Glasswork: Steaming and carving the moulds

To create the mould for my rose, i had to get all of the wax out of the plaster to make the cavity i would then put glass in. I did this by putting the mould on top of a steamer (the same kind you use to take wallpaper off) which melts the wax, because steam is 100 degrees. the heat makes the wax liquid, which then runs out of the mould. this is one reason not to have any pieces sticking out so the wax can't get out, and the glass can't get in. any leftover wax could distort the shape and discolour the glass, so it is important to make sure there is no wax left in the mould.

 The wax came out of the mould and solidified underneath as it cooled.

 when no more wax was coming out of the mould, I flushed it out with hot water from the kettle, then cold. the hot water melted any remaining wax, and the cold water made it solidify again and float to the surface to be poured away. I repeated this until no more wax came out. I then put it in the drying cupboard.

I then carved into a plaster block to create a negative mould. i had to make sure it was deep enough to not snap if it were cast in glass. i used a leaf as my design, but simplified it slightly to make it easier for the glass to get into all the corners.

i carved the veins, so these will be stuck out when i cast it in glass.