The Portland
The right tool for the job
This
image is of my main lathe with tools laid out in my south facing studio. The
lathe is a Spatzier model, supplied by K. Merker with a Morse 1.5 taper. It’s
nearly 40 years old but the motor and electronics were replaced in 2012. I have
90 + copper wheels (3mm to 120mm), 15 diamond wheels, 7 permanently mounted, 8
that are interchangeable on a threaded spindle. The 7 have rounded profiles
(8mm to 30mm), the 8 flat or slightly curved and are similarly sized. Effgen
was the supplier. I have about 50 stone carborundum wheels (80mm to 8mm) of
various grit size (very rough to smooth) that mount onto a tapered threaded
spindle via the lead centres. I use a 110 volt Kavo/EWL K9 professional dentist
drill that goes from 200rpm to 20,000rpm with little or no vibration; it takes
2.5mm burr with diamond or stone tips - I’ve about 50, a mix of balls, points
and wheels or ‘ovals’. My polishing wheels are either cork, timber or felt
(40cms diameter down to 50mm) and use a fine/medium pumice. I also use belts
for more serious repairs. The stationary is pretty standard stuff except the
plastacine (putty) and chinagraph pencils.
Spend money
on a good sound system - air-guitar or drumsticks are optional!
Spend even more money on decent safety
equipment and use it – goggles, mask, earplugs, apron, gloves and fire
extinguisher.
Definitions, Advice &
Jargon
My
definition of ‘engraving’ is ‘creative work done (on glass) by the hand of an
artists/craftsman’ whether that’s copper or diamond wheel, stipple, diamond
point, sand-carving or any combination of these. Anyone who has spent time
mastering these crafts can produce amazing work and deserves some credit. It’s
frustrating to see work that is entirely computer generated described as
‘engraved’ in an effort to exaggerate a skill/service and charge a premium. If you ‘flip burgers’ are you a
Michelin Star chef, does changing a flat tyre make you a mechanic or wiring a
plug qualify you as an electrician? Not really.
There is no
getting away from it, you have to put the time in to master engraving. You will
learn a lot from books – ‘Techniques in Glass Engraving’ (ISBN 9780713675160) is a great start but
doesn’t match actual studio based demos or learning. There are quite a few
reputable courses out there with professionals offering tuition; so go do the
research, find a good engraver offering his/her services and sign up.
Please mail
and ask if you come across any jargon, phrases or slang that I use; I’m happy
to explain or to admit I’m at the boundary of my knowledge…….fortunately, if I
don’t know, I know a man who does.
Let’s talk about the glass
The vase I
have is a 24% lead piece standing 10” tall, most likely from an Eastern
European source. It’s close to the original Portland Vase shape, but a bit
taller. The sides are reasonable straight, ideal for engraving figures. It’s a
good blank with no bubbles or cord and has reasonably thick walls, very
important if you are going deep into the surface. We’ll make handles later.
Today’s tip
– Make your workspace comfortable; angle your light to brighten the glass, not
shine in your face.
I served a 5 year apprenticeship surrounded by
9 Masters. Each one had their own style or technique, so much so you could
identify who did what. I learned something different from each of them, how
they all approached a job differently but ended up with the same result. To
demonstrate this, over the next few updates I’ll explain how they would engrave
a circle and what’s to be learned from simple observation.
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