What is Thunderclap?
You’re probably wondering right now, ‘what’s thunderclap?”
It’s a new website that allows people to pledge a Tweet or Facebook a message all ot the same day/same time in order to achieve the maximum effect. Think of this action as an online flash mob.
What can you do to help?
All you need to do is click on this link and choose either ‘support with twitter’ or ‘support with Facebook’ or both! Then, on the 29th of October, everyone that has signed up will automatically post a link to our Kickstarter campaign.
With your help, we can fund production and bring Sanctuary M to everyone.
In appreciation,
BOTANICA Team
Manufacture: Packaging
almost 8 years ago
– Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 08:36:41 PM
Hi Everyone,
Packaging samples arrived this week, we are really happy with the quality and have placed orders for our first shipment. Here are some notes on the design!
Packaging is a very important component to our Sanctuary M- most importantly for protecting the product in transit and convey clear information on the contents. We have drop tested the glass top in its box, no breakages to date.
The type of glass top and base material will be marked on the underside of the box. Look under the lid and you'll find information directing to our site on care instructions and how to set up.
As Sanctuary is such a great gift, we wanted the packaging to be beautiful and discrete so that there is no need to wrap. Tie a bow and it looks really neat.
Here are some images for you!
ARID BOX
RAINFOREST/TEMPERATE LID BOX + BASE BOX
You will receive the Top and Base Packages in a master box, shown ABOVE.
Details of the underside text, marked with the contents.
Temperate/Rainforest foam lined packaging.
THANKS EVERYONE
We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Botanica Team
Manufacture: Glass Pt 2
almost 8 years ago
– Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 02:45:45 PM
Hey Backers,
This update covers the next and final phases of the glass production process for the Sanctuary M tops. Pt 1 covered the blowing and moulding, now we are cutting the glass form and readying it for packaging.
As shown in Pt 1, once the glass is formed, it is left to cool. The next step is to trim down the glass to the final form. This done using 'lamp work' techniques. As the top is cylindrical, it is mounted in a lathe like jig. The tip of a glass rod is melted and then adhered to the centre of the end of the glass top. A strip of gas burners are then position at the desired location on the top, the lamp worker applies some braking resistance to the attached rod and after a few rotations, the glass melts and the end shears away. That's difficult to convey in text, this video should explain all!
The final step is to anneal the glass to remove internal stresses and toughen it. This happens in a kiln where the tops are heated to 566°C or 1050°F until the piece reaches its "stress relief point", held at that temp for a short time, then slowly cooled to avoid thermal shock.
Finally, the glass tops are inspected, cleaned and packaged in our specially prepared, foam lined gift boxes in readiness to be shipped.
This whole glass production foray has been a new frontier for us. We initially attempted to use this process for Sanctuary S but discounted it due to a number of reasons including dimensional tolerance. Sanctuary M, by design, allows for a greater variance in tolerance (thanks to the silicon insert) enabling us to embrace glass process.
Any questions, shoot us a message! Once again thanks so much for the support so far.
BOTANCIA team
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Excerpt from Wikipedia
Lampworking is a type of glasswork where a torch or lamp is primarily used to melt the glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although lack of a precise definition for lampworking makes it difficult to determine when this technique was first developed, the earliest verifiable lampworked glass is probably a collection of beads thought to date to the fifth century BC. Lampworking became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a furnace as the primary heat source, although torches are also used.
Early lampworking was done in the flame of an oil lamp, with the artist blowing air into the flame through a pipe. Most artists today use torches that burn either propane or natural gas, or in some countries butane, for the fuel gas, mixed with either air or pure oxygen as the oxidizer. Many hobbyists use MAPP gas in portable canisters for fuel and some use oxygen concentrators as a source of continuous oxygen.
Lampworking is used to create artwork, including beads, figurines, marbles, small vessels, Christmas tree ornaments, and much more. It is also used to create scientific instruments as well as glass models of animal and botanical subjects.
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Manufacture: Glass Pt 1
almost 8 years ago
– Tue, Oct 11, 2016 at 09:04:16 PM
For those of you who enjoy hearing about the manufacturing process read on, this glass update is for you! Our new Sanctuary M top is made by a team of 3 amazing glass workers, what they have been able to achieve with us is fantastic. It's art meets manufacture.
...
Flameworking
Two people take turns in the actual 'blowing' of the glass. First some pre-prepared borosilicate glass tubes are super heated using a oxy acetylene torch. The semi molten tube is then manipulated so that the end is closed, forming a bulb hanging from a tube which will become the 'blow tube'. Once the temperature is just right, the bulb is lowered into our specially made moulds.
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Mould Blowing/Multipiece Mould
The mould is a three piece design, two halves that are hinged with an end insert that forms either the temperate top shape or the wormhole shape for rainforest. This is where a second person helps out and closes the mould, once it's shut, the glass is gently agitated in a washing machine action whist blowing into the glass tube forcing the hot, soft glass into the form of the mould.
It doesn't take long for the cast iron mould to draw away heat from the glass, solidifying it. Once the glass has hardened, it's removed and set aside for cooling. When it's cooled, it's ready for our third process ... More about that in Pt 2!
Checkout these videos below of production in action!
All the best, we'll be back soon with further updates.
Amazing start!
almost 8 years ago
– Sat, Oct 08, 2016 at 04:01:02 AM
Amazing start, just amazing! We're really appreciative of everyone's support.
Here's a rendering of our precious metal Sanctuaries in solid metals, bronze, brass and copper. We appreciate $250k is a long shot, but we'd love to make these available... I know Simon has his heart set on getting to produce a bronze Sanctuary M Arid. ;)
If you have a moment help us spread the word so we can reach our goal and beyond. You can do this by sharing our Instagram / Facebook posts and, of course, our Kickstarter page:
