A shape is pressed into the casting sand and removed to leave a negative shape for the glass to fill. Any number of objects and textures are worked into the sand leaving a design to be picked up by the hot glass as it settles and cools in the mold. Once the mold has been prepared ladles are used to draw molten glass from the furnace and fill the shape.

After it is poured and while the glass is still hot the casting is put into a kiln so that it can be annealed. This annealing process ensures that the glass cools at an even rate and reaches room temperature without cracking. Each Sandcast panel is unique since the sand mold itself is destroyed in the process.

Sandcast Glass Video: To view a QuickTime video of the process please click here.

Carved Glass

For this technique we use preformed sheets of flat glass and work with diamond tools to mark each individual panel with a unique design. This process is performed with water cooling the panels to prevent them from cracking. Once the design is completed each panel is also sandblasted to soften the marks and create a translucent white background.