Lots of tests and experimenting with dipping in wax. I need bigger balloons, but have a top tip for trying this at home; when the balloon is dipped in the hot wax the air inside the balloon will expand and depending on how hard it has been blown up, how quick it is dipped and how hot the wax is, there is a real risk of the balloon exploding. My experience now tells me, that the wax is distributed well and evenly over the entire 2-3 meter radius surrounding the pot. The good news is though that the tiny droplets of wax set cold flying in air and one can clean it of easier than wax melted on to a surface.

The good news first. I am very excited that this worked. I have dipped this plaster block in wax and slowly built up layers, making sure the plaster is wet, so the wax will separate from it after. A bit like hand dipping candles. I can make really pretty patterns with the layering edges. Then I use a normal lost wax technique, but this was my first attempt at it. Wont be the last..

My husband is keen on baking and apart from the obvious benefit of nice fresh bread, I now have two beautiful and practical stone worktops for anything involving plaster. It comes from him wanting a cheap baking stone, hence asking at the local kitchen table top makers, if they had any off cuts spare. Turns out, they are happy to get rid of them for free, they have to pay pr. kilo otherwise. A bit of cutting with the angle grinder may be necessary, but you don't get a better value for money (read= beer) or a better non stick, easy clean plastering work surface.

Let me know if you need a good pizza dough recipe now..

One of my favourite books is by Haruki Murakami
It made me start working on something like this





but I haven't been able to cast this type of shape
without it cracking. I guess there is a lot of tension with the corners.
I have to try a trick, mixing paper pulp in the plaster/silica mould.
That should make the mould more flexible and maybe leave room for the glass
to contract in the annealing?

I want to use this spotted look again and again
and I am working on smaller things with a hint of use





in two days my kiln will be cooled down and ready to open
for some more spotted tests in a different shape to come out..

It's all about the setting-up exercises