Stained Glass Express - The Blog

To make the heart bottom left, use four 1x1" bevels and 2-2" half circles. You can also make it large by using 4- 1 1/2x 1 1/2 bevels and 2-3" half circles. The large heart in the center is made with 1-1x1" bevel, 4-1x2 bevels, and 2-3" half circles. The heart on the bottom right is made with 1-2x2" bevel and 2-2" half circles. You can also make this one large by using 1-4x4" bevel and 1-4" half circle. Word to the wise. If you use copper foil, be prepared to patina your solder copper. If you don't, the copper from the inside of the tape will show through. If you don't want to use copper patina, use black back foil and patina it black or use silver back foil and leave it silver. A variation of these hearts is to replace the half ciricles with red or pink glass.

Stained Glass Express has Three Business Discount Levels.

The Jewel Level: You turn in proof that you are a professional in the art glass industry. This can be that you are a member of an art glass guild that we can see on line. It can be that you have a yellow page ad or your work is in galleries. Or you can show us invoices where you have purchased from wholesalers. This level gives you 15% off product that is not already discounted. If you purchase $500 during the year you maintain your discount level. If you buy $700 or more, you move up to the next level.

The Crystal Level: You become a Crystal level customer by turning in a retailer certificate or by moving up from the Jewel level. This does not make you tax exampt with us but it means you are turning in sales tax information to the State of Maine. (on line customers from other States, let us know what the equivalent is) The Crystal level gives you a 20% discount at Stained Glass Express. If at the end of the year you have purchased $700 at SGE you maintain your discount level for the next year. If you do not, you go to the jewel level or lose it. If you purchase $900 during the year you move to the Diamond Level.

The Diamond Level: You become a Diamond level customer by turning in a resale certificate or by moving up from the Crystal Level. (again on line out of State people, tell us your State's equivalent) This level gives you a 30% discount. If you purchase $900 during the year you maintain your Diamond Level. If you purcahse less than $900 but more than $700 you become a Crystal Level. Less than $700 but more than $500 you become a Jewel Level. Less than $500 there are no discounts other than sales.

These levels are evaluated each January. If you joined a level during the year you have until the January of the next full year. Sales are counted January to December. The amount is figured on the net amount of your sale not the retail.

Please be sure you let the sales person know you are in our database that they they will put he sale with your name and your sales get counted toward your discount level.

If you are an on line customer, unfortunately we have not figured out how to make our on line software do this yet. However, we would program into our Point of Sale Software and when we check you out, the discount is automatically given.

Have no fear if you do not have a kiln, you can rent space in our kiln. Step 1. Drink the wine! No problem with that step right? Step 2. Make sure the bottle is clean and dry inside and out. Step 3. Apply Spray A to the side of the bottle that will facing up in the kiln. Be sure there is no spray A on the bottom as it won't brun off against the shelf. Spray A is very finly ground glass suspended in a medium that burns off clean. It not only helps prevent devitrification (a scummy layer that can appear on the glass after it is fired), it will also help to keep any painted labels that may be on the bottle from burning off during the firing process. Step 4. Use a kiln shelf that has been coated with kiln wash or covered with fiber paper. Leave enough room around each bottle to accommodate the spread as the bottles flatten out. Step 5. Kilns are different, so make adjustments as necessary for you kiln. 300 dph (degrees per hour) to 1100, then soak for 30 minutes (this allows the glass, shelf and air to reach equal temperatures) 400 dph to 1450 soak for 10 minutes or until the bottle is flat.. (take a peek) Step 6. Cool AFAP (as fast as possible) to 1050 d. We don't suggest you open the lid because of the potential to thermal shock the glass. If your kiln doesn't have a controller, turn the power off until the temperature reaches 1050. Cooling quickly through the 1200 to 1350 range also helps to emininate devitrification. Step 7. Hold at 1050 for 1 hour and then cool 100 dph to 400. the annealing temperature for bottles is somewhere between 1050-850 so you want to go slowly through this range. That's it. . . you have made a great gift! Add a cheese know tied with a piece of raffia to really kick it up! You can also paint with glass paint, use decals, sandblast designs--use your imagination! We will slump your bottle for you for $10. You must have it all prepared.

Lucie Boucher is a woman with many talents. Not only is she our director at Stained Glass Express's "Glass Academy," but she owns Stone Ridge Glass which specializes in Glasscapes and she recently launched her "Hands of Time" idea. Below, you'll find out more about what these specifically are and who Lucie is and we're extremely fortunate to have her as a part of our team at Stained Glass Express. Lucie Boucher and Bernie Huebner embody, as they say, “a fusing of restless minds” through creative collaboration and, of course, fused glass! Lucie and Bernie believe that the only relevant bio to describe the man and the woman behind Stone Ridge Glass is their joint bio. A formal résumé would list five advanced degrees and an employment history including everything from hairdressing and firefighting to teaching at all levels from kindergarten through graduate school. By the time they came to glass, they were long past the age to go to art school. But as experienced teachers, it followed naturally that they would make their way self-taught. Lucie was the leader, entering through traditional stained glass but quickly becoming frustrated with the refusal of cold glass to bend to her 3D mind. She remains the technical expert as well, both with glass and kiln. Bernie spent years teaching both the visual arts and the creative process, and brings a facility with tools and materials—elsewhere called jury-rigging—that serves them well. Of course there’s still considerable role confusion. Who’s the designer? Who’s the glass slave? (And at any given moment, how do you tell?—by counting who’s wearing more bandaids.) Stuck up on their studio wall is a cliché which says “always make new mistakes.” Given the already considerable loss rate with complicated glass work, there is never-ending opportunity to deepen one’s knowledge of the craft. But sometimes failures—cracks, distortions, contaminants—serendipitously provide the chance to recast a design and salvage the piece. And sometimes the limits of glass lead one into uncharted territory, as with their innovative Glasscapes, the principle of which arose out of experiments with transmitting light through glass edge-on. Glasscape Glasscape Hands of Time Hope you enjoyed this little piece on Lucie. Come visit us and take a class from Lucie. Call 207-872-9305 for more details. Thanks, SGE

Stained Glass Express would like to thank everyone who submitted a piece into the "Just for Fun" contest this year. This is an annual event, so if you didn't win this year, try for next year! We love glass just as much as you do and appreciate you supporting us and for making us your #1 place to get your supplies, gifts and most importantly, INSPIRATION.

1st place hot category: Vicki Wainoris 2nd place in hot category: Jane Hall 3rd place in hot category: Bruce Grantham 1st place in cold category: Susan Begein 2nd place in cold category: Pam Wilcox 3rd place in cold category (TIE): Jeff Eagan 3rd place in cold category (TIE): Brenda Jolin Thank you to everyone who submitted a piece! We hope you all had fun at our event and hope to see you all next year. We appreciate your business and wouldn't be here without you. Thanks, SGE

A lot of times, people will come into Stained Glass Express, purchase materials and it continues to be an ongoing cycle. The problem is, we never get to see the work that is being done. Stained Glass Express became what it is today because it is operated by people who love stained glass. We LOVE to see finished product and we are proud and appreciate your business. Pat Claus sent us a picture of a piece she is working on. She hopes to put it in our annual "Just for Fun" stained glass contest in April. Beth Gardner sent us a picture of a Celtic Knot made for her sisters new home! Pat Pray sent us a work in progress photo. She is starting to mosaic bottles, which is being made for a Sugarloaf Mountain business. We appreciate everyone who submitted picture! If you would like to have your work featured on our blog, just e-mail soo@opglass.com. It will also be on our Facebook page as well. Thank you, SGE

We had an extremely successful Business After Hours last week and just wanted to share some of our beautiful work done by STUDENTS. Yes, students. You know what this means, right? ANYONE can be an artist and ANYONE can create beautiful work, you just have to get yourself into Stained Glass Express to learn! Check out our website stainedglassexpress.com to get a schedule of upcoming classes.