In our induction into glass, we started to process of making a lost-wax mould. we each got given an egg shape on a sprue, and could carve into this, or add bits to it, to create an organic form (still working within the theme of nature and culture) I decided to try to make a rose shape, and I did this by adding pieces of spare wax to make petals. I did this in a way that I think the glass would be able to flow through the mold (the sprue will end up at the top)
once I finished the rose, I weighed it to calculate the amount of glass I would need to use to fill the mould later.
I made a clay cone shape about the same size as the flower, and sat my flower on top of it. this will create the reservoir in the mould, to hold the glass before it flows down into the mould.
i decided to attach them together using a cocktail stick because it didn't feel very secure just sitting on top of the clay.
i used boards to create a box around the rose, making sure there was about 1.5cm gap around the edges. i secured the boards in place with clay, and then tied around it with string to make sure it wouldn't collapse when the plaster was poured in.
i mixed plaster and silica together with water, until it was the consistency of single cream. it had a slight texture to it because of the silica. i poured it in around the side of the rose, so as not to damage any of the petals.
once the plaster had gone off and was cooling down, I took the walls down. I also removed the clay, to leave just the plaster and wax. I left this on the side to dry a bit more, to steam the wax out another day.
I etched my initials into the side of the plaster while it was still soft so I didn't get it confused with anyone elses.
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