Ivor and Olive Lewis on thu 19 jan 06
Any of you who have access to the North of England may be able to get =
the makings of Coloured Cullet free. Sunderland has a continuous history =
of making glass that reaches back almost sixteen hundred years. In =
earlier times scrap would be dumped in the River Wear where it washed =
into the North Sea. There were stretches of beach to either side of the =
estuary where this had collected. Tide and Time conspired and the result =
was a treasure trove of multicoloured pebbles.
When I was in college we used it to make pools of colour in shallow =
coasters.
Another good source of cullet. It may be obtainable from your Power =
distributors. Glass High Tension Insulators have a limited lifespan. =
These, when cracked, are exchanged for new ones. I have a bucket full, =
salvaged last year. So far I have only cut a few gemstones from it but =
there is enough which is well flawed that I could use in glaze trials. =
As a gem. Well, a ten carat double cut brilliant is a fine flashy stone =
with colour almost equal to fine Emerald.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
skiasonaranthropos@FSMAIL.NET on thu 19 jan 06
Hello Ivor,
Id be rather cautious about breaking or cutting into glass HT insulators
as being made from toughened glass they can shatter. Also with a working
life exceeding 50 years theyll not be as a ready source as bottle
recycling services
Regards,
Antony
Ivor and Olive Lewis on fri 20 jan 06
Dear Antony,
The sample I collected was dumped by the contractor almost opposite my =
from door. It was in nugget sized pieces and responds well to diamond =
abrasives. Larger pieces were shot through with stress fractures that =
seemed to show the pathways molten glass had taken when the things were =
moulded.
Having spent some time on the hot floor at James A, Jobling, makers of =
Pyrex on Wearside, I am aware of the safety issues, though thanks for =
the reminder.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
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