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HOW CAN I
At Grit City Coldworks, I take great pride in my many years of professional experience and want to share it with people! My studio has been built with versatility and efficiency in mind, allowing Grit City Coldworks to offer a large variety of basic & advanced coldworking services, along with glass repairs!
ADVANCED COLDWORKING
Coldworking is complicated and dreaded by many artists. This is usually due to lack of knowledge, proper guidance, and not having a well maintained coldshop with quality equipment.
Project Assembly
Grit City Coldworks has extensive experience with assembling glass objects. I can join numerous glass pieces together without heat.
I can help you grind and fit glass together properly to then be assembled with an adhesive. My most used glue is Hxtal but this will be determined on each individual project.
TECHNIQUES
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Punty Removal
Punty Removal by far is the most requested service at Grit City Coldworks. A punty mark is where the glass object is attached to a punty rod or blowpipe in the hot shop.
Most often this is a sharp imperfection that must be removed to be safe for consumers and allow for proper orientation & positioning. Most often this is on the bottom of vessels or other areas of sculptures that interfere with visual aesthetics.
Polishing
Includes restoring a glass to a high gloss finish after punty removal, bottom flattening, and basic surfacing. Polishing requires multiple abrasive steps, ranging from rough to very fine - and cerium oxide to achieve a final polish. There are various levels of polishing.
This technique is one of the ways to achieve a smooth, lustrous finish without the application of heat when working with glass.
Bottoms
Grinding the bottom of a piece of glass on a flat mill, produces a flat non-faceted surface for an object to sit on.
During this process, a piece can be straightened, balanced, and positioned however the artist desires. Bottoms can be left rough or taken to a full polish. This helps ensure the piece is both beautiful and sturdy.
Sandblasting
Similar to surfacing, sandblasting is a process in which a sandblaster etches glass using a grit abrasive and is powered by high pressure air. This can be used with masking materials to decorate the surface, for deep carving, for a uniform matte appearance or as a surface preparation for other processes such as painting.
Grit City Coldworks offers a variety of grit sizes to achieve different surface textures. Size limitations do apply.
Surfacing
Often includes removing normal manufacturing flaws including tool marks, scratches, dings, small checks and cracks, rough or sharp areas not including the punty.
These can be removed with a variety of tools such as belt-sanders, angle grinders, or hand sanding. This can also include adding texture to a piece or polishing it to create the desired finish intended by the artist. It's a critical part of the finishing process.
Drilling
Core drilling glass uses hollow diamond bits and water to drill holes in glass. This is a common process used for glass lighting or hanging glass objects.
Grit City Coldworks offers core drilling from 2mm to 4 inches. Larger holes can be achieved but would be considered advance coldworking because they will be carved by hand instead of using a bit.