Blog / Category_News

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.

RESTORATION

Glass has clearly (pun intended) evolved all through the centuries. Here is a bit of a timeline.

In the 1700's window glass was mouth blown and spun into a disk. It was small and distorted. I think it is quite beautiful. Even when it was big enough to cut with straight edges, it was very distorted.

In the 1800's the process evolved to a mechanically blown cylinder machine. Sheets were larger and the quality was better. Because the sheets were bigger you are now seeing a more traditional window glass. They were large enough to cut square or into a rectangle.

In the 1900's the invention of the Fourcault machine allowed for vertically drawn glass. This was the end of the imperfections except for vertical drawn lines. The end of the waves and the end of the seeds and bubbles.

Even though the quality of glass improved there is often a desire to replace what was there. To keep it looking the same. Glass is available to reproduce each century of glass.

COLONIAL

A glass called colonial is a glass with slight distortion and occasional seeds are present. The thickness varies a bit. It is very much like the 1800's glass. Just imagine trying to copy a procedure where the manufacturing was trying to make it perfect but were not being totally successful.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/saint-just-clear-colonial-restoration-glass.html

GNA RESTOVER+

This is a more affordable alternative to colonial. However, it is not a close replication of the 1800. Not for a restoration roject where historical integrity is important.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/clear-gna-restoration-glass.html

This glass is beautiful. It has fine lines through. Really not a great piece for restoration but totally a step up from window glass. It has a classic timeless look.

I think I have not researched an issue and come up with less concise data ever. Here are some things I did find.

FUSING

The causes of concern when fusing are lead and cadmium. Cadmium when combined with sulfur forms Cadmium Sulfide and results in deep yellow color. If mixed with Selenium and Sulfur, it gives you bright red and orange. Adding Titanium produces yellowish-brown glass. https://www.bullseyeglass.com/is-bullseye-glass-food-safe.html At this link you can find the list of Bullseye glass that contain more than 1% lead and more than .5% of cadmium. They recommend this list be capped with clear. They also said that transparent glass leaches lead/cadmium at levels below FDA limits and less than opalescent lead/cadmium-bearing glass. So, you can decide not to cap transparent glass. I also found from Randy Wardell in his book "Everything Else", this: The official answer from the glass manufacturers is, all tested compatible glasses have been tested by the FDA for food bearing surfaces and were determined to be suitable. However, if you add other processes or compounds to the items, for example paint, stains, decals, glazes, etc. it is important to check that these items are also approved for food bearing surfaces.

• Glassline pens are lead free and food safe.
• Mika powder must be capped.
• Iridized glass needs to be capped. Bullseye irid is safe if full fused.
• By spraying a coating of Fuse Master Super Spray on top - food safe.

The bottom line seems to be, if you have any concerns top the piece with a sheet of clear when fusing.

FLAMEWORKING

Clear Boro (COE 33) is food safe. Think Pyrex. Boro colors with high metal content or fuming are not food safe. Boro is food safe if the colors with high metal contents and fuming are not the surface. The metals can cause issues in microwaves and sometimes older dishwashers that get really hot during the drying cycle. I was not able to find a list of Boro colors with high metal content. However, here is a little info on metal oxides. When glass color is made, the metal oxides are stable and "in solution," anytime you work with the glass, in any manner, you may be breaking open "the solution" and expose the metal oxides. Rods can contain: Iron Oxide, Chromium, Sulfur, Calcium, Manganese, Manganese Dioxide, Cobalt, Arsenic, Potash, copper Oxide, Nickel, Chromium, Tin Oxide, Cadmium, Titanium, Uranium, Didymium, Selenium, Copper, Gold & Silver.

TRADITIONAL STAINED GLASS

In traditional stained-glass work where you solder, there are also concerns. If the product is going to be near food or next to your skin, you should use lead free solder. Or, if you are doing something like a night light for a child's room, use lead free solder. Lead toxins can be absorbed through the skin.

What is the difference between copper wire and tinned copper wire?

They are both copper wires. The tinned wire is a bit easier to use if you are soldering it because it already has a coating of solder on it.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/metals/wire/

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So many foils!

Different backing, different widths, and different thicknesses

Why does this matter? Take a look.

Can you see how the color of the backing shows through? It matters when you are using see through glass. It helps when the patina matches the backing. Like the center one is black backed. If that copper on the outside gets patinaed black it looks good. If you were doing a piece with a lot of see-through glass and you used copper back, you would be sad, disappointed and distracted by the copper peaking out at you.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/metals/copper_-_silver_foil/

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FUSING WITH NON-FUSIBLE GLASS

Can you do it? Yes. However, you cannot mix sheets because the coe is unknown. If you know that two pieces of glass came from the same sheet, you could fuse them together. Sometimes non fusible glass will devitrify. Probably because you don't really know what temperature to fire it at. If you coat it with Spray A that generally takes care of it. This is also good for slumping bottles. They come out clearer if you coat the up side with Spray A.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/Chemicals/fusing-chemicals-kiln-wash/hotline-spray-a-plus-16-oz.html

You could take two wispy pieces of glass from the same sheet and put one across the other with the wisps going in a different direction and get a nice effect.

You cut shapes from one piece and fuse to another piece if they are from the same sheet.

You could take single pieces and slump them into a vase.

Pic from Glass with a Past

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TRACKING HEAD

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/Glass-Tools/Hand-Tools/cutters-shears-and-snippers/heavy-duty-wide-head-brass-glass-cutter.html

This is a great cutter for straight cuts. You just will not believe how much easier it is to use.

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CUTTING TUBES WITHOUT CRUSHING THEM

When cutting a tube, put a toothpick in the end where you are cutting, and it will keep you from crushing the tube.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/Glass-Tools/Hand-Tools/cutters-shears-and-snippers/tubing-cutter.html

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Have an old circle cutter you no longer use to cut glass? Use it to cut paper.

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PLIERS - WHICH END IS UP?

RUNNING PLIERS - Just cannot live without them. They are used to run a score. You just position the jaws at the end of the score line and gently squeeze. To remember which end is up, remember the saying "screw up or screw up"

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/Glass-Tools/Hand-Tools/pliers/metal-running-pliers.html

GROZIER PLIERS

I learned this one just this week. Your pliers should look like alligator head to be the right way.

https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/Glass-Tools/Hand-Tools/pliers/grozer-breaker-pliers.html

(I would like to give credit for this, but I no longer know where I got it)

Solder Law: Hot solder looks exactly like cold solder.

Solder Law II: One lead joint will always be unsoldered.

Breakage Law: The number of bad breaks you get is directly proportional to the price of the glass.

Breakage Law II: The number of bad breaks is an opposite proportion to the amount of glass on hand.

Breakage Law III: The number of bad breaks is proportional to the distance from your supplier.

Law of Studio Geometry: Any horizontal surface is soon piled up.

Law of Focus: At the most difficult point in construction of any project, the phone will ring.

Law of Focus II: The moment your hands touch lead, flux or patina, extreme hunger pangs will commence.

Law of Commerce: Everyone knows someone who does glass....cheaper.

Replacement Law: The moment you replace a lost tool with a new one, you will find the original.

Installation Law: The time required to install is proportional to the number of people watching.

Installation Law II: The tool you desperately need is back at the studio.

Common Sense Law: There is no such thing as a clean stained-glass window.

Common Sense Law II: The number of people you did not know were listening is proportional to the severity of the swear word used.

Common Sense Law III: Everything takes longer than you think.

Common Sense Law IV: Deadlines are always closer than you thought.

60/40 60/40 solder is 60% tin and 40% lead. It stays in liquid stage longer, giving you more time to set a smooth bead. It melts at 372 to 374 degrees F. It solidifies at 361 degrees F. This is the most popular solder. Easy to use, consistent, smooth. 60/40 takes all patina great. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/60-40-solder-1-lb.html 50/50 50/50 solder is 50% tin and 50% lead. It is more economical than 60/40. It has a higher melting point of 413 to 420 degrees F. It solidifies at 361 degrees F. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/solder-50-50-1-lb.html 60/37 Fast setting or also called eutectic, which means it melts and solidifies at the same temperature. That means it stays where you put it. Great for decorative soldering. The melting temp is 361 degrees F. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/63-37-solder-1-lb.html Lead Free - Do not be fooled. Lead certainly is the most toxic of the metals in solder. However, right behind lead is silver and antimony. Lead free melts at a higher temperature than lead solders which makes it more difficult to work with. Depending on the brand or type, the melting range is from 440 degrees to 482 degrees F. It is the least toxic of all the solders and should be used when making anything that will be in contact with the skin or handled often like jewelry, jewelry box or kaleidoscopes. Black patina works fine on lead free solder but copper patina does not. Some brands of lead free solder will have a satin finish, not the bright and shiny finish that most want. Amerway's Ruby and Emerald lead free solder do have the silver look. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/lead-free-solder-1-lb.html

• In January, the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the United States.
• The Trump administration declared a public health emergency on January 31.
• In February, the first deaths were recorded.
• On March 11^th, the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, a pandemic.
• On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency.
• By the end of March all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all inhabited U.S. territories except American Samoa had cases.
• On May 27, the U.S. had the most confirmed active cases and deaths in the world.

OUR LIVES

• States are under, “Stay at Home”, “Shelter in Place”, “Safer at Home” orders that encourage people to stay at home as much as possible.
• We went from elbow bumps to six feet social distancing.
• We wear masks, wash our hands over and over and sanitize everything in sight and out of sight.
• Schools closed, people work from home, non-essential businesses closed, and we sent our employees home.
• Conferences that have been held for years have been cancelled.
• No need to travel, no place to go. Everything is closed.
• The sick perish without loved ones at their side. Quarantined until the end.
• We Zoom meetings and FaceTime with our grandchildren and other loved ones.

LOOKING FORWARD

• Some business are closed and will never reopen.
• Some business are open but operate very differently.
• Still a question if children will return to school in the fall.
• Most will live, some will pass away, many will live with lasting effects of the illness.
• Be optimistic and look forward to what normal will become.

Stained Glass Express has always taken pride in never being out of stock on any glass. We would have at least one sheet cut up and out on the retail floor, ready for you to carry out, and another full sheet in the warehouse. As soon as the full sheet in the warehouse went to the retail floor, we ordered another one. Unfortunately, it’s no longer that simple. Since Spectrum (announced May 2016) and Uroboros (announced October 2016) closed, not only has some glass been scarce or not available at all, the dynamics of buying glass is different. Both companies’ assets were sold to Oceanside Glass and Tile. Oceanside certainly has had its challenges. It moved the assets, constructed buildings and trained workers. As the distributors’ warehouses emptied their stock of Spectrum and Uroboros, we felt the need to find glass. It was a year from the time Spectrum announced its closing that we knew that Oceanside would begin production. In the meantime, this is what we did:

1. We bought one year’s supply of cabinet glass in advance. We sell a lot of cabinet glass, most of it to one customer. We bought one year’s supply in advance, hoping the dust would settle by then and we would not be cutting and putting together hundreds of new sample sets for this customer. We called it right on that one. We made it through the year, and we are still using the same sample sets. Below is our top selling cabinet glass, Clear Seedy.

2. We brought in two new lines of fusible glass. First, we brought in Wissmach’s 96 line. That meant rearranging some display area to make room for a new line of glass. We still had a lot of the old System 96, but as we ran out of some colors, we needed to be ready. Then we brought in Youghiogheny 96, later to become the Northeast distributor for Youghiogheny and increasing that line.

Wissmach 96 COE Glass Youghiogheny 96 COE Glass

3. We increased our offering of Bullseye compatible glass. We like to think of this as 90 COE, but Bullseye just calls it “Bullseye compatible.” We have had more customers switch over to Bullseye to avoid the turmoil. There is no question the glass is beautiful.

Then Oceanside announced that most of the line that previously was nonfusible would become fusible. Wow! That involved us changing around the entire showroom. Our big wall of nonfusible cubbies would become fusible because that change meant most of our glass would be fusible. What a delight this change has been for fusers, who now have many more options. All these changes for Spectrum/Oceanside meant a rocky supply chain. Clear glass was manufactured and then it switched to color. Before it went back to clears, they became scarce. It also meant a lot of changing around the showroom and trying to keep items so you could find what you wanted (if we were lucky enough to have it). We arranged our glass so that the nonfusible glass was kept separate from the fusible. For a time, we might have had two pieces of glass that looked identical, but one was fusible and one was not. At this point, there are colors that are manufactured twice a year. We can only hope that our distributors call it correctly and have enough to get us to the next run. They have not even manufactured all the colors yet! Iridized glass has all but disappeared. Kokomo’s iridizing machine was shut down during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s investigations in 2016. It got plugged up when it was turned off and they have not gotten it running again. Oceanside does not have the ability to iridize yet. Once in a while, we get some Wissmach, but it is scarce. We brought in two new lines, which was a big investment. Then Oceanside started being manufactured, and we wanted to grab glass from that line as it became available. We had to make big decisions about how much to buy. We all have limited resources and even though we might want to spent every available dollar on glass (we know you understand THAT) we also have to meet payroll, pay utilities, put paper in the copy machine and all those other things you just hate to think about. Even planning a sale is different. I now start gathering up enough glass to have it on sale three months ahead. I might have to buy from three different distributors and I generally try not to buy glass more than twice a month. That means there is extra glass sitting here, waiting for a sale that is two to three months out — or more. That means less money for routine orders. However, we now know we’d better buy glass when it becomes available. We are being diligent about continuing to do so, and we are trying to keep the website updated with these changes. On those days when customers don’t seem to realize there have been shutdowns, we feel we should pat ourselves on the back — because that means we have kept enough glass in stock so that vast gaps are not as obvious to you, the customer. There are other days when we don’t know how we are going to, for instance, run a sunflower class because we don’t have enough yellow glass. But we sigh, roll up our sleeves and find a way to make it happen. Despite all the current difficulties, we are lucky to be in an industry that surrounds us with so much beauty, fun and healing power.

1. I really think we cannot talk about this enough. It is amazing how many people do not know that Spectrum and Uroboros have closed.
2. Oceanside Glass and Tile bought the assets of both companies. At first, everything was going to stay the same — but as unforeseen problems had to be resolved, things did change.
3. The iridized glass that Spectrum used to make has disappeared. Oceanside plans to bring it back but has not set a date. The company must set up an iridizing plant in Mexico so it can manufacture the glass. But there are too many regulations involved to send glass across the border to have it iridized and then ship it back so it can be combined with other items in the buyer’s order.
4. What we once knew as Spectrum will know be "Oceanside Continuous Ribbon." Spectrum did name its glass "Continuous Ribbon," but the brand Spectrum will be gone. What once was Uroboros is now "Oceanside Hand Rolled." Some of the glass that we knew as hand rolled will now be continuous ribbon. “Hand rolled” means one sheet at a time goes on the table. Continuous ribbon means a longer run of glass is made at time. It tends to be smoother.
5. Almost all Spectrum and Uroboros glass will now be COE 96. That means fusers will have a vast variety of glass to choose from. There will still be some that has to stay art glass because of the difficulties of trying to fuse it.
6. The SKU numbers will not start with “SP” and “UR.” They will instead start with “OGT.”
7. The supply chain is not as regular as it was. Oceanside has announced that some colors will be manufactured twice a year and some others, only once a year.

This is not a complete list.. It does not include the rod manufacturers and overseas. These are our major supplies at this point in time. Since May of 2016 it has been a roller coaster ride in the art glass industry. It really does seem that the dust has settled, and this is what we have now. Kokomo Opalescent Glass. There are in Kokomo, Indiana have been operating since 1888. They are the oldest. They use some of the same recipes that are over 128 years old. They are a great source for doing reproduction work. This is a picture of their 12 pot circular furnace. It is a down draft. The Paul Wissmach Glass Co. Located in Paden City, West Virginia. They have been operating since 1904, making them the second oldest and therefore also a great resource when trying to match old glass. They use 12 furnaces. They do art glass, temperable glass, fusible glass. Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass Company, Inc. Located in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. They have been operating since 1977. Truly an art glass manufacturer but has also a wonderful line of fusing glass. Amazing color artistry. They have recently added a textured streakies line and Dichroic glass line. Bullseye Glass Co. Located in Portland Oregon since 1974. They focus on fusible glass, collaborating with artist and teaching. They produce extremely rich colors. Oceanside Glass & Tile. Started in 1992. They are located in Baja, California, but production is in Tijuana, Mexico. Their focus was glass tiles and then added the Spectrum Glass and Uroboros Glass lines in 2016 when both Spectrum and Uroboros announced they were closing. Oceanside had been buying glass from Spectrum for the tiles. They are not at 100% production yet, but they are manufacturing lots of fusible glass and frits. They will add the rest of the accessory glass this year. Pilkington. Various locations and known more for commercial applications. However, they produce many clear textures. Imports. We are seeing a lot of clear textures from other countries.

I opened an email this a.m. to see. “6.5 million dollars to prove your innocence. Bullseye said it all along and finally it is over. After glass price increases from all glass makers to fund Baghouse filter, lawyers, testing, more testing and now the plaintiff’s lawyer. . . It looks like it is finally over, we all hope. “ So I’m thinking—this guy is aware of something I am not but lo and behold just a bit further down in my inbox was an email from Bullseye. This pretty much says it all. January 23, 2019 Dear Friends, Today a Multnomah County Judge preliminarily approved a settlement in the class action lawsuit against Bullseye Glass Co. Follow this link to view the full news release: http://www.bullseyeglass.com/news/plaintiffs-and-bullseye-glass-co-settle-class-action-lawsuit.html We have mixed feelings about settling. However, once the insurance carriers provided the settlement funds, we worked hard to include meaningful settlement terms that would give our neighbors the peace of mind that Bullseye did not harm their property. We also advocated for additional air monitoring to include diesel particulate as that is a major air quality issue that affects our neighborhood. We are pleased that this aspect of the settlement may eventually contribute to improving air quality in Portland. Everyone at Bullseye sincerely appreciates your steadfast support and confidence over the past 3 years. We look forward to producing handcrafted art glass made in Portland, Oregon USA for years to come. The Team at Bullseye

We are now seeing the spectrum numbers disappear from the offerings. They are being replaced with Oceanside numbers. The bulk of the Oceanside numbers will be fusible. There will be an amazing offering of fusible glass!

Here at Stained Glass Express, we are bringing in the Oceanside numbers as fast as they are available! It has certainly been a challenge. It involved moving all our glass around so there would be enough room for the fusible glass. We have continued to buy Spectrum numbers if they are available. The price is better and there is not always an Oceanside number to replace it currently. We are trying to keep as complete a stock as possible.

If you are wondering why Oceanside has moved to almost all fusible glass, here is their explanation:

• As a steward of the environment, this switch to almost all fusible glass drastically reduces our waste, and your waste too.
• The majority of artists “scrap glass” can now be repurposed in Fusing Projects, and our production glass scraps can be re-melted, making the glass more valuable to you and to us.
• At a high-level, this switch also offers us much needed simplification and efficiency in our overall production.

There are 2 main distinctions of the glass production - Hand-rolled (as previously provided by Uroboros) and Continuous Ribbon (as previously provided by Spectrum).

Some of the glass we have managed to get as fusible:

These are medium amber water glass, Blue Yonder, Sky Blue, Dk Blue w/White and Cherry Red Cathedral.

Great variety for fusers and, of course, these can be used for stained glass and mosaics!