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You asked and here they are! Item #91545

Did you know we do private parties at Stained Glass Express? These are plates that were made at a bridal shower! And a picture of the surprised bride.

In November of 2011 Gina Colombatto, a California mosaic artist, who had recently move to Waterville, came into Stained Glass Express. Gina was looking for someone in the area interested in creating an outdoor mural with mosaics. Stained Glass Express put Gina together with artist, Jane Burke. They began working with Sarah Sugden the librarian at the Waterville library and created this beautiful mosaic wall called "Oh Courant". The piece is inspired by artist Isaiah Zagar, creator of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens.

1. It lubricates the wheel of any glass cutter and keeps it running smoothly. Use of cutting oil on the score line significantly improves the quality of the score and subsequent breakout. 2. It keeps tiny glass chips from lodging between the wheel and the shaft of your cutter. 3. It is needed to keep the score clean and cool. 4. It prevents minute chips of glass from flying about. 5. It preserves the life of the wheel. 6 Fusers don't like to use oil because it is difficult to clean. Small amounts should still be used. Mineral spirits are a good idea because they burn off when firing.

AND WE HAVE THEM! Sound the trumpets! Ring the bells! The high priestess of product endorsement, the queen of winning hearts and minds one consumer good at a time has show favor to our beloved Corkcicle.

This is so pretty! Two drawers and lift top. 7.5"x4.5"x5.75". $33.00 More styles available

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE-2nd place

JIM NUTTING OF LISBON FALLS, MAINE

"KALEIDOBOWL"

As you become more skilled at soldering you may find that the number you have been setting you temperature control on no longer works the same.

Things that affect the temperature are:

1. voltage of your iron

2. speed at which you solder

3. size of area or seam you are soldering

4. cleanliness and overall condition of the tip.

So I am referring to #2. As you get faster, your iron will operate differently.

You temperature controller is similar to a dimmer switch. By dialing the control to a higher or lower setting, more or less electricity is fed to the iron. This increases or decreases the iron temperature.

The numbers on the dial are a reference scale to indicate higher or lower temperature settings.

To begin, adjust the dial to the "50" setting. Wait approximately 15 minutes. If the solder flows quickly into a smooth puddle, your iron is probably operating at the correct temperature. Adjust accordingly. As you become faster, you may have to set the temperature control to a higher number as you are releasing the heat faster.

For more info on "how to solder like a pro" go to the following address.

http://www.inlandcraft.com/howto/pdf/htsold.pdf

We often get asked why the solder at the hardware store cannot be used in stained glass. The solder stained glass stores sell is different than common solder you might find in your garage or at the hardware store. Normally that solder is rosin core or acid core solder. If you use these you will end up with a scum mess.

You want solder that is 1/8" in diameter. Most are a mixture of tin and lead. The mix is designated by two numbers. The first number always refers to the % of tin, the second is the % of lead. The most used solders in stained glass are 60/40 (60% tin/40% lead) 50/50 and 63/37. "Lead-free" solders have no number designation and are a mix of tin and small amounts of other metals. Also look for "pure" solders--free of impurities. You will spend less but you will get scum as you solder and ruin your iron tip. It also interferes with patina.

60/40 melts at 374 degrees and becomes solid when it cools to 361 degrees. That means you have a working range of 13 degrees. This is your best choice for copper foil work. The liquid temperature and narrow working range make it easy to form and maintain consistent high, rounded, beaded seams.

50/50 melts at 421 degrees and is solid at 361 so has a working range of 60 degrees. This solder will produce a much flatter bead than 60/40. Because of its higher melting point, 50/50 is often used on the back (or inside) of a stained glass project to protect against "melt through" when soldering the front. Because it spreads and flattens out, 50/50 is often used when soldering lead joints.

63/37. Melts at 361 degrees and becomes solid at 361. No working range! This solder is also known as decorative or quick set solder. It is great to bead up the ourside rim of copper foiled pieces. It is used to create dimensional effects in the solder itself and can be manipulated to produce a vaiety of textures and designs.

Lead-Free melts and cools depending on the mix of metals. It performs similar to 50/50. This should be used for pieces that will contact food, that will be handled frequently or will be where a child could touch it.

Did you ever have a project that seemed to grow after it was foiled or leaded? A special type of scrissors called pattern shears solves this problem. They have three blades. The center blade removes a strip of pattern material as you cut out the pattern. This compensates for the thickness of the lead or foil which will be placed between the glass pieces.

Cathedral. Glass that you can see through.

Opalescent. Glass that you cannot see through. It allows some light to show through, but not a clear image.

Streaky. A mix of two of more cathedral colors.

Cloudy/Wispy. A mix of a little (wispy) or a lot (cloudy) of white opalescent with a cathedral glass.

Seedy. Tiny air bubbles in the glass.

Granite, Hammered, Ripple, Catspaw. Fairly rough textures that may be pressed into the surface of the molten glass by a textured roller during manufacturing.

Waterglass, Baroque. Made only by Spectrum Glass. Created by manipulating the hot glass during manufacturing.

Mottled. Glass with organic spots of varying colors and densities.

Antique. Glass that is made by the traditional mouthblown method. Lines and random bubbles.

Semi-Antique. Machine made glass that resembles antique.

Glue chip. Fernlike or "Jack Frost" texture.

Iridescent. A shimmering, irregular colorful surface that looks like an oil slick.

Fusing Compatible. Used for fusing or beadmaking. It looks like regular glass, but is labeled at the factory to show that the pieces will contract at the same rate when cooling.