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Forthferalz Geoturtle Glass Geocoin


forthferalz

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I have been talking to a local glass studio and am ready to go with a prototype for my own use. The glass isn't blown - it's layered and kiln fired with additions like gold leaf or dichroic as well as glass bits of other colours

 

The scale of production is very intimate usually made into jewellery so once we have tried some design options then LE personals may be very easy to do. If the OP hasn't got one in the works then i can open it up. The easiest shapes are square/hex the tracking numbers&text onto them is the bit we are still mulling over.

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I lwas in the shop buying a gift and we got talking. I have only made one slumped glass item before that enamelling and stained glass so i am hoping to do some of the work myself (now i am retiring from homeschooling will need a proper hobby eh?) They may prove too dear being handmade otherwise for anything except sig item. Gonna make a few of those anyway :D

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I've got my private project started but preliminary bulk pricing for an open sale looks good if i used a US distributor (and especially if generic icon or even no tracking :D

r.b.n.turtle1.glr.jpg

b654_1.JPG

this gives an idea of what can be achieved with dichroic - the black is etched areas can of course be done in silhouette. the attraction for me is the stuff is like our national stone the opal and min number can be as low as 16 and if no image is used each coin is unique.

 

update from GC - glass is an approved trackable coincept

Edited by forthferalz
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i'm visiting the artist tomorrow and she's testing a new kiln sooooo maybe we even get prototype! i think the limiting factor is actually going to be the text :ph34r: that goes for cost mostly as well as practicality. GC have ok'd a slight contraction of the text but if i could leave it off altogether and place it on a card it would be ideal.

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Without going into the tracking side of things I have just dropped $$$ on the raw materials for the proof coins.

 

I think it would be best to see what the thoughts are now about tracking/icon - there would need to be min 250 made (preferably more as a series with same icon) and a fair indication that folk want to actually MOVE the things.

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Ok before I pony up for the tracking which involves a setup fee for something I can't use for anything else

( I've already had a fair learning curve to get to a solution for an item this small ) can i have a quick show of hands as to who wants to USE the actual tracking and those that think it is a waste of time and money?

glass-track-impression.png

ps how to read the artwork - the black just denotes whatever colour glass is used - the rainbow denotes printed irridescence which can be under or on top of the final glass layer. The colour combo choices are mind boggling. Not ready for sharing the other side's artwork designs just yet :)

Edited by forthferalz
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Ok before I pony up for the tracking which involves a setup fee for something I can't use for anything else

( I've already had a fair learning curve to get to a solution for an item this small ) can i have a quick show of hands as to who wants to USE the actual tracking and those that think it is a waste of time and money?

glass-track-impression.png

ps how to read the artwork - the black just denotes whatever colour glass is used - the rainbow denotes printed irridescence which can be under or on top of the final glass layer. The colour combo choices are mind boggling. Not ready for sharing the other side's artwork designs just yet :D

 

I Am SO glad we were persistant :D I feel this WILL sell ! What kind of price are we looking at? :)

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I Am SO glad we were persistant :D I feel this WILL sell ! What kind of price are we looking at? :)

 

once again it depends on TRACKING which like doublled my design workload with this item! The setup involved for tracking will add probably $4 to the raw cost of materials at a rough guess and increase the production time and complexity it has to be hand engraved (and this ain't China.) The paintpen I tried in a hopeful moment scratched straight off with a fingernail B)

 

Now the good news- Groundspeak have approved this and a raft of other designs - even the superchunky glow in the dark radioactive fish..... really :D

 

HG stands for Hot Glass or Hogwild take your pick! and since we can do really super small runs of 4-16 coins the personal design trackable option is available.

 

The pyrex mentioned in the earlier post is not required I have seen the chuck test and i can sit on them in my pocket driving home with coins inside. I can still use it but the setup cost is over triple it is only required if it was to be a flameworked piece not kiln baked and then you are probably looking at a $30 piece :D

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I Am SO glad we were persistant :D I feel this WILL sell ! What kind of price are we looking at? :)

 

once again it depends on TRACKING which like doublled my design workload with this item! The setup involved for tracking will add probably $4 to the raw cost of materials at a rough guess and increase the production time and complexity it has to be hand engraved (and this ain't China.) The paintpen I tried in a hopeful moment scratched straight off with a fingernail :D

Now the good news- Groundspeak have approved this and a raft of other designs - even the superchunky glow in the dark radioactive fish..... really :D

 

HG stands for Hot Glass or Hogwild take your pick! and since we can do really super small runs of 4-16 coins the personal design trackable option is available.

 

The pyrex mentioned in the earlier post is not required I have seen the chuck test and i can sit on them in my pocket driving home with coins inside. I can still use it but the setup cost is over triple it is only required if it was to be a flameworked piece not kiln baked and then you are probably looking at a $30 piece B)

I have a gold paint pen designed to write on glass; then once it dries, you bake it in the kiln at 1200 degrees F. It doesn't rub/scratch off. It's like it becomes part of the glass.

 

I used it for the accents on this.

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Maybe this is a dumb question, but what about a simple pressed glass coin with a "blob" of molten glass placed in a mold with the design on it, and then while still malleable, stamp the tracking number and "track at" information on the back? The track at could be one "brand" type stamp and the numbers could be another, I'm pretty sure that the porcelain and pottery coins use a similar method to put the tracking numbers on them. It certainly seems easier than the beautiful glass art that you're doing, and much more cost effective, too....

 

I think that the glass beads that I posted earlier are done in a similar way...

 

stonesbu6.jpg

 

Naomi :)

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Maybe this is a dumb question, but what about a simple pressed glass coin with a "blob" of molten glass placed in a mold with the design on it, and then while still malleable, stamp the tracking number and "track at" information on the back? The track at could be one "brand" type stamp and the numbers could be another, I'm pretty sure that the porcelain and pottery coins use a similar method to put the tracking numbers on them. It certainly seems easier than the beautiful glass art that you're doing, and much more cost effective, too....

 

I think that the glass beads that I posted earlier are done in a similar way...

 

stonesbu6.jpg

 

Naomi :)

I would not want to stamp each hot blob with numbers one by one in any case. It would be just as time consuming even if it was possible.

Molten glass has to be cooled carefully or it will crack. the process is called annealing. Except when flash cooling is sometimes used before the main cool down opening the kiln is fatal. The shaped glass you see is made by a process called 'slumping' which involves leaving it in a mold sometimes carved out of graphite block. you would have to have a special mold made - i inquired after one for the chunky fish and it is possible to get it made that way but no cost saving. In any case I bought a coupleof samples of stock molded shapes and put the tracking requirements on them. It was ok'd by GC but to quote the kid 'cheap looking' which is spade is a spade :) just ain't quite the same - it felt more like a sig item not a geocoin.

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Gosh what a lot of work and research has to have been involved in all this! I am interested with or without tracking. I love glass art and I love personal items and I love icons, probably all equally well...

that's good because this is one of the stock designs I have selected for the tracked trials looks like this bluehand.jpg.

 

I have really as usual enjoyed all the research just as a mind exercise but the bonus is new friends and some new artistic possibilities have been opened up for all of us. Hope to bring you all a sample coin in next 4 weeks.

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forthferalz,

 

Maybe you could get the title of this thread changed or start your own thread. I haven't bothered to look at this for awhile because it always seemed to be filled with 'please do this coin' and suggestions. I don't see why you couldn't start your own thread if you are gathering interest for a particular coin you are looking at starting. I think you might get more responses to a new thread.

 

Now having said that, I would be in for a couple. I love the unique and I think a glass coin would be cool, regardless if it travels well or not because I'll admit, it's going to sit in my collection where I can admire it. In my experience and my own personal opinion, asking for a 'raise your hand if you want one' type question only gets those of us who are talkative on the threads to fess up that we would like this coin. The lurkers won't say anything but I bet you would have no troubles selling 250 coins. Once the frenzy of posting; "ordered, can't wait to get mine" starts, people will not want to be left out (those who are coin addicts, lol). Anyhow, I personally don't care if it's trackable or nontrackable. Obviously if you're going to discuss it here, it needs to be trackable and trackable is obviously going to be your best bet for a sell out :)

 

Looking forward to the progress reports and I hope it's a "go."

 

tsun

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what i was thinking about the trackable vs. nontrackable it might be a good thing to think to have the coins sell in pairs one with a code and the other without. this would make the coins more likely to actually get put in caches sorta like how the Nickells did their coin.

the Nickells coin was subsidised by Sandy herself. Sorry I can't offer such a bargain. but there would be some cost saving if one glass coin completely lacked the tracking design side. Postage for two is the same.

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Actually I was thinking of packaging them in white gauze bags. The stock is velvet but I like the look in the gauze better. The items are probably as tough as metal which also chips if dropped onto concrete( alas found this out at an event showing off my coins) or even tougher as they are impervious to finger grease and water. Got a wet cache?

 

When i explained what I wanted the item for the artist said it would be suitable. it is the annealing process that toughens the glass. the finished item is averagely 6mm thick. Of the two stock glass shapes i bought from the craftshop one was already chipped. Though they are far chunkier they are not as tough.

 

I would think of them in terms of everyday jam jars like the ones i use for drinking tumblers. They have come home happily in a bunch with currency coins in my pocket unwrapped. I noticed there is no broken items bin in the workshop which has a concrete floor and her shop is defintely not 'precious' - everything is allowed to be handled casually by customers and stored at kiddie height, with a resident dog and her wares are posted all over the world.

 

Edit: the main real hazard is CHOKING hazard parents please note - being shiny they look a bit like a boiled sweet. I guess the chemical process is actually identical.

Edited by forthferalz
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I just need to finalise the financing since I'm not doing a presale just gambling glass artists and my own funds! I haven't quite finished the aussie 2008 - have just uploaded that icon. Then I 'lost' my parcel of the prize coins (found and returned to me!! Huzzah! )

Should be back on track on monday

Edited by forthferalz
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what i was thinking about the trackable vs. nontrackable it might be a good thing to think to have the coins sell in pairs one with a code and the other without. this would make the coins more likely to actually get put in caches sorta like how the Nickells did their coin.

 

That Might just work :)

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Update:

ok change of artist, technical details ironed out and raw dichoic on its way to be hand engraved and fired so just days to getting a no-track sample ie I'll have a dozen or so unique sig items soon :o

 

Thanks for the update. Good to hear you're getting some success with it.

 

You're up early today... or is that just you're up very, very, very late?

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WOW!!! They look fantastic!!! I love them!

 

They look like the round glass items that ancient greeks had to play games like pagamon etc, or for toys for children! They had many colors, but mostly were light green, blue or without any color! Some even had something shiny or silvering on them, giving a shine like your items!!

 

Oh boy! Is this going to be a coin? a trackable one??? WOW! Beautiful!!!!!!

;)

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