Large Vase replacement

[Ed Pennebaker]

I had someone contact me about replacing this large vase, total dimensions 12.5" diameter, 14" tall. It is too large for my glory hole and me as an unassisted blower. Contact email is janis at jbrandoncpa.com if you are interested in helping her out.

[Pete VanderLaan]

That is right up Eben's alley.

[Eben Horton]

It used to be, Pete. I smartened up and realized it was always a gamble wether I could hit it on the first whack. I like stability and have been enjoying making smaller work. My back is happy too.

[Pete VanderLaan]

I understand that sentiment. It's really not that big actually but it should be mold blown before the punty transfer. It's hard to keep the latent heat in a piece which has the type of base this thing has. You work that whole section too long and the neck is going to go cold on you. But in a mold, not so bad.

Just remember to ice down your arm at the end of the day.

[Eben Horton]

Yes, a mold would be ideal but the quote for a mold would be around $800 I think. This vase probably came from pier 1 imports and the owner is crushed that their highly valuable vase that cost $100 must be salvaged .. so when I come at them with a $1500 quote, I look like I’m the biggest A-hole in the world and how dare I try to insult them.
Remember that gigantic Bell jar I coldworked At your shop? The client was trying not to pay me because the flare at the lip was not a perfect 90 degree angle. That was the last straw for me.

[Pete VanderLaan]

I think the important part on the mold is that bottom part and it could be done taking a plaster/silica off of the original. Given that it flares slightly it could potentially be a two piece one but with some negotiating with the owner, it could be straight walled which would simplify things considerably.

Big ugly things that actually cost money to make are tough sells.

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

I think this would be a good option for a paper mache mold- its good for a couple of tries.
You'd only blow /fill the bottom 1/3rd - have someone cut down at the correct height while blowing into the mold and punty it and knock it off and open up and shape the flare manually.
It wouldn't be a big deal, Id give it a go at 400 bucks - an hours job, when I was young and handsome. Sometimes Id hear myself say “sure Ill give it a try” to a customer just for the challenge while all logic was shouting No! No! In my head

[Art Freas]

I would consider taking two pieces of 4x4 nail them on a plate, use a 4" hole saw and make a 4" (or a bit smaller for burn in) hole between them, take the 4x4s off the plate, soak them, add a hinge and use them kind of like a big sacrificial bead tweezers. https://www.spiralarts.com/collectio...e-bead-tweezer

[Marty Kremer]

In the immortal words of Nancy Reagan, "Just say no."

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

One of my best crash and burn experiences involved making a one off clock cupol for an antique beautiful clock for an insurance company.
It was oval and about 17” wide and 30” high...
The insurance paid the wood mold outside my commission but I just didn’t realize how much glass went into that thing.
I bow my head to the flask blowers making flat glass. Getting it even maybe 6mm was a real challenge and I ended up blowing two days, maybe 12 pieces before nailing it

[Eben Horton]

Originally Posted by Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

One of my best crash and burn experiences involved making a one off clock cupol for an antique beautiful clock for an insurance company.
It was oval and about 17” wide and 30” high...
The insurance paid the wood mold outside my commission but I just didn’t realize how much glass went into that thing.
I bow my head to the flask blowers making flat glass. Getting it even maybe 6mm was a real challenge and I ended up blowing two days, maybe 12 pieces before nailing it

Been there ..I call that “paying tuition”. I bet you learned quite a bit about the process by the 8th one and I bet by the 12th one you were a lot stronger than you were by the 4th one.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Go to Adelle Peppers book "The glass gaffers of New Jersey" and you'll see the photos of blowers making muffs that are about seven feet long by about 18 inch. They were chained to their benches over a pit to keep them from falling in. That is one of my all time favorite books on Glass. It's about the makers and how determined they were.

[Eben Horton]

Chained to the bench. I love it!

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

There is one in the Vaxjo museum here about that size- they gathered 60 kg of glass, on a 3 meter long pipe.. yes they had chain blocks and double guy blocks, but in the end,one guy blew and swinged it in a 12 foot ditch - can you imagine?
There's a film somewhere

[Pete VanderLaan]

well, in a friendly non sexually aggressive way appropriate to the general mood of the times of course...

It really is a great book, too often ignored. I suspect it had the lifespan of a mayfly while in Print. Of course, that was true of Volf as well. Less than a year in print.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Originally Posted by Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

There is one in the Vaxjo museum here about that size- they gathered 60 kg of glass, on a 3 meter long pipe.. yes they had chain blocks and double guy blocks, but in the end,one guy blew and swinged it in a 12 foot ditch - can you imagine?
There's a film somewhere

****
I know of no film of it. Finn Lyngaard has factory photos of the workers outside. Two of them are holding muffs on their pipes. I also love the shots of the factory bands. Almost every factory had one.

When I was down at Southwest Glass so long ago, there was a mold that must have weighed 500 lbs. They blew the finish with compressed air and ther was this kid straining to keep the mold closed. Then, he would kick it open which took most of his strength and this explosion of heat came out. The carry out boy would struggle to take the piece away. All morning....Amazing place. Too bad that Cristman bought it and pirated the retirement funds. It was gone in less than a year. I suspect there are still some of the molds around Van Buren. They were getting melted down for the iron.
I ran into the mold for the old Shell gas pumps and asked how much it would cost to have one dozen made in a milk glass. I was told about $13.00 dollars each. That was a big mold of the Pismo clam . The mold building was 10,000 feet and every inch had a mold on it.

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

Yes Ive seen a film

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

The guys here didnt mold blow it - they blew and swinged it in a ditch- try doing that with 60 Kg glass and get a 1/4 ” all seven feet
Into the 1930s

[Pete VanderLaan]

I am aware they weren't mold blown. Window light makers were among the best paid in any trade while it lasted. Then came the Fourcault machines and they vanished as fast as sheep in New Hampshire. (Hint) the sheep moved to Wisconsin- they had grass and railroads, thank A. Lincoln.

[Josh Bernbaum]

Originally Posted by Pete VanderLaan

It really is a great book, too often ignored. I suspect it had the lifespan of a mayfly while in Print. Of course, that was true of Volf as well. Less than a year in print.

I just found a copy of the New Jersey book this morning on Ebay for 36 bucks. Said it's in decent condition. But the more expensive copies were up to $250.

[Pete VanderLaan]

It's not a coffee table book. The pictures aren't large. The stories are the best part, tracing the movement of the Jersey glasshouses towards the Ohio and W.Va line. When they had to go for more than ten miles for fuel wood, they moved the shops. On and on. If you like that sort of stuff, It won't matter if it's primo. My mom got me mine back in about 1972. Right there next to the hardbound Coloured Glasses from '52. Mom was great.

[Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig]

I found this, but Ive seen another film where they are making big muffs. Cant find it, production stopped in 1934 in Sweden but some guys made this demo in 1941, mainly just to film the technique

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gJ1JVpV3ec

[Pete VanderLaan]

..and that was a little one! Thanks Michael!

[Rich Samuel]

I snagged a copy earlier today at a they-don't-know-what-they-have price (including shipping). I looked around the "usual suspects" and most copies I saw were in the $15 to $25 range. I did see that high-priced one. Must have been Dino's copy.

Happy New Year everybody!

[Eben Horton]

Back to the original question. If anyone were to choose to take this job, I’d recommend cutting out 20 to 30 pieces of the profile of the shape of the vase out of plywood with a jigsaw. Then you mount them all on a base and soak it for a few days in water. It’s the easiest way to get a workable blow mold that only needs to be used a few times.