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I'd like to use pictures of your work, how can I get some and what are the restrictions?
You used to have X for sale, when will it be back?
Can you make very large glass pieces?
How do I clean your sculptures?
Will you help me make something?
How do I start making things like yours?
Can you recommend a course of study?
How can I stay in touch?
I'm writing an essay, tell me something about what you do.
I'd like to use pictures of your work.
That's fine, as long as they're accompanied by my name ("Bathsheba
Grossman") and if they're online a link to www.bathsheba.com.
If you need high-resolution images suitable for printing, just ask.
If you'd like to use a 3D design for any purpose, please ask. I've licensed models for many uses, and I'll most likely be happy to
help with yours. I like to collaborate.
Please don't use images without credit. Don't use or reverse
engineer any of my 3D objects without permission. Doing these
things violates copyright law, and also makes me unwilling to work
with you. Please contact me
instead, and most likely we can arrange what you want. I'm
usually happy for my designs to be used, if you get in touch first.
You used to have X for sale, when will it be back?
I don't know. When I take something off the site (such as
jewelry) it's because I've run into problems making it with good
quality for a reasonable price.
I'll bring it back when evolving technology, or other changes in the
resources available to me, make it possible again. As soon as that
happens I'll announce it on the News page, but
before then I don't know.
Can you make very large laser-glass pieces?
No, for two reasons. First, no etching laser
that I know of can fire more than 3" into glass, so that's the maximum
depth I can etch. Second, large glass blanks are very
expensive. The largest piece I've worked on is a 26" square by
4" deep galaxy design, and the blank for that cost over $10,000.
Generally it's a lot of work to generate quotes for projects of this
type, and once quoted they are usually declined because of cost.
How do I clean your sculptures?
Metal
These are shipped oiled to protect the surface from chemical attack,
and I recommend keeping a little light oil on them, as you would any
metal tool. 3-in-1 or light motor oil is fine. If one gets
dirty, wash and re-oil. If one rusts (this is rare, but it can
happen in wet or corrosive environments) use rust stripper then
re-oil. I like Jasco Metal Etch, but anything with phosphoric
acid should work.
Alternatively, it may be worth considering
that you own a sculpture that is mostly iron, and you live on an
oxygen-water planet. Letting nature take its
course and enjoying the new, enhanced patina is an option.
Glass
Any general glass cleaner should work to remove crud. To avoid
scratches on the bottom I recommend using the rubber feet that come
with these: they prevent grit under the piece from scratching
it. If a piece does get scratched, it's possible to buff out
small scratches with Brasso or any mild abrasive (Google has lots of
advice on this) and elbow grease. If that's too much work, a
little Pledge or other furniture polish does wonders to hide
scratches.
Will you help me make something?
If it's a laser-etched molecule, please visit CrystalProtein.com.
If it's something else laser-etched in glass, bear in mind that I work
only on scientific imaging projects. I don't etch cars, buildings,
portraits or photos. Laser Crystal Awards may be able to help with these types of project.
In general, I'll work on an outside idea only if I love it and it fits
with what I do. In this case my next question will be whether
you'd wish the design to become part of my catalog on this site,
(naturally with credit to yourself) or whether you want to do it as a
commission.
How can I start making things like yours?
Think of something to begin with – the first one can be simple – and
get busy! You'll need to draw, generate, scan, or otherwise
acquire some 3D data that describes your subject. Some
tools that might help are here, and never forget that Google is your friend.
Then you'll need a fabricator, or a 3D printing facility, or a laser etching facility to make the
object; or maybe you can make it yourself. If you want to try 3D printing, your first
decision will be which machine to use, as they all do different
things. A lot of useful information is here.
Now you know much more than I did when I started. I wish you
good luck, and if you make something nifty, I'd love to hear about it.
Can you recommend a course of study to get into your
field?
Not specifically. I recommend doing what you like, learning
about what interests you, and going where it takes you. My path
led through a math degree, an art degree, and many years working as a
programmer. Maybe that was overkill, but then I never had
digital sculpture in mind: most of the technology I use now didn't
even exist yet, so I was flying completely blind.
The future's going to be even more unpredictable, there's no possible
advice but to follow your nose: do what you like in a serious way, and
stay loose. I will say, make sure to have a day job lined up.
One where you can always get work, it doesn't eat your whole life, and it
makes good money. It's really hard to make sculpture on
waiting-tables kind of money.
Regarding CAD modeling and 3D manufacturing I'm self-taught, so there
I can't recommend any educational method, other than to download some
tools and get started.
I'm writing a report, tell me something about what you do.
Just about everything I have to say about it is already on this
site. There's a list of meaty pages here. If you have a particular question that isn't answered in any of these
places, then go ahead and ask.
How can I stay in touch?
For online updates, this page has an RSS feed.
If you have a
stable address and would like to get postcards, you can sign up here. I can't guarantee that I'll send any, but it's been known to happen.
These are physical snail-mail postcards which I send out very occasionally; not as often as once a year. Naturally I do not share or sell addresses or emails.
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