Molten glass

Several artists got a passion for moltenglass. After Henri Cros (1840-1907) art deco pioneers such as François Decorchement and Gabriel Argy - Rousseau become expert in this technique.
In Frace, when François Decorchemont died in 1971, with their grandfather's archives Antoine et Etienne try to adapt the ancient technique through modern proceedings.

For early 30 years, Antoine has moulded...

ideas and Etienne has moulded fingerprints, their perfect mastery of the material would give these two brothers  the opportunty to honour and set the history of Molten glass anew.

The technique of Molten glass implies a secret method, research on a permanent basis on the secrets of the material and each artist experiments his own technique.

Molten glass is a proceeding of cold-shaping crushed or ground glass sometimes clustered in paste by means of a binder set in moulds made of refractory material and baked again at about 800°.

The cast glass mixed to sticky elements can be directly poured into wide open moulds according to a stamping proceeding.

Glass melted in sand ; or processed by means of sand casting, consists in melting between 1250°- and 1350°in prints specifically created in sand to make the moulding easy.

The best sand is the one used by the metal casting users this sand is soaked and kept in a wooden crate, then it is stamped with a wooden, clay or plaster shape, which defines the future negative shape of the piece ; the latter remains as an embossed presentation.

To keep from having sand stuck on the piece surface a separator should be used, graphite for example .

Pouring molten glass requires a dangerous and athletic attitude . It also  requires a team whose members should work swiftly on rota  in order to get a homogeneous mixture .

The first step in the cooling process should be well controlled so as to be well performed from the centre to the outskirts. At about 600°, the piece can be freed and taken to the arch for rebaking*.

Sand naterally a colour to the glass, but it is as well possible to colour the glass on surface or into the mass with compatible « frittes ». In addition to that it is possible to insert metal inclusions."}