First, I had to make the candle container. I delved into my massive bag of saved pint bottles (that Ted so lovingly drinks – his contribution to my crafting project!) and pulled out four. After washing the labels off of them, I needed to score the glass with my glass cutter. It’s actually a really simple process, but the key to getting a nice clean break is to not stop halfway through turning the bottle, and to apply pressure evenly (and not too much!).

 It’s taken me quite a few bottles to get the hang of it, and even now, 1 in 3 turns out perfect, while the others are slightly “rustic” looking and need ample sanding. I don’t think I’ll begin selling these until I’m able to perfectly score most of the bottles. I’m getting the hang of it, though!

After measuring out my soy wax and melting it in my big pour pot (not pictured), I heated up the freshly cut pint glasses, applied the wick, and poured away. I made 3 large pint glass candles and one small tester one (from a regular beer bottle) for me. All are Chardonnay scented, except for one, which is for one of my bosses. My other boss, at my wine sales job, will receive a Chardonnay candle! How fitting, right?

After the candles set overnight, you can see that they are just begging to be decorated! A little ribbon and large bead accent, and they’re ready to go to new homes. I also made custom labels using my Avery Address Label stickers (their templates online are awesome!), stuck them onto some scrapbooking card stock, and glued it to some string to make a lovely label.

I really love these candles because they’re eco-friendly, recycled and it’s making beer bottles a decorative item that appeals to women. As much as I’d appreciate a candle with an IPA label on it, not everyone loves beer in that sense to where they’d like to decorate their apartment with them. These can be customized, too!

Once I’m able to get a system down, I’m considering selling them for $10-15 each. Either way, it’s a very inexpensive way to make candles at home, plus it’s fun to get crafty. Cheers, and have a Happy New Year! I hope you are able to light a flame in your life for 2013

The Tools

There are several different types of glass cutters available, primarily differentiated by their cutting edge.  We use a diamond tipped cutter for the repetitive, close work and a hardened carbide wheel for the long initial cuts.  The carbide wheel was around $6 at a local hardware store, and will be dull after a dozen cuts or so.  But while it’s sharp there’s little better.

The Cutting Process

Begin by measuring out the length of your final plates.  By default I divide our 20x20cm sheets into quarters, for ease of measurement.  Mark deep on the plate with a pencil, so the markings are visible on both sides.  Measure from both sides.

Line up a metal straight edge on the two markings, and use either a carbide wheel or fresh diamond tip to make a single cut across the sheet.  You should here a soft scratching sound, and the cut should be a light green line in the glass, visible from all angles.  Keep the cutter almost completely vertical with firm pressure, and don’t make more than one cut.

Breaking off the narrow sheets is the most challenging part of the process, which is why I favour a new cutting wheel.  Once your cut has been made angle the sheet slightly, cut down.  Array your fingers evenly across the sheet and with medium pressure push down.  If your cut is sound and your pressure even you should get a nice, straight break. 

Switching to the diamond tipped cutter, score the sheets into segments of a comfortable width.  Again, you want clean, single cuts that are a faint green colour when the light catches them.  The narrower the plate the harder the break.  If you work close 1.5cm is plenty of room for five spots, but keep to your own comfort level.

To break off the plates find a sharp surface and put the cut about a millimetre over the edge.  I’m using a glass plate for my surface in this photo, but I’ve heard good things about marble tiles as well.  Ask your local glassblower if there’s nothing handy; most counters don’t have a sharp enough edge.

Place the straight-edge flush with the cut and push directly down [1].  The plate should snap off and both it and the straightedge will drop to the counter.  Slide the next cut into position and repeat as needed.

——————————————————————————————–

[1] If you’re plates are breaking diagonally check your positioning.  For the longest time I was pushing from about half a centimetre to the side, which broke a good 10% of the plates.

Adjust the space of cutter rack according to the requirement of cutting accuracy, then push the horizontal and vertical bridge to begin mass cutting.
High efficiency and easy operation to cut with multi-cutter and the cutting box can increase accordingly. Glass Cutter machine is self-lubricating, and easy to change the cutter wheel. Possess of high accuracy, long using life and attractive appearance.

Secondly, Semi-auto glass cutting machine : It could cut glassed with high efficiency and precision. Only cut straight line

Semi-auto glass cutting machine is used to cut glasses into small pieces. The machine could only cut straight line, is very much suitable for those who cut architecture glasses. Their dual-bridge structures ensure the high accuracy and high efficiency.

The Third is automatic shaped glass cutting machine: It cut out any shape of glass with professional graphs soft.

Use the international brands Servo motor, Cutting beam was imported from German rack and rail with high precision. Automatic cutting, with all the cutting data fully computer controlled. The operator can edit the glass size for cutting with computer. It can optimize the cutting size, and give out the data for processing, driven the machine to cut glass sheet automatically in high speed and high precision.

Customer’s requirement, equipped with computer or touch screen to operate the machine. It is simple to input parameters and have high speed and precision.

It can cut a sheet of glass into many different cutting areas. Tabletop can be chosen. The function of blowing and suction can be exchange. Cutting Type: Straight or Shaped cutting.

For instance, you may try fusing. It is an interesting technique of heating glass which will allow you to create nice decorations, plates or even stained-glass windows. Different pieces of glass – transparent, colored, mat or glistering – are first cut with a glass cutter. Then they are laid on a sheet and heated in a special oven. This technology was first used in the ancient Egypt and became extremely popular nowadays.

Temari is another interesting and creating occupation. It is the art of Japanese threaded balls which is not so difficult to learn. It presents creating of balls by interlacing threads of different colors. You can also take pieces of cloth and make your ball from it. Then cover the ball with a layer of threads and make a draft of a picture or pattern to embroider.

Quilling is a kind of paper filigree which presents original and fascinating form of art. It was invented by the medieval monks who rolled the stripes of golden paper with the help of quills. Then they glued the pieces together and gave it the necessary shape. Using this technique, you can decorate cards; create souvenirs, pictures and paper flowers. There is also dimension quilling which allows you to make 3D objects of art.

In felting, as you can guess from its name, you should felt the wool in order to create different funny toys. It is, probably, the most cozy and truly autumn hobby which warms both your soul and body. To try this kind of activity you will need the wool for felting, needles with notches, items for decoration, soft soap and your fantasy, of course. When you will become good at felting, you can try nano felting which presents felting wet wool on silk.

These unusual hobbies will keep you busy during long autumn evenings. Besides, with the help of them you will be able to create exclusive hand made gifts for your friends and decorations for yourself. And, as you can see, these hobbies do not require much equipment or special training, so you can start right now!

Consistently one of my most popular designs, to start making this piece I put a piece of green glass in the kiln and cover it with dichroic glass of all shapes and sizes and then cover this with a layer of clear art glass.

In order to avoid capturing bubbles between this layer and the top clear layer, I put some dark green double layers throughout the piece.  If you want to know more about dichroic glass please feel free to read this previous post I wrote on it:

http://imaketheglass.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/whats-it-all-about-this-dichroic-glass-stuff/

When this is tack fused I cut it into strips that are 2cm wide.

The length of the strip doesn’t matter with this design because its designed to look like short segments of stems.  The segments are separated by 1mm sized gaps.  When the work is finished it then looks like segmented bamboo – well, tthat’s what I’m aiming at anyway!

Centre feature for Sparkling Chlorophyll

I then put the glass into the kiln for a tack fuse.  That is when the glass doesn’t completely melt flat into the base glass but only slightly melts into it – it fuses.  You can see that there is still some dimension left on the surface of the glass above.

When the strips are ready I put them into the design.  I cut them into the patterns that resembles transparent plant shoots.

Then I cut a full sheet of clear art glass into the base strips that I need for the end product, and cut a full sheet of Moss Green into the appropriate sizes for the sides of the design.

 In this instance it is 350mmx200mm.  I cut using just a regular oil-filled glass cutter and a square edged ruler.

Square edge rulers in my studio

Then with a thin 1cm clear strip separating the centre dichroic/sparkling chloropyll features and a 2.5cm strip separating the edge strips, the piece is now ready to full fuse.

Some inspiration for “Sparkling Chlorophyll”!

Sometimes the glass comes with an uneven edge (this is because it is double  machine rolled – somewhat like rolling out pastry – more on this in another blog).

Double rolled smooth (60-2502-96)

By the way, all glass colours have an identifying number to assist with efficient ordering and accuracy,

Once this has been washed and dried and reconstructed, this “blank” is put into the kiln to full fuse.  This firing schedule depends on your own kiln.    My full fuse works really well at 766 degrees, but other people need to take their kilns to 804 degrees to achieve full fuse.

Everyone who does kiln work keeps a log book of what works and what doesn’t in their kilns.  And it may depend on where an item sits in the kiln etc etc. A lot of glass gets used in experimentation!

Ok, now you have a clean dry finished work, but it is perfectly FLAT!

This is not what the customer wanted, of course, they wanted a shape as well as a design, so when I am 100% happy with my finished blank – I select a mold and put the work onto (or into) the required mold.

A shelf of molds in my studio 2012

This is a glass series called Sparkling Iridized in my kiln ready for slumping into the molds.

When the glass slumps into the internal shape of the mold the piece is complete.  To do this I put the kiln on to a much lower temperature than for the full fuse because the glass just needs to soften to take the shape, it doesn’t need to fully melt to incorporate other pieces of glass.

In my kiln, I take this only to about 676 degrees and sometimes less than that depending on the thickness of the glass and the glass type.

And the next thing you know – Voila! It is ready to sell to someone who will hopefully treasure it for a lifetime – perhaps it will even become a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation to be enjoyed.

So we have a finished piece of art. I put a sticker on it and wrap it and deliver it to the gallery who have ordered it or the customer who wants it.

And that’s it! Lots of love and care goes into each unique piece. Here’s a link to this piece in my Etsy Shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/13410369/sparkling-chlorophyll-dichroic-artglass?ga_search_query=sparkling%2Bchlorophyll

That’s how an idea becomes a modern funky functional object!

Thanks for reading to the end. Questions welcome!

Consistently one of my most popular designs, to start making this piece I put a piece of green glass in the kiln and cover it with dichroic glass of all shapes and sizes and then cover this with a layer of clear art glass.

In order to avoid capturing bubbles between this layer and the top clear layer, I put some dark green double layers throughout the piece.  If you want to know more about dichroic glass please feel free to read this previous post I wrote on it:

http://imaketheglass.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/whats-it-all-about-this-dichroic-glass-stuff/

When this is tack fused I cut it into strips that are 2cm wide.

The length of the strip doesn’t matter with this design because its designed to look like short segments of stems.  The segments are separated by 1mm sized gaps.  When the work is finished it then looks like segmented bamboo – well, tthat’s what I’m aiming at anyway!

Centre feature for Sparkling Chlorophyll

I then put the glass into the kiln for a tack fuse.  That is when the glass doesn’t completely melt flat into the base glass but only slightly melts into it – it fuses.  You can see that there is still some dimension left on the surface of the glass above.

When the strips are ready I put them into the design.  I cut them into the patterns that resembles transparent plant shoots.

Then I cut a full sheet of clear art glass into the base strips that I need for the end product, and cut a full sheet of Moss Green into the appropriate sizes for the sides of the design.

 In this instance it is 350mmx200mm.  I cut using just a regular oil-filled glass cutter and a square edged ruler.

Square edge rulers in my studio

Then with a thin 1cm clear strip separating the centre dichroic/sparkling chloropyll features and a 2.5cm strip separating the edge strips, the piece is now ready to full fuse.

Some inspiration for “Sparkling Chlorophyll”!

Sometimes the glass comes with an uneven edge (this is because it is double  machine rolled – somewhat like rolling out pastry – more on this in another blog).

Double rolled smooth (60-2502-96)

By the way, all glass colours have an identifying number to assist with efficient ordering and accuracy,

You will notice that between the scarlet on the internal edge and the clear there is a single deep turquoise stringer that was part of the new design.

Once this has been washed and dried and reconstructed, this “blank” is put into the kiln to full fuse.  This firing schedule depends on your own kiln.    My full fuse works really well at 766 degrees, but other people need to take their kilns to 804 degrees to achieve full fuse.

Everyone who does kiln work keeps a log book of what works and what doesn’t in their kilns.  And it may depend on where an item sits in the kiln etc etc. A lot of glass gets used in experimentation!

Ok, now you have a clean dry finished work, but it is perfectly FLAT!

This is not what the customer wanted, of course, they wanted a shape as well as a design, so when I am 100% happy with my finished blank – I select a mold and put the work onto (or into) the required mold.

A shelf of molds in my studio 2012

This is a glass series called Sparkling Iridized in my kiln ready for slumping into the molds.

When the glass slumps into the internal shape of the mold the piece is complete.  To do this I put the kiln on to a much lower temperature than for the full fuse because the glass just needs to soften to take the shape, it doesn’t need to fully melt to incorporate other pieces of glass.

In my kiln, I take this only to about 676 degrees and sometimes less than that depending on the thickness of the glass and the glass type.

And the next thing you know – Voila! It is ready to sell to someone who will hopefully treasure it for a lifetime – perhaps it will even become a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation to be enjoyed.

So we have a finished piece of art. I put a sticker on it and wrap it and deliver it to the gallery who have ordered it or the customer who wants it.

And that’s it! Lots of love and care goes into each unique piece. Here’s a link to this piece in my Etsy Shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/13410369/sparkling-chlorophyll-dichroic-artglass?ga_search_query=sparkling%2Bchlorophyll

That’s how an idea becomes a modern funky functional object!

Thanks for reading to the end. Questions welcome!

Well I didn’t draw blood – which is a miracle, considering my lack of muscle control, and it’s still in one (technically “half”) piece, so I guess you could call my first attempt at cutting bottles a success…!

This is what my lack of muscle control got me the other day when I was using my glue gun – I got hot glue on several fingers and both thumbs, but this – my right index finger – came off worst.  I had to dunk it in cold aloe juice for an hour and a half to take the stinging out, but thanks to that it’s now gone down, and has been pain free ever since.

I was checking whether my compress had fully dried out, and this beastie popped out from behind the radiator.  Poor thing appeared to be shivering – that’s why some of it’s out of focus.

I cupped my hands around him and gently breathed warm air in to help him warm up, then he walked onto my hand, so I held it towards the door, and off out he flew!

So, on with the bottle cutting!

All you need is:

• A bottle that would otherwise go into the recycling.  I’m using a brandy bottle as it’s nice and wide at the bottom.

• A glass cutter.  (The pen shaped tool with a little wheel on the end that you roll along glass or tiles),

• Some hot water,

• And some cold water.

I taped some straight strips of cereal box around the glass bottle, taping it all around the lower edge, leaving the upper “cut line” without tape.  This was enough of a guide to keep the cutter straight.

Then all you do is scrape the wheel around the bottle, hard enough to make a mark.  You can tell you’re doing it right from the noise.  It makes an awful noise as it cuts into the glass, like nails down a blackboard.  (Blackboard?  Ask your mum coz you’re making me feel old already)

And then once you’ve gone all the way around, you take it to the sink, and pour hot water over the line.  Then cold, then hot, then, well, until you hear a “clink” and the top and bottom part company.

This is the top edge during grinding.  I used wet n dry “sand”paper for a bit (the black stuff), and the dremmel-alike a bit, and both seemed to work equally well, though the dremmel-alike of course does a lot more for a lot less effort.  Though I think there’s probably a better attachment for glass than I used.

And thanks to the wonders of refraction, my dog has an extra long neck…he’s not like that in real life, honest….

In this close up you can see where the dremmel-alike skittered (great word, don’t get to use it often enough!) across the surface, leaving marks:

But as you can see here, they’re not *that* noticable really:

And especially not noticable when there are things in it!  I am only really doing this because I want my glass back – and you can just see the tip of the glass cutter I used to cut the bottle, hiding behind my snips:

So there you have it.  One cut bottle, no drama.  Next one I do I will be more careful grinding the line so that it’s a smoother finish and less grinding is needed.

Picture frames are the type of items which deliver beauty as well as sophistication to the image under consideration as well as to the wall on which it is placed. Choosing the right frame for the image as well as family portrait is a vital part of picture framing.

Specifications

? Glass. Glass defends the photography or picture from just about any physical damage like dust, drinks, sun rays and also flames. To cut this glass, you need to use protective hand protection and make use of a glass cutter. Just before cutting the thick glass, you’ll need to measure the lengths and widths of the photo and the mount. Cut the glass just a little bigger than that.

? Frames mouldings. Often the frames are available in ready cut parts and simply need to be merged with glue. They come in wooden and steel. These kinds of mouldings could be purchased web based from the numerous models accessible. Those can easily be joined together with clampers.

? Mount. Mount is actually a contrasting coloured board which surrounds the picture. This can be single as well as double mount. Mount cutters are utilized to cut these types of mounts produced from cardboards or even fibers to dimension.

? Mitre joint. The mouldings are generally joined together on the vertices. It has to be accurately at 45 degrees for an precise close fit. Otherwise, the framing becomes flawed. V nails widely-used as joiners mostly.

? Backboard. This is actually the piece that holds the complete framework of the framed photo.

Those will be the major requirements. Other than this, the various tools needed for correct framing are generally mitre trimmer, joiner, mitre saw, tab gun, glass cutter, ruler/scale along with mount cutter.

Once the framework has been set up and the picture has been placed in the framework, the only thing that is left to complete is certainly mounting it on a wall. This involves nails as well as hold ups, which could balance the load of the entire framed construction.

Turn the image face down. Mark 1 / 3 from its top and connect two rings on each side. Right here is the stage where the hanging loop or simply ring comes.

That is all Do it yourself picture framing is all about!

Well anyway here are some pictures of Wine Bottle Stoppers that I made recently.  I am currently putting making 100 wine bottle stoppers for a customer in Miami, Florida – I do love a good sized order!  Yay.

I wonder which ones of these are your favourites….I like the ones that have the most complicated designs which I make by melting lots and lots of glass pieces together and then cutting them down and then putting the cut side down in the kiln and full fusing it again.

I need to get the shape right by cold working the fused shape with my grinder.  Here’s a picture of my grinder in action.

This is a piece called “Paris Elegance” that I’m touching up with the grinder to make sure that the edges are straight.

I always like the edges of my glass works to be as close to perfectly straight as I can make them.

Unless, of course, the edges aren’t meant to be straight as in my “”English Channel” series.

So as you can see, I can make the wine bottle stoppers in almost any colour combination that you’d like.

I use stringers and frit and confetti and sheet glass.

These are the stringers I use.  Threads of coloured glass.

Are you a glass half full person?

well if you only finish half a bottle of wine – you can put a wine bottle stopper into it (for a few days only).

Here’s where you can purchase the Wine Bottle Stopper.

email me jensstudio@yahoo.com.au

for any questions or orders.  Thank you.

They are blue ribbed dichroic with black background fully fused onto black glass – the cufflinks were to be silver “findings”.

I needed to post them off to Harlington, Texas.

Where is that? What’s it like?  OK, so here are some answers:

Here’s Texas, USA:

And Harlingen is in Cameron Country which is the southernmost spot in Texas,  located in the center of the lush Rio Grande Valley, where two countries and two cultures meet.

The beautiful beaches of South Padre Island are seen above, and the whole place seems to ooze south Texas charm which is then further influenced by the traditions of nearby Mexico, of course.

So off to this gorgeous place I send my cufflinks.  (Just like the ones above). The nice man at my local Post Office is always interested to know where the next packet is headed.

Textured dichroic glass by Sandberg

So, I had out the blue dichroic glass, (I have written about this magical glass previously if you care to look around the blog), some black glass, dark purple (from making bracelets the day before), bright green (from making a new set of Sparkling Chlorophyll for a different order), pale turquoise as well – hmmm, an interesting palette to ponder.

Purple Bracelet by jens studio

this is an accidental pic of part of my desk lol

Sparkling Chlorophyll by jens studio

Seaside Stripes by jens studio

Modernism by jens studio

Anyhow, part of the joy of what I do is suddenly getting inspired “out of the blue” if you’ll forgive the pun! When I was looking at the colour scheme of glass I had there I thought I’d play around with them and create a new plate entirely out of the tones of turquoise both pale and dark green, blue dichroic glass and purple.

Weird how the mind works: it instantly reminded me of the colours of Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Logo

So I decided to add green and purple together and so here we have a whole new plate series – the turquoise that I used isn’t included in the logo at all – so I’m looking for a new name for this bright work with just a touch of reeded blue dichroic in the centre.

I added just a few strands of grass green stringer to give some added dimension to the clear sections throughout the plate.  Glass stringers are small strands of glass which are available in lots of colours for glass artists to incorporate into their designs and they look like this …

Glass stringers (Delphi pic)

I used moss green in this one.

And - ta da! – here is the finished work, after cold working and slumping into my favourite mold. I usually photograph my finished works with party poppers somewhere nearby because everybody knows how big/small party poppers are and you can easily see the dimensions of the work that I am displaying.

You know, I think I’ll call you this one Harlingen in honour of where my customer is from!
Can’t wait to make more transparent contrasts with just a touch of dichroic glass.

Fun, fun, fun!

You know, one of the things I like best about creating new glass works is looking at the shapes and tonal variation of the reflections on the white paper underneath the glass.

So there you are, a whole new series called Harlingen in honour of where my order came from!  It’s not even on my Etsy shop yet, but if you want one I’ll happily make it for you any size from 600mmx600mm down to 90mmx90mm. And hello to all my Texan friends – yes, Jamey Ember, this means you!

Talk again soon, everyone.

jen

The project itself was pretty straight-forward, but the assembly was a bit difficult. The plan that my brain drummed up didn’t quite pan out so I had to scrap it and regroup.

Please to enjoy, my DIY beer bottle wind chime!

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." - Kahlil Gibran

I’m sticking with the wind theme for my March DIY posts. Today’s project will make use of those beer bottles sitting in your recycling bin and also give you a bit of glassy sparkle and ambient noise when outdoors. I poked around the internet for upcycled wind chimes and found a an idea for wind chimes made from used wine bottles. I bummed some pretty blue beer bottles from a friend’s recycling pile and brought them home, knowing they would catch the light and sparkle just the way I wanted.

Now, this DIY is less instruction and more intuition. The actual plan that I formulated to string my bottles together totally fell through (insert sad face here). I originally purchased some clearance chain-link bracelets that I was going to use as the cord, and a package of small eye hooks to attach to corks that I would place in the mouth of each bottle. After beginning my assembly, I discovered that my engineering skills needed a little work so I abandoned the original plan.

My husband and I then sat at the table and began formulating a new plan, this time using a natural fiber string rather than the chain bracelets. We discovered that we could poke a hole through the length of the cork and then thread the string through using a screwdriver. We tied knots on either end of each cork to secure it and then added a large bead above and below the knots on each cork to make sure that nothing slipped. I added a wind-catcher (glass jewelry pendant) at the very end of the string.

After trying to take pictures (which turned out horribly due to the lighting), I decided that the best way to handle this particular DIY was to just illustrate it using good ol’ pen and paper (below). You can choose to assemble your wind chime any way you wish, using various materials. We just happened to use what we had around the house (and trust me…I have tons).

Who needs real instructional images when you have technical illustrations like this?

The trickiest part of this DIY was the bottle cutting. I bought a seven-dollar-ish pistol grip glass cutter and it worked okay. It took some trial and error, so I suggest having a few extra bottles on hand for experimentation. The method that worked best for me was to first score the bottle (lightly!) and tap it gently along the score with the back of a large kitchen knife. I then held a long-handled lighter under the bottle, rotating the bottle as the flame heated the glass (roughly 20 seconds). Then I submurged the bottom of the bottle in a glass of ice water, again, for about 20 seconds. Then I removed the bottle and tapped it again. I repeated this between four and five times per bottle. The cuts weren’t exactly straight (and we cracked two out of five bottles) but the end result was well worth it.

Be sure to only score the bottle once, not lifting the cutting wheel from the surface of the bottle. Scoring too deeply could cause fractures in the finished product.

There are several videos on YouTube that explain various methods of cutting a bottle. Some use string, acetone nail polish remover, and a lighter. Others use proper glass-cutting equipment. Based on my results, I would say that the string-polish remover option would produce a cleaner line with no jagged edges. Just be sure to use caution as tiny shards of glass will probably be part of the process. If I had to do it over again, I would have done it outside.

Using find-grit sand paper, sand around the edges to smooth them out. I kept the bottom portions of the bottles to give away as ash trays, jewelry caddies, votive holders or for storing paper clips. You can also use this same method to make drinking glasses (or vases). Just make sure to sand them really really good.

Using fine-grit sand paper will give your bottles a smooth edge. This produces a lot of dust so I recommend doing this step outside.

When it was all said and done (three hours later) I had a lovely, sparkly wind chime. The process itself was fairly easy, but the assembly threw me for a loop. I plan to try this again with a few other bottles that I have saved but I will use the string/acetone method just to see what kind of results I will get.

Happy Crafting!

Crafty Ladies is a fun group of ladies who gather monthly to work on craft projects using mixed media and sewing techniques. Crafty Ladies 1 on 1 is my monthly blog giving instruction and insight on our projects. I hope everyone has as much fun trying these crafts out as we did!

This month, the Crafty Ladies gathered to make a cut glass wine bottle vase.  I found the article Upcycled Hanging Herb Garden in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Create & Decorate. Because a few of the ladies in our group have an avid interest in recycling and upcycling, I thought this would be a terrific craft.  Also, I got myself a glass cutter for Christmas and was looking for a fun craft to try it out! 

Bottle Cutter:

Of course, the first thing you need is a glass bottle cutter.  I found three. The Upcycled Hanging Herb Garden article was presented by Diamond Tech who has the Generation Green Bottle Cutter and quite a few Bottle Art kits.   I found two other kits, the Ephrems Bottle Cutter and the Armour Bottle & Jar Cutter Kit .  I went with Ephrems and ordered my kit straight from the web-site, which was a better price than going to Amazon or Overstock.com.

Cutting the Bottle:

These directions are for the Ephrems Cutter, but the overall suggestions can be helpful for any of the kits.

First, make sure you have removed the label on the bottles.  C.L. Sara mentioned that soaking bottles in the sink with OxyClean gets the labels off in a snap, and it also cleans your sink really well too!  Some bottles had a laser printed label, the kind that isn’t a sticker but permanently on the bottle.  We tried, but the cutter won’t work on these kind of bottles.  Also, the cutter is designed for round bottles.  My square whiskey bottle would have to be set aside for a different craft.  

Adjust the cutter to fit the length and width of your bottle.  Our goal was to cut relatively close to the bottom of the bottle, so if there was a crack or jagged break we could move up the bottle and try again.  

While holding the bottle against the brace, turn the bottle towards you in one full rotation.  The directions say to avoid stopping while cutting, but we found that hard to do.  It is also important not to press too hard or re-cut the score.  The instructions say a thin cut is actually better. 

After scoring the bottle, rotate the score over a candle flame until the glass is hot to the touch, but not enough to burn you.  After the meet-up, I experimented a little and found that a good flame makes a big difference.  The group was using  tea-light candles, which actually didn’t get the flame directly onto the score. I suggest using a tapered candle with a good flame. You will see and hear the score getting deeper and wider.

After heating the bottle, rub the score with an ice cube.  You should be able to hear some cracking. Repeat this until the bottle comes apart.  Don’t force the bottle to break, it will come apart when it is ready.  C.L. Kelley brought a beautiful dark wine bottle that looked fantastic, but took a long time to break because it was really thick.  Patience…and a couple extra bottles…is the key!

Sanding the Bottle:

None of us had a perfectly clean break,  and poor C.L. Susanne’s first bottle broke into pieces, sending glass shards everywhere (including down her shirt!) Most of the bottles were just a little jagged and we sanded down the rim of the break using a file, heavy-duty sandpaper, and sandpaper grit (which is provided with the Ephrams Kit). 

I poured some grit on a marble slab and added a small amount of water.  We sanded down the bottles by placing the bottle on the slab and rubbing it through the grit in a circular motion.  If you watch the video, you will see this demonstrated.  We also filed down the edges.  This, by the way, is very noisy!  When the bottles were smooth enough to run our fingers over it, we rinsed the grit off and began decorating the bottle.

Jute Macrame:

I provided two options for the macrame slings; clothesline string and jute (found in the jewelry section).  The string was easy to use and was white, while the jute looked rustic.  I took the instructions almost verbatim from the article, but made some changes as I practiced making the slings before the group. 

Cut the jute into 8 60″ segments.

Fold two segments in half and wrap them around the bottle’s neck, securing with a double knot.  You should have four strands.  Repeat this three more times until you have a total of four knots and 16 strands.  Adjust the knots equally around the bottle.  Lets call these clusters North, East, South and West. I suggest taking painter’s tape and taping each strand cluster to the bottle to keep it in place.

Take one strand cluster (North) and make a square knot.  Un-tape the cluster. Use Fig. 1 to make the square not, but keep in mind that your strand cluster is actually going to have one strand on the right, two strands in the center, and one strand on the left.  Re-tape the strand cluster to the bottle to keep it in place. Do this for all four strand clusters.

Now that you are a pro at making square knots…. Using two clusters, (North and East) take the two right strands from North and the two left strands from East.  Tape the two center strands to the bottle about 1-1/2″ down from the original knot.  Make a square knot using this cluster and when you pull to tighten, stop at the tape.  This will put the knot exactly where you want it on the bottle’s length.  Re-tape this cluster.  Now, take two remaining right strands from East and two left strands from South.  Make the square knot.  Repeat this (using the remaining South, West, and the remaining North) until you have four new strand clusters (see Fig. 2).

Repeat this step again (it should be about two more times) until you reach the rim of the bottle.  Your last row of knots should sit at, or just above, the cut rim of the bottle.

Braid each strand cluster together, forming four braids.  Place a small piece of tape around the edge to keep from unraveling while you braid the adjusting strands.  Using an overhand knot, join the four braids together to create the hanger (see Fig. 3) Trim the remaining jute.  C.L. Amanda and Susanne choose to continue making square knots instead of braiding their strands, which looked great but this shortens the length of the hanger. 

Finish the Planter:

Insert a wine cork into the bottle, tapping it if it is stubborn.  C.L. Sara suggested water-proofing the cork and bottle by dipping the bottle neck into melted crayon.  The article shows a small potted herb sitting in the bottle.  I found that plastic single-serving applesauce containers will fit into some bottles.  I filled the container with styrofoam and stuck an artificial vine in it, letting it cascade over the bottle. 

If you waterproof your bottle, you can fill the bottle with water and place flowers directly into your new vase.  Hang it on a hook, or in a window, and enjoy!

And now…

Related articles

• New in the Maker Shed: Ephrem’s Deluxe Bottle Cutter (makezine.com)

Distant Horizons

Here are two different plates that I make.  A lovely customer came up to me and asked me to make her a special work (for her Christmas table).  She wanted the centre feature from Distant Horizons (shown above) and the scarlet out side as seen in Red Heiroglyphics:

Red Heiroglyphics

We discussed the design further and another design was born!

In order to produce the work I needed to create the centre pattern.  To do this I fully fuse some art glass “stringers” into a sheet of clear art glass.

Stringers in deep turquoise

You can see how fine the stringers are.  They are like very leads in pencils.  Stringers are available in an enormous number of colours.  Anyway, I line up the stringers on a clear piece of glass using graph paper as my guide ensure that the stringers are consistently perpendicular .  (I forgot to show you this step.)

Tack fused stringers on clear glass

I then put the glass into the kiln for a tack fuse.  That is when the glass doesn’t completely melt flat into the base glass but only slightly melts into it.  You can see that there is still some dimension left on the surface of the glass above.

Now that the centre feature is finished, I get a full sheet of glass (which comes to me 1220mm x 620mm) and cut it down to the size of the work on order.  In this instance it is 350mmx200mm.  I cut using just a regular oil filled glass cutter and a square edged ruler.

Sometimes the glass comes with an uneven edge (this is because it is double  machine rolled – somewhat like rolling out pastry – more on this in another blog).

All glass colours have an identifying number to assist with efficient ordering.

You will notice that between the scarlet on the internal edge and the clear there is a single deep turquoise stringer that was part of the new design.

Once this has been washed and dried and reconstructed, this “blank” is put into the kiln to full fuse.  This firing schedule depends on your own kiln.    My full fuse works really well at 766 degrees, but other people need to take their kilns to 804 degrees to achieve full fuse.  Each person who does this keeps a log book of what works and what doesn’t in their kilns.  It may depend on where an item sits in the kiln etc etc.

Ok, now you have a clean dry finished work, but it is perfectly FLAT!  This is not what the customer wanted so when I am 100% happy with my finished blank – I select a mold and put the work onto or into the mold.

When the glass slumps into the internal shape of the mold.  To do this I put the kiln on to a much lower temperature than for the full fuse.  The glass just needs to soften to take the shape, it doesn’t need to fully melt to incorporate other pieces of glass.   In my kiln, I take this only to about 676 degrees and sometimes less than that depending on the thickness of the glass and the glass type.

Scarlet Joy

Messy studio pic of Scarlet Joy

And the next thing you know – voila it is ready to sell.

I put a sticker on it and wrap it ready for my customer to collect.

….and then, if your customer is truly really delighted she will send you a photograph of it being used on Christmas Day!   Thanks Jennifer.

So that’s it.  That’s how an idea becomes a modern funky functional object!

Thanks for reading to the end.

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via Wikipedia

Glass has many uses.

When I last posted,  I was discussing scoring the glass,  let’s continue.  To score your glass,  apply pressure on the cutter,  staring at an 1/8 of an inch from the edge farthes from you.  Listen to the ’hiss’ of the cutter.  Make sure you don’t go off the edge of the glass,  and NEVER go over the same score twice.  The score should show clearly on the glass;  if not,  you need to apply more pressure.  Always score the most difficult curves,  lines,  and shapes in your pattern first.  After each score,  break apart the glass.  Now you need to start a ’run‘  in the score which is done by tapping the score lines.  A run is when the glass cracks in a line.  The run should follow the score line.  Hold the scored piece of glass in one hand and the cutter in the other.  With the end of the cutter,  genlty tap the underside of the score.  Start at the edge and tap toward the middle.  This will start the run,  and once the run starts,  keep tapping just in front of it.  Tap firmly,  but not too forceful,  and only do this over the work bench.        To break off straight scores,  make a fist with both your hands.  Clench your fingers under the glass,  placing your thumbs on top,  parallel to the score.  Press fimrly with one hand,  and with the other,  grasp the edge and snap down.                                                                                                          Another method is to use a ruler (metal remember).  Place the score just over the edge of the ruler.  Put one hand on each side of the ruler and press the glass firmly down.                                               Pliers can snap off straight line scores,  too.  Place a piece of cloth between the pliers and the glass piece.  Pull down and away from the pliers.      Grozing pliers work  best for snapping off thin pieces of glass.  Grozing pliers make the job go faster,  and there’s let chance of your breaking the glass.  The purpose of using the pliers is to even out the edges so that when it come time for the leading,  the pieces will fit.  Always remember:  the edges of the glass are sharp – resist the impulse to feel the edges with your fingers.                                                                                                                    After smoothing out your glass pieces (sand edges lightly with sand paper),  you’ere ready to assemble your project.  You’ll have to deside whether you would like to use the leading or the copper foil technique.       LEADING TECHNIQUE.  Leading is what joins the two pieces of glass together.  Ther are two types of leading:  a double - channel lead (the H – head) and the single – channel lead (the U - lead).  The face of the H – lead is either flat or round and sometimes called the leaf.  Flat H - lead is use in most designs;  the round H- lead is used in traditional designs.  You’ll have to choose which kind of lead is appropriate for the type of glass as well as the pattern you’re using.        Before using the lea,  stretch it so that it bcomes more rigid.  This makes the lead easier to cut.  Keep unused lead wrapped in an old cloth to prevent oxidation.                                                                                    Lay your pattern (called a cartoon) on the workbench.  Position your glass pieces on top of the cartoon.  Your working pattern will now be on the surface to which you’ll be leading.  Tape the working pattern to a piece of ply wood.                                                                                                     If your project is in the shape of a square or rectangle you’ll four wooden lath strips to make the frame.  Nail one lath along the left – hand side and ond on the bottom.  Use a 09 – degree triangle to make the lath strips are even.  It’s better to practice cutting the lead first before you cut the pieces for your project.  Lead is a soft material,  so be careful when cutting it.  Rock the knife from side to side and cut through the laed gently.  Make sure knife is sharp and the work bench is firm and stable.        Next,  use the lathkin to smooth out the lead edges and open the channels so that the class will fit inside.                                                                                                                                                  Using the four strips of lead,  make a lead frame inside the wooden frame.  This will hold the glass together after you remove the wooden frame in the end.  Make sure the lead frame is straight,  otherwise the pieces will not fit right.                                                                                                     The frame is now ready and you may begin laying the pieces of the glass out and leading them on the pattern.  Use a small piece of wood and a hammer to gently tap the edge of glass until it it firmly set in the lead.                                                                                                                                                After the first piece of lead is fitted,  make sure the piece of glass falls directly on the cut line of your working pattern.  Check the fit of each piece.  Horseshoe nails hold the glass pieces onto your working pattern.  Place the horseshoe nails at key pressure points and be sure to remove the nail when you fit the next piece of glass.                                                                                                            Measure the necessary length,  and cut the lead about 1/6 of an inch shorter than it measured.  This will leave room for the overlay of leaf when you intersect the lead.  The lead must join together tightly wiht no spaces in between.  Put the leaded glass back on the working pattern (cartoon remember).  Hold it place with a glazing nail and a small scrap piece of lead.                                     After the first piece of glass is leaded and in place,  the next pieces are a little tricky.  They have to lock in place,  giving support to one another.  Be sure you carefully plan the leading sequence beforehand so your glass project (or panel) will be secure.                                                                                                                                                                                                 After the last piece is in place,  nail the fourth lath strip in place.  This will hold everything in place while you solder.  Check to see if the lead joint are smooth and fit snugly and there  are no holes.                                                                                                                                                                         Soldering is not as hard as leading.  It’s the fastest and most simple process of stained glass.  Please,  try to find an iron that has an iron - clad  tip.  This is so important for effective heat diffusion.                                                                                                                                                               The most difficult part of soldering is keeping a contant temperature.  Get an iron that has an om and off switch.  When you purchase your iron,  test the heat by melting a piecof solder.  It should flow every so easy.  If you see peaks forming,  you’ll know that the iron isn’t hot enough.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Do not leave the iron plugged in when you’re not using it.  And,   NEVER clean the iron by immesing in water.                                                                                                                                                         Now you’ll need to clean all the joints in your panel.  Use a wire brush and gently rub off the oxide and dirt.  The solder will now flow easily and will create a stonger bond.  Next,  place the oleci acid flux.   Flux is used to clean and remove impurities that the wire brush missed.  The flux also causes the lead to flow easily and adhere to the lead.  And remember, do not use use too much solder – 1/8 of an inch is enough.  Place the end of the solder over the leaded joint and press down firmly with the flat side of the iron.  The solder should flow easily.  Lift the solder iron straight up.  Do not push the solder around – it may melt the lead or crack the glass.  It’s a good idea to practice this technique on a scrap of lead first.  Oh, and while practicing,  make sure your solder joints are smooth and flat.  Shouldn’t take but a few seconds to run through.  Look closely, a poorly soldered joint is pitted and lumply.  This is caused by an iron that is too cool,  or maybe flux was not applied.  Now after soldering,  wipe off excess flux with a rag.  Check for gaps and loose joints.  Most importantly,  check the four outside corners that frame  your panel.  If everything is in tact,  you’re ready to over the panel.  Carefully turn over the panel.  The glass is heavy and may cause the unsupported panel to sag.                                              Remove the lath strips that were framing the panel.  Now slide the panel toward you and slowly turn the entire piece over so that the unsoldered side now faces up.  Now cement any of the small spaces you see between the lead and the glass.  It’s better to this immediately after you’ve finished your panel.  Cementing will not only strengthens the panel, but also weatherproofs the panel and keeps the glass from rattling.                                                                                                                                                                  Use gray metal sash putty to cement the panel.  Pinch a piece of small putty your thumb and forefinger.  Force the putty between the lead and glass.  The excess putty wll ooze out frome the lead channel.  Keep the glass clean by wiping it off with a soft,   clean cloth.  Continue  untill you’re done one side.                                                                                                                                                                                             Now  use the lathekin,  or wooden dowel,  to flatten the lead against the glass.  The excess putty will ooze out from the lead channel and the glass.  Keep the glass clean by wiping it off with a soft,   clean cloth .                                                                                                                                                                    After you’re cemented the panel,  you’ll need to clean the panel with either plaster of Paris or sawdust.  Experiment on scrap pieces to find which work for you.  After applying,  let’s say plaster of Paris,  scrub it away with a clean bristle brush.  You may need to repeat this several times to thoroughly clean your panel.                                                                                                                                                                     Now let the panel set for a few days to allow cement to set.  After drying you can now use window cleaner (I use Windex) to remove dirt and smudges.                                                                                                    This concludes my section on Leading Technques.  My next update will be on  “Copper Foil Technque”.  I know the information that I’m writing about “MAKING MONEY WITH STAINED GLASS”,  is,  well, longgggg.   But,  the knowledge is needed to product a finished project with high quality which produces sells,  which produces  MONEY!!.                                                                                   Thanks  for reading ” mylittlemoneylgprofitblog”.   Talk to you in (5) days.  Thank U,  Thank U.  Blessings.

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My niece vacillates between wanting to be President of the United States and wanting to be a princess. She can probably be both. She’s a smart kid. A smart kid who likes things that are pretty and sparkly.

So once I can figure out how to package this properly, I’m sending it off to her for Christmas.

You’ll remember that I experimented with cutting rings when I learned how to use my glass-cutting kit a while back.  Of course, I broke way more rings than I succeeded in creating, but finally I managed to make enough to have this work out the way I wanted it. I have some rings from a ginger jar, a salsa jar, some beer bottles and two wine bottles.

My first step was to gather my gear together: the rings, some sturdy fishing line, a pair of scissors, a strong stick, a towel, and a bowl of warm water and vinegar.

The water and vinegar help to remove any residue on the glass from my cutting process.  Gets rid of fingerprints, too.

So now I have arranged the rings in the order in which I want them.

And I used the scissors to score some lines on the stick, to hold the fishing line in place and keep it from sliding off under the weight of the glass.  I will put a dab of glue on each knot afterwards just to be on the safe side.

Now to tie everything together.  I used reef knots, to ensure everything was super tight.

Then I attached it to the stick and looped some more fishing line on the top to use as a hanger.

The full deal, though the light could be better.

A cascade of pretty colours!

I hope you’ve found this interesting.

Please take a moment and tell me if you did.

Thanks.

1. When cutting most materials, the highest blade speed will usually result in fast and smooth cutting. Use a slower speed when working with delicate materials or a very tight turning radius.
2. Always have an even flow of water to your diamond blade when cutting glass.
3. Do not force glass into the blade. Ease the materials into the blade, turning as you go to create your pattern. Avoid twisting the blade on tight curves.
4. To back out of a cut, turn the saw off and ease the glass away from the blade.
5. Use a waterproof pen to mark your pattern on your glass. For added protection allow the ink to dry and use a Chap Stick over line before cutting. A little bit of alcohol or vinegar will take that waterproof marker right off!
6. Two or more pieces of glass may be cut at the same time by stacking them together and using “tacky wax” or double sided tape to hold glass in place. If using glue or tape, always clean your diamond blade after use by running a clean piece of glass or tile through blade.

Yes, this is what its been about this week.

I cut up some of the glass I used to make the woven fruit plate.

Woven ruby and cherry red fruit platter

The colours were Ruby, Cherry Red and clear art glass.  I cut them into smaller pieces and weighed them.

Then I prepared the kiln, making a “reservoir” so that the molten glass does not flow out onto my kiln floor.

Then I supported all the kiln shelf segments with kiln bricks.  These bricks supported the stainless steel mesh.  Because stainless steel mesh bends a lot underpressure, I put a stainless steel oven shelf between the bricks and the mesh, to help support it all.

Then I put the cleaned, weighed glass on the top of the lot!.  This is what it looked like.

I then turned the kiln on and will add the details of the firing schedule if anyone asks me to. (My firing history book is at the studio and not here).  But the kiln went up to 899degrees.  I maintained it at 899degrees for 90 minutes to allow all the glass to drip through the mesh.

I spent a lot of time reading about suggested firing schedules on the font of all knowledge on fusing and slumping glass, that is the warmglass.com there is a “bulletin board” there and when you join, you can read everything you wanted to know about glass.

So after watching and waiting, this is what the glass looked like before I sandblasted it clean.

Now that it has all been sandblasted, the glass as well as the stainless steel mesh, I am waiting to play with the strips I have cut.

I need a night when the kiln isn’t booked with orders before I can put it into a brand new type of artwork.

Do you have any suggestions?

I can’t tell you how lovely it is to visit Williamstown!

Its a place full of history, fantastic scenery, restaurants and of course, one lovely gallery exclusively selling hand crafted glass!

Melbourne metropolitan map

Williamstown

Less well known facts about Williamstown are that the aboriginal people occupied the area long before maritime activities shaped the modern historical development of Williamstown.

The Yalukit-willam clan of the Kulin nation were the first people to call Hobsons Bay home.

They roamed the thin coastal strip from Werribee to Williamstown/Hobsons Bay.

The Yalukit-willam were one clan in a language group known as the Bunurong, which included six clans along the coast from the Werribee River, across the Mornington Peninsula, Western Port Bay to Wilsons Promontory.

The region offered a varied diet to its inhabitants. Not only were shell fish available from the sea, but the many swamps and creeks in the district would have yielded birds, fish, eels, eggs and snakes.

Early white settlers in the region noted plenty of kangaroos and possums, which would also have been a source of food.

The Yalukit-willam referred to the Williamstown area as “koort-boork-boork”, a term meaning “clump of she-oaks“, literally “She-oak, She-oak, many.”

Around Point Gellibrand people used to be invited to join in ceremony, an indigenous peace festival and food festival where there would be an exchange of water and the leaves of a gum tree as well as feasts of bird meat and fish and shellfish.

The head of the Yalikut-willam tribe at the time of the arrival of the first white settlers was Benbow, who became one of John Batman’s guides.

Industrial development, land segregation, racism and a typhoid epidemic saw Aboriginal presence at Point Gellibrand rapidly decline after 1835.

Williamstown was named in honour of William IV

The first European to arrive at the place now known as Williamstown was Acting-Lieutenant Robbins, who explored Point Gellibrand with his survey party in 1803.

The mouth of the Yarra River was later inspected in May and June 1835 by a party led by John Batman who recognised the potential of the Melbourne townsite for settlement.

The site of what became Williamstown they named Port Harwood, after the captain of one of their ships.

In November 1835, Captain Robson Coltish, master of the barque Norval sailed from Launceston, then crossing Bass Strait with a cargo of 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle which had been consigned by Dr. Alexander Thomson. After reaching the coastline of Port Phillip, Captain Coltish chose the area now known as Port Gellibrand, as a suitable place to unload his cargo.

Within weeks of the first consignment, a stream of vessels began making their way across Bass Strait. Because of the sheltered harbour, many of these new arrivals decided to settle in the immediate area.

When Governor Richard Bourke and Captain William Lonsdale visited the emergent settlement at Port Phillip in 1837, they both felt the main site of settlement would emerge at the estuary and they renamed it William’s Town after King William IV, then the English monarch.

It served as Melbourne’s first anchorage and as the centre for port facilities to the Port Phillip district until the late 19th century.

Recently,  Williamstown has received a face lift and become a major tourism drawcard.

It retains the coherence and charm of a maritime village, due, in no small part, to the many historic buildings.

A proliferation of cafes and restaurants are a major feature of Nelson Place which runs adjacent the foreshore while boats, yachts and dinghies decorate the shoreline and ships sail through the estuary en route to the Port of Melbourne.

See Melbourne CBD in background?

The 2006 census puts the number of occupied private dwellings in Williamstown at 5,035, states that 66.5% of occupied private dwellings were family households, and the number of families is given as 3,372.

The 2006 Census data also shows that 74.6% of persons usually resident in Williamstown stated they were born in Australia.

Other common responses within Williamstown were: England 4.8%, New Zealand 1.5%, Scotland 1.2%, Italy 1.1% and Greece 0.8%. The data also showed that 88.5% of persons usually resident in Williamstown were Australian citizens, 19.6% were born overseas and 0.7% were overseas visitors.

The Williamstown Festival, held each year in March/April, is the major Community Festival for the Western Region of Melbourne. It celebrates and promotes the unique identity of Williamstown, focusing on its spectacular seaport setting as well as the community’s vibrant cultural life.

A maritime museum is located on board the World War II minesweeping corvette HMAS Castlemaine, which is tied up at Gem Pier adjacent to Commonwealth Reserve.

Williamstown Little Theatre, located at a converted bakery at 2-4 Albert Street, is one of the leading non-professional theatre companies in Melbourne.   Since 1946 it has presented quality, affordable theatre to the people of Williamstown and the wider community.

The Glassily Nook has its eclectic entrance between buildings such as these, right on the foreshore of Williamstown itself.

"Turtle Bay" art glass series available from The Glassily Nook.

Blue Heaven Milkshake

like this one where white glass is mixed with turquoise to result in a glorious glass that looks like the one above.  Similarly, when you add pale solid green and swirl it into white glass, here is the result,

Green Apple art glass with clear dividor - for fun

So we can play with all these lovely glass.  It is exciting and positive.  I love it!  But the question for today is, in what other ways is glass changing in the world in general?

We have fun with glass now look at the fun we are all going to have with glass in the future…..

A Day Made of Glass by Corning

Now are you excited about your future or about glass?

Ok, this is fun too:

want to know more?  Ever heard of Gorilla Glass?  It’ll be everywhere in a couple of years – on your phone, laptop screen and tv screens and later on your fridge doors etc.

More next time.

Thanks for reading.

I hope you’ve found this interesting.

Please take a moment and tell me if you did.

Thanks.

My friend rebuilt her entire kitchen….starting by pushing down the interior walls.  It was a HUMUNGOUS JOB.  Regardless of the mess, the inconvenience and the cost, down came the walls, out went the stove and everything.  The entire plan was to keep it elegant and simple with an enormous shiny redgum bench as the feature.

 This is where I came in and made a woven fruit platter to match.  This is the ruby and cherry red art glass, (must make sure that I used the Cherry red and not the ruby – the cherry is a gorgeous colour)!

The first thing was to purchase the colours that she ordered.  Cherry Red and Grape and loads of clear which I cut into strips the old fashioned way. 

 Here is the almost finished stack of glass used in this 40cm x 40cm platter.  We fused some samplers to ascertain which firing schedule was best for the result we wanted…….

The strips were carefully lined up in the kiln.

Here it is before the kiln is turned on.  It goes into the kiln for a full fuse, but a soft full fuse so that we could see the dimensions between the layers.

Close up then wide shot between the full fuse and the slump.

Then, I prepared the mold after carefully washing and drying the work.  Here’s the mold.

Gently taking the kiln only up to 677 degrees the glass was placed on top of the mold and here is the final result. 

I’m trying to take a new style of picture of my glass art….here are a couple of examples.  We had such fun taking these. 

I think showing people in pictures like this shows you more realistically the size, shape and colour of the work.  I’m now working on one that features two transparent mid blue stripes and one almond strip. 

And my favourite.

that’s the story of our new cherry red and grape woven fruit bowl…I do hope you like it.

Industrial Products & Tooling Components:

Tooling components are an important thing in industrial products and equipments, for operations of machining industrial supplies and equipments are playing a major role link, grinding, pressing, boring, lathing and drilling.

Identification And Prevention:

Those persons who have worked in construction, roadways and bridges, also those have retired from construction work for them industrial equipments such as hardhats and face shields are vital to preventing injury. As we know construction work can cause hearing loss which are two types of hearing loss such as instant hearing loss and elevated noise levels will cause hearing loss for long time. Loud noises cause these types of pain for humans.

Industrial Apparel:

Industrial Apparel of high quality is an important factor for humans during their work because high quality industrial apparel protects your body from any cut and other issues. Industrial apparel provides you a layer over your body and protects. It manufactures for so many issues and addresses more things like resist from flame and waterproof materials.

Industry Growth:

After the recession the industry is now still growing because of credit and continuous programs job openings are coming continuously in the sector of construction. Industrial supplies are continuously rising in demand as jobs are creating regularly noticed by the supply and demand basic laws. For humans, personal protective equipments and protective apparels are more important and necessary for the job safety and for the safety of the worker noticed by the regulations and compliance law. That is why the demand of these industrial supplies and equipments creating growth in the industry.

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