Coldworking a drop ring vase - help!

[elyseglenna]

]Hi. I just created the most beautiful vase by assembling pieces of glass on a drop ring and letting them slump to the kiln shelf. The problem is that because the glass was not fully fused this way, there are some crevices where cerium would get stuck. I need to cut off most of the lip of the vase, which is not a problem. I just need to figure out how to polish the edges one that is done. The glass is mostly transparent and the appearance of cerium will wreck the look. I've never used loose grits on plate glass before, but suspect this might also leave visible remnants tucked into the crevices of my vase. Is it possible to kiln polish without loosing the slump? Any other methods anyone out there can suggest? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

vase 1 small.png (322.45 KiB) Viewed 9662 times

[Morganica]

Get a bar of soap (I prefer Ivory, because it washes out well and doesn't have a lot of lotions/oils that might leave a residue), and rub it over the piece to stop up the crevices. Make sure they're completely stopped up and the soap has packed in. Then do your coldworking.

The soap prevents swarf/cerium/grit from embedding in the crevices. When you're finished, get a toothbrush (or a powerwasher and/or one of those waterpik toothcleaner things) and spray the soap until it's dissolved and flows out, taking any residue with it. Just remember that the soap will be dissolving in the water as you coldwork, so you may need to check it occasionally and renew.

[suds]

Get a bar of soap (I prefer Ivory, because it washes out well and doesn't have a lot of lotions/oils that might leave a residue), and rub it over the piece to stop up the crevices. Make sure they're completely stopped up and the soap has packed in. Then do your coldworking.

The soap prevents swarf/cerium/grit from embedding in the crevices. When you're finished, get a toothbrush (or a powerwasher and/or one of those waterpik toothcleaner things) and spray the soap until it's dissolved and flows out, taking any residue with it. Just remember that the soap will be dissolving in the water as you coldwork, so you may need to check it occasionally and renew.

What an excellent tip! Thanks for sharing that.

[Babette (Shawn)]

Wow! Thanks Cynthia! I think I will try this on the edged of my pieces...before using cerium to polish. It makes sense!

[Morganica]

Well, I can't take credit for it--my mom's a ceramic artist, and she occasionally does that when she grinds off glaze spatters. But thanks.

[elyseglenna]

Cynthia, whoever's idea it is, it's genius. Can't wait to try it. Thanks so much!