| For me, one of the important reasons for going to the GAS Conference is to visit various studios, ask questions about equipment and technique, and see pieces being made. While I have posted consolidated pictures elsewhere, these 3 pages show the pictures as I took them (reduced in size). | |
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James Nowak studio working a large blown piece with hot pickups from a shallow kiln. |
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| James Nowak (center) and his team team talking through while the first
gather over color cools on the pipe awaiting the second gather. Note the large marver on wheels with wire shelf below. The green bottle is a pump up water sprayer used for wetting the newspaper.. |
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| The next few pictures are technical documentation then
more on making the piece. This is the glory hole. The glass is melted down to the left in an electric furnace near the service entrance. |
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| Reference the glory hole to right, this is looking down one side of a storage area with a LOT of shallow fusing, pickup, color ovens to right (used below). The clear electric furnace is at the end of hallway behind the silver panel. |
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| Just left of the shot above, showing layout. |
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| Rear view of the bench, blocking the gather |
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| Using a low pressure air hose to cool the piece. Note the two tone color center, clear outside. |
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| Close up of bench tool end with water and air. |
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| Ready to water the steaming/smoking newspaper pad. |
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| Lots of lighting in the place, wall windows, skylight and white vapor down lights. |
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| Further gather and color inside blown out to skin. Blocking with newspaper pad. |
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| Coming off with the pad. |
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| Further gather of clear over the work above, cooling the pipe with spray up automatic cooler (turns on when right end of pipe is lowered into slot.) |
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| Just to look at the glass |
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| Rolling the glass in an arrangement of glass color on a very shallow hot plate kiln etc., he has several for production work (see above.) |
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| Marvering in the pieces, showing the number and shape. |
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| Further marvering. |
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| And more. Shaping for the optic. |
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| Into the optic. |
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| Way in. |
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| And take off the tip to remove the solid glass with less desirable pattern. |
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| Spinning away. |
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| Blocking with a cork pad while the guy on the other end blows. |
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| Further working the shape. |
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| Further blowing after reheat. Note flames here lacking in shot above. |
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| Punty the piece. Large punty. Note the flat bottom with basic shape for spinning roundel/bowl. |
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| On the punty, reheated, ready for opening. |
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| First opening. |
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| Further opening. |
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| Shaping the wave of the lip. |
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| Evenly shaped |
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| Ready to remove. Resting on a yoke. |
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| Chill the punty line and done. |
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