.  Since my white ink has not maintained it's "whiteness," even the pseudo white flakes have a strong blue cast. 

Up close on a snowy day!

Unlike Mother Nature's accumulations, these don't have to be shoveled or relocated!

More snowy day visions.

 
They also don't add a chill to the air - although they may have the power to send a chill up your spine.

Are they ALL reallly different - beliefs have changed over time!

The news is so filled with the snow accumulations across the northern US, that I was inspired to carve some flake variations. 

Layered relief prints - Snowflakes 'sticking together' - Ranger blue ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper. 

The flake above is actually pretty small - only 2" X 2".  The flake below is double in diameter! 

Mutant Snowflake relief print - Ranger lavender-blue ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper. 

I think Miss Baker would love this type of visual snowflake study!  Since my elementary school days, many books have been published to capture beautiful snowflake variations in great detail.  The adult coloring book craze that is so popular now also includes entire workbook-size line drawings of single, layered and patterned multiples of snowflakes for your coloring pleasure.

Mutant Snowflake relief print - Ranger lavender-blue ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper. 

As is often the case with snowflakes 'in the wild,' this flake is a mutant.  Use your visual analysis skills to see if you can spot the mutation! 

Power in Numbers!

 It seems so simple, and so impossible, that the accumulation of these six-sided gems can wreak such chaos and havoc in major cities and throughout the country side by simply sticking together.  Another one of Mother Nature's examples of ways to be powerful and successful....what was that famous Kindergarten  rules to live by......to paraphrase:  '....and remember, when you are crossing the street, remember to hold hands and stick together.....'  Look what it has done for the tiny snowflake!

Layered relief prints - Snowflakes 'sticking together' - Ranger blue ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper.  White added to flake prints with FW acrylic ink.

Actually, the paraphrased pseudo-quote is from Robert Fulghum and includes 15 additional  pieces of Kindergarten wisdom to live by.  See below for the actual list.

“These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Stryrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first workd you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.”
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

 

Layered relief prints - Snowflakes 'sticking together' - Ranger blue ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper.  White added to flake prints with FW acrylic ink.

Essential FLAKE Attributes

Ms. Baker, the wonderful  science teacher we had the opportunity to work with in elementary school, was a stickler for accurate snowflakes.   She spent a lot of time teaching us about the formation of snowflakes at various layers of the atmosphere and the importance of recognizing the six sides on every flake.  We spent time with black chunks of velvet cloth catching snowflakes and looking at them under a microscope she carried outdoors.  We also spent time coloring, cutting and drawing accurate representations of snowflakes.

To this day, if I see an inaccurate representation of a snowflake, I think of Ms. Baker and how disappointed she would be in that image-maker.

Snowflake tracing - image traced from six-sided, hand-cut paper snowflake. 

It is amazing how many business establishments AND schools allow inaccurate flakes to hang throughout their properties.  It's as if they do not realize that four-sided and eight-sided flakes do not abide by the rules of Mother Nature. 

Snowflake #1 - Hand carved relief block based on sketch #1 of six-sided snowflake.

Inaccurate and incorrectly formed flakes may serve as a reminder that, as adults, it is our responsibility to use anatomically correct representations of snowflakes to decorate for the season.  This lesson is part of the bigger message that in nature there are rules that are followed.  Without the rules of nature, chaos may follow. 

Snowflake #1 - Notice that this block has been inked and is ready to print proof #1.

We have seen this play out in massive oil tanker spills, Chernoble, and the Tokyo reactor break-down.  What is driving the El Nino/La Nina weather, the drought in California, and the low saline levels and high levels of crop-based chemicals pouring into the Gulf of Mexico from Lake Ochochobee??????

Is it possible to be better steward of our environment by starting with something as simple as accurate "flake" representation?  Good question!!!

Valentine's Day!!!!

Here's to you on this special day that provides an opportunity for us to show affection and appreciation for those we care about! 

Lemonade Mix relief print - Black Daniel Smith water soluble relief ink and FW acrylic inks on 400 series Strathmore printmaking paper.

This block provides the perfect example of a way  to use one relief block for different purposes simply by changing the color palette.  The lemonade mix above would be an interesting mix for the taste palette, makes an interesting mix visually. 

Lemonade Mix relief print with tablecloth- Black Daniel Smith water soluble relief ink and FW acrylic inks on 400 series Strathmore printmaking paper.

It is also an example of how the viewer works to make sense of an image immediately.  It would be interesting to ask several viewers whether they thought about the visual image in terms of color and visual appeal OR the combination of tastes of the food presented????  The image below is immediately recognizable to most viewers, so the first view is not needed to make sense of the image.

 The Real Deal - Bloody Mary -  relief print - Black Daniel Smith water soluble relief ink and FW acrylic inks on 400 series Strathmore printmaking paper.

 So what does the viewer jump to once the Bloody Mary is quickly recognized - what did you do next - think about the attached foods, think about the visual accuracy, think about where you last enjoyed drinking a bloody mary, think about the movie "South Pacific??"  The thoughts patterns are endless!  So, is that one of the values of producing and sharing the visual image????  Makes you think!!

 Happy Valentine's Day!