The art of making small core formed jugs can be done in the  “Volcano” bead making oven. The process is the same as the bigger core formed objects but most of the problems are eliminated . So you can spend more time in working with the glass and solving the different techniques that are required . ( wrapping the core with glass. Making the foot that it can stand. Combing the vessel . Making the neck and lip. Finally the handle .) The core is a bead separator   (Bead Cream).

These are a few of the core formed vessels . Size app. 50 mm

You will need to anneal these vessels as the thinner parts will cool faster than the body , setting up stress and causing damage to the vessel.

Core formed objects takes much time and planing to make. But once you have a finished piece and the core has been cleaned out it is very satisfying . A lot of work is needed on making the core  ( Some tests need to be done to get it made well) . The next is to plan how you get the glass to cover the core. This can be done in the same way you make a glass bead.Before the core can be used you need to slowly warm it up and burn any organic materials as these will cause air bubbles in the glass.

This core is the shape of the inside of the jar. Later after annealing the glass you can scratch out the core. So as you can see there are many little thing to arrange . This is nothing less than the love of working with glass .

Here are a few of the jars about 80 mm in high In side one of the jars you can see the sand texture .

These lamps burn (lamp oil) or olive oil etc. The bowl to hold the oil was  blown and the brass and copper were  formed to hold the construction together.

These two are more in the (stained glass) style . All these lamps were done in the 80’s when I lived in Jerusalem and had a small glass shop .

The old oil lamps that are seen in the old city of Jerusalem play a big part in the lamps that I built in my glass studio in Hutzot Hayotzer just out side of Jaffa  Gate. Here I had a small glass furnace where I recycled bottles and getting them was easy . Back then all glass was thrown away . The glass I would melt down and add metal oxides to get the diffrent colours. Green wine bottles use as is and the same for bear bottles that were brown. The hot glass is blown into the shape you want and then annealed. Some glass I rolled flat to be used in the stained glass windows.

Now the lamps were made using these glasses and brass. Mostly the design was for electric use but the old oil lamp look.  Here are a few photos to show the lamps.

All getting ready for the first Cape Town to Rio Yacht race.

The Cape to Rio Yacht race is the start of my travels to see the wider world. It began with leaving Africa by yacht , bound for Rio de Janeiro and up to England. The yacht basin in Cape Town was filled with yachts of all types , and from all over . Many teams of people formed to sail these yachts and like most projects there choice of crew were not compatible. For living together for a month in very confined space. By the time we got to Rio most of the crews were split up and gone. However we all new the team mates years before  we joined the team of TUB. We were “racing ” but if the fishing line hooked some thing we stopped to get it on board. We arrived In Rio for the Carnival and all of us together off to see what it is Carnival. But that is too much to tell. But for the chance of a life time Thank you Dave Roberts.  Judy, Micharl, Tim, x and later Warner, for your help in making this  all the way to England together.

Tub a 42 ft. Steel hull Ketch.  Cape Town .

Good Bye to the southern tip of Africa . View under the mizzen staysail.

Most of my slids were never seen by me but some one has them.

Use a small drill to hold the diamond coated pin . This tool can quickly remove the bead separator from the bead.

All the beads you need to clean are placed in a tray of water to cover them.  Take the first bead from the water and put the pin into the hole and move the bead along the pin. Remove , dip the bead in water and repeat from the other side . Dip in water and dry, blow any water that is in the hole off the bead.

The point of the pin is bald. No scratching of the glass when looking for the hole. The pin must always be kept wet. Never work too long without dipping the pin in water. If the bead is not cleaned the powder will slowly come out while you are wearing your new necklace.

The new Bald Pin Reamer  has a pin length of 40 mm and it is app 2 mm diameter.    At the base of the pin is a cone shape.

This is used to round off the entrance of the hole .                                  Questions to info@designsinglass.de

Then hollow bead is made on a small blow pipe with a very small hole on the side. These blow pipes must be handled with care. Coat the blow pipe with

” Bead cream” as shown in the video clip. Make sure that the blow hole is free and let dry a few minutes.  Beads are made on both end of the hole. So that a flattened ribbon of glass can be placed over the two beads. So making a ring of air around the blow pipe, with the hole acting as the” ventil of the bead”

All the bead is heated and small puff of air each time . Please look to the video clip. Hollow beads

During the middle of our winter here I received an invitation to come to Cape Town from Terry and Nickiy . Who run a very good glass polishing and trophies making business. They were interested in learning how to work with the Volcano. A very easy decision for me to make . So vary soon I was flying out of the gray skies and into the most brilliant colorful land . With this color stimulation ever present my natural reaction was to smile and give thanks for such a beautiful country. Looking about me there were many smiling faces and greetings of agreement that yes it is wonderful here.   Thats how it felt in my soul . Man it had been 15 years since I was last in South Africa, how it has changed.  Reminded me of how Zimbabwe had changed .  Meaning how lovely the people and how dirty the politices The sprit of greed hangs over the land like a dark cloud. Africa has a way of its own it does not march on but it dancers . You dance along never too sure of the next step, but inside you feel that this is what is to do.

As you can see the volcano has come home and at the demo ,( in the old bisket factory in Cape Town) came many people who showed an enterest in the working of it. So Saturdays were spent making beads in a market atmosphere . Where lots of cold gingerbear was drunk . Some time later at a big vine estate we did a day of glass blowing and bead making. In the summer in SA you have hot days and glass blowing in the summer , well for one day ok . Here is how it looked

Hank is a very good young glass blower. He is helped by his brother. They have a beautiful small work shop on the wine estate. As this day was made for demo . A fine lunch which came from the restaurant of the vine estate was provided . For me that was worth all the hard work. As some one said it was a lunch with a glass show put in. This will continue later. But before I forget , I must thank Nicky and Terry for the chance to work with them. I learned about sand blasting and glass polishing Thank you. till latter…..

My  wish to work with hot glass goes back to the early 1970’s, while still on the kibbutz. So when I had the chance to do it , I did it with all my heart. This was what I wanted. So later in Jerusalem  I had my studio for stained glass working and with the proceeds I bought the bricks for the kiln. I was planning to build it but as I started an Italian glass blower happened to come into the shop. Thanks to Giani Torso , who explained to me what to do I could begin to work with a good feeling that it is going to be good. I made my bricks for the dome at the well known ceramic studio Sakolovski .

Now a good friend of mine, Amnon Elbaz, was  crazy about glass and was a driving force to get the kiln built. Welding and brick laying and other things had to be made, so that the glass could be worked with. Never did I consider how this glass making was going to make an income. I did it as it was a need that had to be met. How it all came about and worked is still going on today with other projects. With the time and experience from these early kilns, new types of ovens are made.

Early Jan.1982 the first test with the new kiln was done. But more importantly the first lesson in having patience had to be learnt. Still today it is a difficulty , but it is a lot better than it used to be. Now today I can see the “patience problem” in other glass workers.

The glass that was used  were old bottles of the clear type, and as there was no refund on bottles then they were easy to get. The colour we made with copper oxide or manganese . It took a day and a night to melt and then we could start to blow glass.

As I often needed flat coloured glass I had a metal roller made and we would roll out the first quarter of the glass into flat sheets about a square foot each piece.

The following  pic. are related to this process .

The glass sheet had good colour and many small bubbles. very good for lamp and window making. This way we used the glass that was with bubble and later the glass was used for blowing.

With the studio near the Jaffa Gate there was always people passing by.

One very well known glass blower and former teacher in Bezalel School Dani Verberne often came by to lend a hand.   We  had met some years before when we  were still new to glass blowing. The school then was in Muskhara near Damaskus gate . At those times I did not take any photos .So sorry for now but when I find any I will add them. This kiln was only used during the winter months , summer was too hot. This kiln was used till I went to Europe 1990. The kiln is still in Israel but not in use to day.

This short clip is showing you how a paper weight is made using the small hot glass studio.

http://www.designsinglass.de

As you have seen it is not difficult and you can do your work any time you want .

When the kiln have cooled you can pack them out of the way till the next time.

Hope that this clip gives you  a taste of what you can be doing with a small studio.

Thank you

Winston Doull