1. Glastar burned to the ground on October 18th. Glastar is a leading manufacturer of glass-shaping equipment, tools, accessories, and supplies. The warehouse next door exploded, and the fire quickly spread to the Glastar building. No one at Glastar was hurt, however two people were killed and two were injured in the warehouse where the fire started. We do not expect to see any Glastar products soon. Everything that was available, sold out quickly. They still have a Facebook page with no news and the website continues to state, "they will be back soon", but yet no news. The following is a link to the Bing video of the Canoga Park explosion. glastar fire - Bing video
2. The Paul Wissmach Glass Co was sold. On April 1, 2021 Jason Wilburn and Annabelle Javier became the new owners. Mark Feldmeier continued to be actively involved so that is probably why it all happened, and we did not even realize. Wissmach is the second oldest manufacturer having been operating since 1904. This is their new logo:
3. Kokomo seemed to have a rocky year. I was not able to get them directly, but I did get my info from a reliable source. What I heard is that their extremely interesting furnace is now not operating and has been replaced with day furnaces. This is a round furnace with a down draft which I so wish I had seen while it was still operating. Kokomo was founded in 1888, making it the oldest producer of glass in the United States. The transition caused lapses in production, and we have not been able to stock as much as we would like. One of their key personnel retired after returning from a bout with Covid. Apparently Covid took its toll at Kokomo, which also slowed down production because of employees being absent. We have been assured that all is back on track, and we will be seeing more glass!
4. Oceanside also reported some difficulties in 2021. Many people were not happy that the glass is "different". Vince Moiso shared how hard it has been sourcing chemicals. They follow the "recipe", and some glass has come out different, we had some orangey reds and other differences. He also reported that we will be seeing more bubbles in the glass. Even though they do make the glass like Spectrum did, they do not have the long ribbon or glass system that Spectrum had, and the shorter run will create bubbles.
5. On a positive note, Youghiogheny seems to be just smoothy flying along. After purchasing the Uroboros hand rolled sheet process from Oceanside in May of 2020 they continue to add more Uroboros glass to their already amazing lines of Youghiogheny.
6. In general, we have seen unprecedented price increases. These come from increased shipping costs, raw material sourcing issues and increased labor costs. Less product at higher prices.
7. We did see a new line of art glass come on the scene. Artisan Glass is an imported glass that is quite beautiful and reasonably priced. Artisan Glass (stainedglassexpress.com)
8. Tools and supplies have been difficult. In addition to not having any Glastar products, we cannot get Morton products. Some that have been difficult are: spray a, score one plus, didymium glasses (clip-ons), value tools, bevel clusters, fid'l stick, some silver products (earring findings), glass pro silver protector and cleaner, Breda nippers, Hifire, Thinfire, and resin. Some products were difficult for awhile because people could not get packaging for them, like glue. Right now we are waiting on Inland Grinders.

On May 7, 2020 Youghiogheny and Oceanside announced a partnership where Oceanside will continue with the Spectrum line and accessory glass and Youghiogheny will take on the manufacturing of the Uroboros line. It is exciting to have the Uroboros line again. With Youghiogheny manufacturing the Uroboros line, we not only will get the glass we will see more options in the accessory glass line. I am taking a leap here, but I believe that this collaboration will bring back the "96" term which Oceanside has not been using. Both companies are saying the System 96 brand will be back. That is exciting news. No question that Y-96, Oceanside and Uro fusible will be compatible.

Here is the official announcemnt.

Our industry is long overdue for an announcement of excitement and positivity, so we are pleased to be the bearer of good news. Youghiogheny Glass, together with Oceanside Glasstile, is announcing the acquisition and launch of Uro by Yough, a resurrection of the Uroboros line of both traditional art glass and 96 compatible fusible glass. The machines and all of the equipment have arrived at our Connellsville factory, and we are just about ready to start production. We would like to thank Oceanside Glasstile for approaching us with this opportunity. Their transparency and cooperation throughout the entire process has resulted in a second thrilling announcement; a collaborative resurrection of the System 96 brand of fusible glass and products including Oceanside Compatible, Uro by Yough, and Y96!! So what this means is that Youghiogheny Glass will produce URO by Yough and will collaborate with OGT to resurrect the System 96 brand. The new agreement will allow for the most comprehensive product selection of hand rolled art glass And a complete line of System 96 compatible fusing glasses and accessories. The last 5 years have been tumultuous. Our passion for glass and the industry drove us to fill product voids created from the upheaval and expand Youghiogheny's palette. We viewed this time as an opportunity for growth and expansion into the 96 fusible market with our Y96 product line, even though the future seemed uncertain. In less than a year from the release of Y96, we unveiled the True Dichro line of Art Glass. This had been a 10 year experiment and an outstanding breakthrough in art glass manufacturing science. This was quickly followed by a line of Textured Streaky Art Glass and then Art Glass Irids. Finally, we expanded color options in Y96, more than doubling the original offerings. At the end of 2019, we thought we had done it all. However, opportunity arose once again when we were approached by Oceanside GlassTile regarding Uroboros production and System 96. Youghiogheny has a long history of producing high quality, handmade sheet glass and is the ideal landing spot for the products previously produced by Uroboros. Our niche and strengths are the perfect complement to OGT’s continuous ribbon and accessory products in order to expand the System 96 palette. The name Uroboros Glass carries a heavy weight with us. The brand and legacy created by Eric Lovell is of the highest quality and held in the highest regard. We consider it an honor and great challenge to properly reintroduce Uro, by Yough. An undertaking of this magnitude for our company will be a challenge, one of excitement and optimism. This is an area where we ask for your help. Any insight that you can provide us with from your previous years of experience with the Uro line of glasses will be helpful. The expansive line of art glass, with the many combinations of colors and textures, has many products that are very similar or identical to items currently produced within our existing product lines. Uro by Yough is striving to recreate the most sought after products previously manufactured without creating duplicates of what is currently available. With your valuable input we will be able to determine a production starting point more quickly. We thank you for your continued support and loyalty and look forward to providing you with even more excellent products. Stay Well, Tristan and Leanne Triggs

We have been distributors for Colors for Earth Paint since August 2017. Since we started stocking, we have added new products as they came out. One thing we added is Piping Paste, which comes in white and black and is great to use as an outline. It is raised off the surface and creates a dam so that you can apply your paint inside the areas, not “outside the lines.” We also added the layering mix for paint pours, which is such a fun thing to do. We recently added some of the “glitz” to our lines of Bubble Art, G Series and Gs Series. The following is from the Colors For Earth website.

Shifty and CFL are two terms to describe the same thing — a pallet of glass that changes color based on the light that it is under. CFL stands for “compact fluorescent light.” The glass changes its apparent color in fluorescent lighting. The first CFL/shifty glass was done by Glass Alchemy in 2014, with the color Serum. Next, came Terps. These are a bit tough to get, but other CFLs are available:

Check our hot glass section for availability.

Modeling glass is a very exciting new product! It is a two-part kit consisting of a powdered binder and liquid medium that you combine with water and powder or fit. The result is the like clay and is easy to manipulate. Use it like you would clay. Coil it, flatten it, make shapes, press it into silicone molds. When you tack fire it, it will hold a lot of texture. Before firing, and after it is dry, you can sand or carve it. It is food safe and nontoxic. It can be used with 90 or 96 coe. There is a vast amount of info at www.modelingglass.com. We are currently planning a class around this product and you can look at and it purchase at this link: https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/glass-bird-modeling-glass-starter-kit.html

Thank you to Bethlehem Burners for this Blog! If you landed here, you must be interested in buying your first lampworking torch! It’s an exciting time and you’ll want to feel confident in your purchase. In part one of our Lampworking Torch Buyer’s Guide, we’ll address concerns about buying a less expensive torch versus a more top of the line torch for beginner skills. They say: “Your first lampworking torch should be cheap and something you can destroy while learning.” Bethlehem Burner’s says: While this advice definitely has merit, a beginning lampworker should also keep in mind what type of torch they hope to use once they move past their “beginner’s torch.” For example, there are different style torches that produce different style flames. These different style flames affect the way glass reacts in the flame, which in turn affects the way the glass should be manipulated in the flame to produce the desired effect. Modern lampworking, using both soft and borosilicate glass, involves the use of a lot of color. Fuel mixture ratios and flame velocity affect the chemical composition of each glass color differently. This means flames produced by one torch will affect a glass color differently than the flames of another torch. If a lampworker learns to lampwork on one style of torch, they will need to adapt a lot of their glass techniques when they switch to a new torch style. This transition can be very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. In order to make this transition as smooth as possible, it is best to choose a new torch that produces flames similar to the flames produced by the torch they learned on. So, while, “your first torch should be cheap and something you can destroy while learning,” isn’t necessarily wrong, it isn’t your only option. Kate Hayes, VP and resident torch expert at Bethlehem Burners weighs in on the topic: “Get a smaller version of your dream torch. Choose your first center fire style wisely, because the transition from premix center fire to surface mix center fire is the hardest and most expensive transition to make,” suggests Hayes. Stained Glass Express is a proud distributor for Bethlehem Burners. Click here to see the burners we have in stock. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/flameworking_glassblowing/annealers-bench-burners-accessories/ We are always happen to order in other Bethlehem products for you.

This heart is a Switchable. It can be a night light, a suncatcher, a plant stake, or as shown. Your sweetheart would love it!

The tough economy of 2011 and 2012 caused some glass manufacturing to cease. The GNA (german new antique) factory has now been closed for some time. At first it was thought that it would be retooled and reopened. That has not happened. The distributors are now beginning to run out of some of the numbers and we thinking that 2013 will see most of the numbers run out. This also includes the beautiful mirrored gna that many use in mosaics. We are also going to lose Glue Chip this year. We will continue to be able to get clear but the colored is going to disappear. Again, the distributors have already run out of some numbers so 2013 looks bleak for a continued strong stock. Wasser is also disappearing. This is a less commonly used glass, but some have made beautiful fused jewelry and plates with it. It is a thin 90 coe glass. This one is disappearing very fast. We have already moved this glass out of our "stock" bins and moved it to the clearance bins. We will continue to order as long as it is available but we cannot guarantee the stock. If you use this glass for projects you make over and over, now is the time to stock up. We will replace the gna with some spectrum artique and stock a few more bullseye thins to replace wasser. There is nothing like the colored glue chip so we will have a great time picking so some new glass to go into those empty bins.

You asked and here they are! Item #91545