Kaleidoscope focus (day 3)

The finished scope

(and holy cow, there’s so much more involved–this just scratches the surface.   I’ve gained an incredible appreciation in the past three days for kaleidoscope artists)

Kaleidoscope focus (day 2)

Assembling the body.

opening the kiln

after cutting, trimming, grinding, and soldering.

after cutting, trimming, grinding, and soldering.

the pieces for the mirror portion

Kaleidoscope focus (day 1)

This week I have the pleasure of working with Charles Karadimos, renown kaleidoscope crafter and record holder for creating the World’s largest kaleidoscope. I thought I’d throw that in there…

I’ll be documenting the process each step of the way, please forgive my phone’s poor quality photos

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Preparing to slump

Trace the mold.

Cover with a wash so that the glass doesn't stick.

More wash.

Cover the mold with foil. Flatten the foil. Trace the foil onto a glass sheet.

Cut the glass out of the sheet.

Clean the glass and cover with a low fire clear glaze. Lay the glass on the molds and then fire .