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-Know Your Glass - Part 2

-Know Your Glass - Part 2

In addition to there being different types of glass which we talked about in Know Your Glass (part 1) there are also different glass manufacturers.

The manufacturers that we stock glass from at Stained Glass Express are: 

Artisan--This glass is an import of high-quality that is perfect for art glass projects.  The line has a wide range of colors, textures and patterns that help with a wide variety of applications.  

Bullseye—Is based on Portland, Oregon. I toured they plant, and it is very impressive. They manufacture “colored glass for art and architecture with worldwide distribution and a strong commitment to research, education and promoting glass art”. They really are leaders in contemporary kiln-glass. Their colors are rich and beautiful. 

Kokomo—Kokomo is oldest glass manufacturer. They have been in Kokomo, Indiana for 125 years. They are known worldwide for they hand mixed sheet glass art and colored glass. Even though Tiffany manufactured his own glass he also bought a lot of glass and jewels from Kokomo. Much of Kokomo’s glass was influenced by Mr. Tiffany. One of our favorites.

 GNA—GNA stands for German New Antique. Unfortunately, the color glass is being eliminated and only the clear will remain. We still have some that is our clearance bin and some mirrored that is in the mirror section. However, when it is gone, it is gone. We will continue to carry the clear. It is very beautiful. Fine lines run through it and nothing cuts better!

Oceanside—We stock more Oceanside than anything else. Most of their glass is fusible COE 96.  It cuts great and they just keep coming out with more and more fun and beautiful products. They give great retailer support. 

 Van Gogh—This glass is fun and different. It is usually glue chip glass, painted with auto paint in Asheville NC. At times they have some other clear textures as a base. It is unique and beautiful. It is great for Mosaics. Not so great in the light.

Wissmach—This is another very old glass manufacturer. They have been manufacturing art glass since 1904. I have toured this plant also. They let us hand pick some glass which they then drop shipped through our distributor. It was a very fun experience. We have a large stock of Wissmach and it is often the pick to match old repairs and church windows. They have also developed a fusible 96 COE glass. 

Youghiogheny—It is just beautiful glass. Each piece is a work of art. It was founded in 1976 and is now “world-renowned for uncompromising quality”. It is another one that we look forward to on glass unloading day. It is always a treat! They have a wide range of art glass and fusible 96 COE glass.  They also sell their ends which have become very popular.  After Uroboros closed, they took on the line and each year produce more of it.  They do a great job with it and it wonderful to have the availability.  

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Why Does Solder Bubble and Splatter When Soldering

Why Does Solder Bubble and Splatter When Soldering

It is caused by flux boiling through the solder you’re laying down. That’s why you notice it more on the second side of a project – by then you have sealed off the other side, it can’t splatter out the back. As you may have guessed, the best thing you can do to limit this is use less flux.

The other possibility is that your soldering iron is hotter than necessary and causing more boiling. If you are sure you’re not using too much flux, try putting a temperature control on your iron.

Submitted by Wanda Shorty from an old issue of Stained Glass News

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Helpful Items for Cutting Straight Lines

Helpful Items for Cutting Straight Lines

Do you have trouble cutting a straight line? If you do, try a tracking head.  If you already own a nice Toyo glass cutter and you want to change your head to a tracking head, that is also possible.  An important thing to know is that it is NOT good for cutting curves, so you might want one cutter with a tracking head and one without.  
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Solder Tip

Solder Tip

Common solders are a mix of tin and lead. The numbers that describe each type of solder refer to their % of each metal in that solder. The melting temperatures are: 50/50 421 degress F.
60/40 374 degrees f. They "set up" at 361 degrees F. Most lead free solders are usually within a 430 to 465 degrees F. Melting temperatures of lead and zinc came also vary. Lead came usually melts at 620 degress F and zinc came at about 780 degress F.
Many people use 50/50 for the back side of a lamp or to fill gaps in a project. If you have big gaps in a piece that needs to be filled, turn your irons up and use the 50/50 solder. Once it is set up, turn the iron down and use 60/40 to tin and bead. Since 60/40 becomes liquid at a lower temperaturethe 50/50 patch doesn't melt when they solder over it with the iron turned down.
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