Glasswork
Dec. 2021 - Present
Context:
As part of my interest in sustainability, I wanted to reuse the glass bottles that were emptied from my friends' drinking. I also wanted to learn more about how glass can be recycled and is recycled commercially in the USA. Additionally, I just wanted to have a project/hobby to do in my free time aside from my other personal projects.
How: I bought a glass-cutting kit and watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to cut the glass properly without it cracking in unwanted directions. I collected glass bottles from my friends and family as material to practice on. To crack the glass, I started by scoring the surface with a Diamond-carbide roller. I then used cold water and a candle to continually heat and cool the glass until it cracked. With lots of practice I eventually was able to crack the glass how I wanted and played around with different forms I could then make the glass into by utilizing my school's machine shop and woodworking shop.
Sketches/ideas: Below are some of the sketches I made for projects I want to do in the future using the glass cutter and other materials and tools.
Results:
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I ended up with lots of cracked and sharp shards of glass from starting out this hobby
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I threw the glass into the recycling and researched/learned what the state of California does with the glass collected in the recycling
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I got better at heating and cooling the glass to form desired cracks
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I developed a better understanding on how heating and cooling glass (and other materials) causes expansion and contraction in the material and created stress to form failures and cracks
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I now look at bridge expansion joints with a slightly better understanding of what they prevent
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I worked a lot in the machine shop and woodworking shop
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I gained more practice with using the belt sanders and band saws
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I practiced generating project ideas that I now had the ability to make
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Successfully cut glass and sanded the sharp edges
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- Made cups, drinking glasses, a plant pot, a jar and lid, and other random glass pieces for fun
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