Blog

A THOUSAND CRANES

Info from Glass Art Magazine and Wikipedia

Japanese legend is that if you fold 1000 cranes you will be granted a wish by the gods. The crane is a symbol of happiness and eternal youth so some believe that the 1000 origami paper cranes will bring you long life or recovery from illness or injury. In Japan the cranes which are strung together are very popular as wedding themes.

GERM’S 1000 CRANES PROJECT

Jeremy Grant-Levine (aka Germ) in 2018 is glass blowing 1000 cranes. Jeremy is being back by $92,000 Kickstarter campaign. This project will take 250 pounds of glass and approximately two miles of wire, totaling $20,000 in materials. When complete the work will on display at the Arch Enemy Arts gallery in Philadelphia. Jeremy is based in Philadelphia and has been flameworking glass pipes for over 13 years. He has exhibited at galleries in Philadelphia, Seattle, New York, Miami and Tel Aviv.

BUYING A KILN It is a big decision. It is a lot of money. It is a big piece of equipment that will take up space. There really is a lot to consider.

• How much space do you have
• Do you want to go to the expense of 220 line or get by with what you already have?
• Size of the kiln
• Programming

We sell Olympic Kilns at Stained Glass Express. www.greatkilns.com. We love their support and we love the kilns. Basically, you have a box made of firebrick that is attached to a controller. So the support piece is BIG. For your workspace you should be prepared to make it a fire proof space. Easily done. Flame resistant sheetrock or metal set away from the wall. Put it on something that won’t burn. Common sense kind of stuff. Don’t burn your house down. The big difference between having a 110 line and a 220 is the depth of the kiln. When there are two elements in the kiln you can run it on a 110 line. You just have to change the outlet to accommodate the commercial plug. Consider what you want to make. Jewelry and little dishes. You are good with a little kiln. If you think BIG, you will need a bigger kiln. Maybe one with a clamshell feature so that it opens from the top and the bottom. You can get one that bottom slides out. Features to consider when thinking about putting things in the kiln and getting them back out. If you want to do tall things like a drape lamp shade or vase you should consider bringing in that 220 line. The 220 allows the kiln to have three elements and therefore it can be deeper. Everyone I know, recommends upgrading to a digital controller. One where you can save multiple programs. We sell the RTC-1000 with great results. We can store 6 programs which pretty much covers everything. What you definitely do not want is one that you have to babysit and make sure it gets turned off. You run around with a timer around your neck (seriously) and I have heard terrible results of kilns burning through when someone went to bed and forgot. One more thing to put into your brain. If you think you ever might get into glass blowing or bead making you might consider a kiln with a punty door that you can use to anneal your beads. To see what Stained Glass Express offers https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/fusing_supplies/kilns-and-accessories/

Application 1. Clean glass is a must! Use ammonia or alcohol if needed. Avoid touching glass surface with your hands. 2. Remove the wax paper barrier before soaking. 3. With a good pair of small scissors trim about 1/16 inch away from the decal card 4. Curved-tip tweezers are very handy. 5. Wet the surface of the glass when applying the decal, it allows the decal to easily move into position. 6. To apply the decal, slide it slightly off of the paper and hold the paper edge with the tweezers. Position decal and hold exposed edge with finger, or a second pair of tweezers, on the glass while pulling paper from underneath. When the decal is in place hold with finder and blot excess water. Continue to gently blot, using an inside out rolling motion, until all the water and bubbles are out from underneath the decal, a small squeegee (credit card) is useful. Continue until the entire decal, including the edges, are firmly affixed to the clean glass surface. 7. Allow to dry completely before firing. The smallest amount of moisture can stream aprt the decal from the glass. Firing Conditions 1. Over-firing is disappointment. Decal are temperature sensitive, some colors more than others. The best results are achieved with the lower temperatures and slightly longer soak times. 2. Good ventilation in the kiln during the burn off phase, (500-900f), is important for all decals and critical for hi-ire and low-fire ) accents) metallic decals. Leave the lid vented till the kiln reaches 1100f. Info from Profusion Studio.

Just look at their thumbs! They are lined with little cuts! Right! So annoying! Comes from pushing little pieces of glass against the grinding wheel. Unlike when we started out in business in 1988, now there is a gadget to solve your every problem. There are lots to solve the cut thumb problem. Above: Thumb Pushers by Inland. Sku 2753tp. Low price and simple and easy to use. Above: Grinder tongs by Morton. Morton is the gadget king of the glass industry. Of course, they would have something. Sku 2779ga04 Above: The most substantial solution is by Glastar. The Griffi Glass Gripper. Sku 2051 Above: The most unusual solution are Finger Gloves. Not really made for this purpose but folks tell us they use them for grinding. Sku fg

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: Armstong—Clarity, richness and depth in art glass! It is difficult to know what is going on with Armstrong. They moved their factory to China many years ago and then came back. However, they no longer had a factory. So we heard it was being manufactured by Wissmach and Kokomo. We see no evidence of that and are not sure where it comes from. However, it is totally beautiful. We try to stock 24 different # but are not always successful as the supply is not consistent. Bullseye—Is based on Portland, Oregon. I toured they plant a couple of years ago 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 comtemporary 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. Firebox—We tired our hand at importing. We have 8 beautiful colors that with a great deal of effort we managed to get here. The price is right and the colors are wonderful. Our of the 10 colors we brought in we had the forethought to bring in two reds and one pink. So while reds and pinks prices have really risen, we have some that remains affordable! 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! Spectrum—We stock more spectrum than anything else. We stock stained glass, fusing glass and cabinet glass from Spectrum. It cuts great and they just keep coming out with more and more fun and beautiful products. They give great retailer support. That is where The Score with its info and free patterns come from. I have toured their factory and it is BIG business! Uroboros—I also toured here. I watched each sheet being handmade! They have been in business since 1973. They have a “broad range of beaufiul and indispensable sheet glass styles for discerning glass artists worldwide.” On glass unloading days we live for the uroboros sheets. Each sheet is different and beautiful. Van Gogh—We are not certain if Van Gogh is a manufacturer but it sure is different than anything else. What I have read is that it is a glue chip glass, painted with auto paint. 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 glass with a 90 coe. 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!

Probably the most important tool decision you make is your glass cutter. There are a lot to choose from. There are two things to consider. What the wheel is made of and which shape is most comfortable for you. The heads will be either steel or carbide. Carbide is more expensive but far outlasts steel. Most of the steel cutters are what people call “ throw aways”. That is because they do not have replacement wheels. When they get dull you just throw them away. The steel wheels come in different sizes and different angles. Some are better for soft glass and others for hard glass. The size and angle determine this. You can purchase a steel wheel cutter (at this writing) for less than $10. The carbide cutters are way more expensive. Some can be in the $40 range. Many are self-lubricating which is very convenient. The most common shapes are pencil and pistol. There is also the saddle and then some more unique ones. There are also specialty cutters. There is the Score 1 Cutter that looks like a sewing machine and scores by running the glass through it. There are circle cutters that cut score with either a single head cutter or with a wheel turret. There are circle cutters specifically for small circles. Some circle cutters double as a strip cutter. There is even one that doubles as an oval cutter. There are also a series of cutter aides put out by Morton and Cutters Mate. These are things like jig systems and tools to help break after you have scored.

Uroboros 60541 cobalt blue with sky blue, cobalt blue rondells and cobalt blue dalle glass smashed up! Artist is Jane Burke. Note glass counter top. Spandral glass! Beautiful.

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

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.

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.

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