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Wardian Case
(aka Terrarium)
Over 20 years ago I used to make the "Wardian
Cases" that you see below in order to supplement
my/our income. Very labour intensive to construct,
they were a delightful distraction from other work but they
were never going to make my fortune. So I quietly
dropped the practice. Now though -in 2009-
I have recently been making a few cases, mainly for family
and friends . You see here some earlier work and some new
work, it is always possible that folk outside
the family may be interested in placing a commission (?)
So what is a Wardian Case you ask. In the first
instance may I direct you to this link ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardian_case.
and then this ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3296777/The-remarkable-case-of-Dr-Ward.html
To enlarge upon the ideas in the above links .... A
Wardian case proper is for all intents and
purposes sealed. the objective is to maintain a
plant in a healthy condition . A Wardian case therefore
should
NOT to be thought of as a mini greenhouse because unlike a greenhouse, there
is no movement of air or moisture in or out. Indeed the better
sealed the case is, the more effective it is. Upon
sealing the case think of the environment created
within as a static ecosystem . To enlarge upon this idea....
... :
1) There are no draughts to dry the soil or chill the
plant. There is a finite amount of moisture in the case; it
evaporates from leaves and soil and condenses on the
glass ,it is then absorbed back into the soil and the
cycle repeats.
2) A fixed amount of air and in particular,
a finite number of carbon molecules are within the
case, the amount of carbon/carbon dioxide is finite and so
it is either in the plant, in the air within or within
the soil.
3) Transition for carbon from one state to another is
very slow, in effect, the plant is unable to grow to any
degree because there is no air movement . It
nevertheless remains healthy because of (1) above.
Some examples from the past...
Click on each photo for a larger image
Above and below
One of my bigger Type Victorian terrariums, loosely
modelled upon a Victorian engine house. Tall (about
18" or 460mm) with arched windows, this commissioned version
was delivered without a door so is not a true
terrarium. On the strength of these images, another one has
been made (see below) that does have a door.
This terrarium as with most of my pieces used modern 2mm
picture glass and Victorian coloured glass scrounged
or bought from wherever old leaded light windows/doors might
be found. The clue to such glass is its' light colour ,
irregular thickness and limited colour range. Stained glass
is, as the name would suggest, is essentially clear glass
that has been stained and those colours are usually a lot
deeper and brighter.
Below
This "Type Victorian" was particularly tall, some
600mm high it sold very well with different
combinations of glass colour and pattern. . Very simple in
style it had a wide base that allowed for a lot of low
planting with sufficient room for at least one tall
specimen plant. The door on this type simply "lent back"
against a stop.
Not sure that the hanging hessian and the back
lighting was such a good idea but, if any of these
terrariums are still intact they will now be over 26 years
old !
Above and below
This "Type
Victorian" was made with a number of variations.
Sometimes Hexagonal, other times Octagonal. All of them
around 1foot (300mm) high as per the ruler, and
with high or low pitched roofs. The design like all my
designs evolved as I went along, the glass
content is determined by what I had/have and what I think I can do with it. Styling
is at best a sketch on the back of an envelope. In the
type below, the purple "bobbly" glass is used sparingly and
seems to be quite rare, It was often used in original windows to create a mini frame within the
window.
Below
On this model the door is hinged , and it can be lifted
off for cleaning. There is a little pin (top left of the
door) that is dropped into place to hold the door
shut. There is a small air gap but as the case is not
destined to spend 6 months lashed to the deck of an old
sailing ship, it is of little consequence. See below for
more details.
Below
This type has a roof where four of the panels have
been made (like all of these Victorian Types )in a vaguely
early Victorian style. Unlike the type above,
the door drops into a channel and there is a wire hoop to
lift it out.
How does it all work then ?
Traditionally "Lead Came" has been used for "Leaded
lights" i.e. windows built up using clear and coloured
glass; from churches through to Art Deco doors and windows.
"Lead came" formed into an "I" section grips the glass. At
the joins, a large soldering iron is used to fuse
the "cames" together.
Back in the 1890s
Louis Comfort Tiffany
developed the use of
copper foil for making his - now famous - lamps. The point
being, that copper foil is altogether lighter-
literally and figuratively. With copper foil one can develop
light and intricate patterns. In essence copper foil with an
adhesive back is "wrapped" around the edges of the cut
glass.
For more info there are some videos on u tube but one of
them is frankly ponderous and dull :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz_VAhQv1g
while the other is just awful !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AE3xUFgnyk. No
doubt there are better ones if you hunt around.
When any two "wrapped" pieces of glass are brought
together and solder is run into the seam between them, the
effect is to build up an "I" section around each edge of the
glass. This is it, the lead cools becomes solid ,
contracts and "grips" the glass. No glue, no chemical
bonding. There is nothing beyond what may be thought
of as a tight grip on the glass.
In both the came and foil methods, the glass is only ever
gripped firmly. Consequently, as
leaded light windows flex the the grip is relaxed and
the glass becomes loose (the slamming of Edwardian front
doors particularly). In churches you will often see steel
rods or mesh affixed to the stone wall behind the window,
the window will have been wired to this reinforcement to
discourage any further flexing.
Below
A brand new terrarium underway (November 2009). Covered
in flux it is not a pretty sight! The aperture for the door
is to the right. 4x of the 8x roof panels have been "tacked"
into place. To add visual interest the 4x roof panels have
each been made up from two right angled triangles.
Making an enclosed structure like a terrarium means
that if all the panels are slightly over or under size the
cumulative error can be large. The trick for a
successful outcome is to continually minimize
that error - like any building work but rather smaller . Grinding glass panels this size to
size would be a long slow process, so accuracy in cutting is the
secret. Typically, and once the base is in place for an
octagonal type, I will cut 4x pieces and fit them as
opposites then, adjusting for error, fit the remaining
4x pieces (as per above for the roof) and so on,
steadily building up to the finial.
Below left
Close up of the seaming, the glass was cut and then
joined back together for the "arched window" effect. The
inside of the foil can be seen as can be seen all the
flux on the glass. The relatively small area of solder
seaming on each side of the glass is all that holds
the structure together.
Below right
There are various ways of developing patterns and
cutting the glass. I usually draw out the shapes
on a piece of melamine faced mdf. Laying the glass
over these shapes, I then cut the glass using a "Shaw's Ball
End" glass cutter. The variations in line on the board
reflect the need to make the panels slightly bigger or
smaller as necessary. Cutting old glass is quite tricky
which is why I prefer the wheeled type of cutter to
ride over all the imperfections rather than a diamond
cutter. One panel such as you see below; to cut and fit can
take around an hour to make.
Below
The blue apex glass cut and "foiled". Then the two green
pieces are cut. Is there much wastage you as? Yes is the
short answer. The object of course is to keep it to
the minimum..... Here we are looking at 4x panels with 5
pieces in each. Chances are I shall finish up with
around a handful of duds, too big, too small and when
cutting acute angles on old glass, the tip gets lost
if I do not get a good start or finish to the cut.
Below
Dry fit left and
right, the panel soldered
up. As the glass usually has a textured and non textured
face it is very easy to complete the panel with one
piece of glass set with the wrong surface facing upwards.
Sooooooo much to think of..... which is why there are many
mistakes along the way.....
Below
Two multicoloured panels tacked into place. Nothing
is seamed up until all the panels are in place, the gaps
between them more or less identical and a lot of fiddling
about has ensued in order to try and achieve the best
possible fit.
Above ..
The finished item. There is some misting on the
inside of the glass because I had not left the door
open for the case to fully dry out before taking the
picture and it was a rather chilly evening leading to condensation
build up.... Still, you get the idea . The peculiar
light around the finial is lens flare from pointing the lens
directly into the sun......
Below Left.
The roof of the terrarium reveals the final
pattern.. It is doubtful that anyone will ever look straight
down on the case but, one nevertheless tries.....
Below Right.
The door is on hinges , and can be
lifted off if required. The catch is a piece of
brass rod with the top curved into a loop; when
a piece of brass tube affixed to the case and a second piece
of tube affixed to the door are aligned, the rod drops down
and the door is held closed.
How to look after your Terrarium.
Not many rules. In a modern house a case set back from
the window will thrive. Sunlight should not be direct on a
southern or western facing window (in the summer at least)
otherwise everything inside the case will "cook up".
In the first instance do not over water. To
underwater is preferable. Remove any and all dead material
at the outset, pounce on any new dead material and remove
it. If any rotting is evident leave the door open on
the case for a few days to allow the soil to dry out then
close up without adding any more water, far less any feed.
Condensation on the inside of the glass first thing is
fine in the morning, it should quickly clear with
sunlight. This means that the placing is pretty much spot
on. Another sign of a successful placing is the
gradual development of a green growth on the inside of the
glass at and below soil level on the surfaces facing
the light -then you know everything is just so.
Occasionally wipe the surface of the glass with lint free
cloth or kitchen towel and a touch of a clear
window cleaner (not that pink stuff or anything like it
which will lead to an unsightly mess around the leaded
seams).
At night, a small lamp pointing at or through the
Wardian case can provide a pleasing effect.
More Wardian cases
For more examples of my work have a look at the
commission that I made for Pinewood Studios
and a
Recent Commission.
Below
In the UK you will be lucky to keep anything like
an adiantum (Maidenhair fern) going in any room except
a warm and humid bathroom. Pop it into a Wardian Case and it
will thrive wherever you put the case. Bright green
plants tend to set off a case and vice versa .
Here planted up with adiantum (also known as
maidenhair fern) and helexine soleriolii
(aka "mind your own business" ) used as a simple
ground cover.
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