New Year, New Gazing Ball, New Projects

The new year has begun and I am on to new projects.  When it is cold outside, I like to work on a gazing ball for the garden.  I like to have one ready for Spring so that it can go outside as soon as the weather warms.  A gazing ball adds a pop of color to the garden even before the growing season gets into full swing.  I've posted photos of my completed gazing balls in the past, but this is the first one that will show the whole process of making a gazing ball from start to finish.  It does take a while to make a gazing ball, so I will be blogging about other projects under way while I am working on this project.  This morning it was a chilly nine degrees Fahrenheit, and it seems to be just the day to get to work on the ball. 

Covered with reflective waterproof tape.

I have plans to do another walking stick this year.  That will probably start once the weather warms up and I can go outside to work on it.  Otherwise the house smells like burning wood when I burn the design into the project.  I can only hope that I can be as inspired on the new walking stick as I was when making the Shaman Staff walking stick.  That was truly a strange experience.  Many artists and musicians have said that they felt that they were channeling energy that produced their work.  I felt that way when making the Shaman Staff.  It was an amazing experience.

My other plans include some papier mache' work and some different types of molding and casting.  There is also another diorama on the horizon.  I enjoyed creating the old house for the last diorama, although I did not care so much for how the diorama finished out.  I may go back an rework that diorama before going on to something new.  I have another painting in mind, but I'm not sure exactly when I will get around to it.  It is a wintertime scene, so I'll probably start it around the first snow fall.  Anyway, all this is sometime down the line, and it is time to get on to the new gazing ball.

The base for this gazing ball is a bowling ball.  Many people have expressed an interest in doing a gazing ball, but have had trouble finding a ball.  The bowling alley won't sell used or cracked balls to the public because they send them back to the factory for reconditioning and get a credit for them.  So what is a person to do.  First off, just put out the work that you are looking for a bowling ball.  You will be surprised at how often this works.  The bowling ball for this project was donated by a person that I barely knew after she had seen my gazing balls.  So don't give up on the power of the spoken word.

Another option is Freecycle.  This is an organization that helps set up local groups of people that will offer their used items for free to someone in their area that needs the item.  There are a number of rules involved such as that you must donate an item before you can ask for an item.  However, once you have donated an item you can request an item.  I request  bowling balls.  I have received four  bowling balls through Freecycle.  Here is a link to Freecycle:  www.freecycle.org  Be sure to read and follow all the safety guidelines for meeting strangers.

If all else fails, it might be worthwhile to lurk at your local bowling alley.  You will definitely meet bowlers there.  Sooner or later a serious bowler is going to want a new ball.  And if he or she knows you, the old ball just might be gifted to you.  If all else fails, you can cast Hypertufa spheres (See my blog posts for May 7th, 2014 through May 14th 2014 to learn about casting Hypertufa.)  There are also other options for casting balls or using other types of balls as a base.  Some options are better than others.  Do a lot of internet research before trying one of the different options.  I have read that using a basket ball works well, but I have not tried that, so I don't know it that is true or what the reader's definition of "well" might be.  Sometimes balls start to sag with the added weight of glass and grout on them.

Anyway, on to this ball.  I started with a bowling ball.  (Alicia, your bowling ball has now been immortalized on the internet.)  I sit in on a short tin can (such as one that holds tuna) to hold it in place while I work on it.  I cover the ball with reflective silver tape.  This is a special waterproof plumbing tape rather than the reflective tape that one uses to tape dryer ducts.  The plumbing tape has a very stick adhesive.  It is supposed to even be able to stop a leak when it is wrapped under water.  It will help to waterproof the ball and the shiny reflective surface will bounce light back through the glass to help give the ball a lot of shine and sparkle.  I suppose that the same thing could be accomplished with the other reflective tape (which is less expensive) but the waterproofing is a definite plus.  It is not absolutely necessary to use any tape, but consider this.  If your bowling ball were black, the light will be going through the glass and hitting a black surface.  Less light will be reflected back through the surface, making it look dull.  If your bowling ball is a different color, that color will be seen though the glass on the surface.  It could make your color look muddy.

Another reason for using the reflective tape is that it reflects light rather than letting the ball absorb it and the warmth that sunlight produces.  Bowling balls expand and contract with heat.  That can cause the grout to crack.  The only ball I have had that cracked is my first gazing ball in which I did not use the plumbing tape.  So for me, it was lesson learned.

I started this ball the other day, and it is covered with tape other than the finger holes.  I'll be blogging more about how to deal with them on the next blog post.  Today I will be previewing glass for the ball.  Once I have it picked out, I will start cutting the glass.  More on that next blog post also.