Know When to Take a Break

 

Can you hear my big sigh? Peacock blue is more brittle than the other colors I have been cutting. Piece #23 did not break on the score line. If you look closely just above the pattern piece #18 you can see where it was scored. SIGH! It's the first piece to break, which isn't terrible. I have more glass AND, this was the first piece out of about 25 pieces that broke. 

That said, experience has taught me that when glass starts to break....WALK AWAY! So I did!

I will take a breath (maybe 2) and then I will go back to cutting....tomorrow! Wish me luck!

"Striking" Glass

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 Here's an early shot of the triptych in process. What you see appears to be blue glass but if I process it correctly in the kiln it will "strike" violet. SO Awesome! (I was going to say, so 'cool' but .... cool is a relative term in the world of fused glass!)

Striker glass is a glass that when heated properly will shift color. If I don't process it correctly it will remain blue but might also develop some brown spots! YUCK!

According to Bullseye glass, "Some gold-bearing striking glasses, like this one, should be fired with a 2 hour hold at 1225°F during the initial stages of the firing cycle. If fired without this hold, they may not strike at all, or they may strike but appear spotty and have a blue-brown cast, as opposed to the desired target color. Know Your Gold Hold."

I'm going to do a test run first to see if I can get the color I am looking for, while continuing to cut my pieces.  

If you look closely at the photo you'll see numbers and initials. The initials represent the color of glass and the numbers allow me accurate placement of each piece (matching with he master pattern.) SB means Sky Blue, PB= Peacock Blue.....etc.

I'm about 25% complete in terms of getting all the pieces cut out. I'll have a bit of grinding and then cleaning to do ... and then there is placing the border on each piece before each piece goes into the kiln separately.  More about the border later!

Cutting Up

 As with most projects, the concept needs to be developed, thought through, and then designed. For the triptych, I wanted something flowing and calm. It's going into my Rabbi's office and it will hopefully be a visual piece that hides some of the parking lot view that sits just outside the windows.  Since the office space is used for counseling, teaching, planning and "generic" rabbinic work, it needs to offer the Rabbi and visitors a sense of peace and tranquility. An additional consideration is that there is another art piece (blown glass) on the wall, so my colors need to work with it.

I enlisted the help of a friend who draws with ease and thus, a master pattern was created. Together we worked on colors, making sure the ribbons of color flow accurately from panel to panel. A quick trip to FedEx allowed me to make a set of copies to cut up. The originals are set out under the clear glass to guide my placement. 

Each piece is labeled with a number and a color coding...example:

SB *12 means sky blue piece, 12 and the asterisk means it flows to another piece and I should make sure it lines up.

All my violet glass pieces are cut out and placed. I'll probably need to grind a few edges, but I won't know that until neighboring pieces are finished. Today, I will return to the studio to work on Sky Blue.

Saw Woes Resolved....Onward!

 Sometimes we are at the mercy of our tools! I love my Taurus ring saw....but it does require care and maintenance. That is not my strength! 

Thankfully my husband is willing to replace belts, blades, grommets...and more. In addition to all these replacements, it turns out I needed new ball bearings...so during the down time I had, I scrubbed out the minuscule particles of glass dust that seemed to also have an impact on the belt.   Phew! much to my relief, all is repaired and the saw is working. 

Onward....the triptych awaits!

I'm on a Podcast!

 I had hoped to update you all on my progress with the triptych I began...but alas, my Taurus ring saw needed a new belt....and then I realized it could use a new blade....and then I realized that all the grommets also should be replaced. No problem. I had all those parts...or so I thought. In replacing the tiny grommets used to stabilize the blade, I discovered that the ball bearings were damaged.... So I await the arrival of ball bearings.... 2 for $7 plus a $10 shipping fee. NO COMMENT!

So instead I offer you a humble bit of self promotion.  I don't know why I was invited to be interviewed...but it was a fun and unique experience. Thank you Rockne Roll, editor of the Portland Jewish Review for this opportunity. Interested? you can find the interview at:

Eddy Shuldman Podcast