Glass Information and Education

Glass Archive Organized by month.
July 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007

May 30, 2007

One of the most recent additions to the website is our "How To Make.." section. There you can learn such things as how to blow glass or how to make your own glass frit. Also if you can think of any how to articles you would like to see in that section than drop us an email and well see what we can do.

May 26, 2007

I was recently asked a question about what "end of day" meant when describing glass. Unfortunately I had no idea. But not having a clue didn't mean I wasn't going to find out the answer with my Sherlock Holmes like tenacity. So what did I do? I asked someone else of course. That counts as having mad detective skills right?

After finding out the answer to the above question I figured I would pass on this knowledge to you. So what does "end of day" mean when describing glass? It means the following...

Glass made of 2 or more colors swirled together. It gets it's name from the fact workers were unwilling to waste the last bits of colored batch at the end of the day so they combined them. Bakelite jewelry is famous for doing this. Many thrifty glass artists still do. Small amounts of leftover frit are sometimes combined at the end of the day/night, saved up, and called 'confetti'. When enough of a pleasing combination has accumulated, it is used in a vessel.

May 25, 2007

Did you know that there are three different types of hand held glass cutters out there? So when you cutting into that sweet new sheet of Bullseye or Spectrum glass you can do it with either a pistol grip cutter, a pencil grip cutter, or a carbide steel wheel cutter. Wow! Don't all those choices just leave you speechless....

May 18, 2007

You can now search for books on glass by the authors last name in the Glass Books section of this site. Go check it out.....On second thought nevermind...I mean come on, who ever heard of anybody learning anything from a book?!

May 16, 2007

Another book that I thought was impressive and picked up as a gift was "Basic Stained Glass Making"- All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started. Published in 2003 this book provides excellent step by step guides for stained glass projects and is filled with a plethora of informative images.

May 9, 2007

Recently while shopping for a birthday gift I picked up the book 1000 Glass Beads - Innovation & Imagination in Contemporary Glass. The book is a wonderful resource for glass bead makers who are looking for inspiration. With 408 pages this book is packed with tons of beautiful images that could easily help bring a glass artist out of a creativity rut.

May 7, 2007

When it comes to buying glass tools and supplies don't forget that the local hardware store can be your best friend. Granted glass specialty sites and stores do offer quite an array of useful products that you can't find anywhere else but the hardware store is great for finding and making your own glass tools. Just take a walk down their aisles and let your imagination go wild.

May 3, 2007

So yesterday we said that summer was the best time to buy your glass supplies because of all the sales. But where do you find these sales? Heck, where do you even purchase glass materials in the first place? I could just say look for them on the internet but that would just be cruel!

So if you were to take a peek at the catalogues on our bookshelf's you would find glass suppliers like....Bullseye Glass, Delphi, Spectrum Glass, Uroboros Glass Studios, Wasser Glass Co, C&R LOO Inc., MBCO, Jim Moore and many more.

May 2, 2007

Spring has sprung and it's time to start thinking about summer. Why? Because the best time to buy glass supplies is during the summer months. You'll find that many glass shops close down for a few months during the summer because it's just plain to hot in the studios to blow glass. Thus to boost profits the glass supply companies offer sales during this period. Which is definitely a good thing for all of us who haven't made it rich yet selling our glass art!

May 1, 2007

Today's glass tip is brought to you by the letter "H" Remember you can't spell "Hydration" without the letter H.

So it's starting to get warmer out, Hurray! However, glassblowers who work in the hot shop during these hotter days should take a few extra precautions. First make sure that you drink plenty of water before, during and after your blowslot. Second try to work with a partner and if at any time your do not feel well stop blowing glass immediately.