Randy Wardell

Randy Wardell

Randy Wardell has been in the art glass industry for more than 30 years and has done it all, from teaching to selling retail supplies and running a custom glass studio, to managing a major glass wholesale warehouse. In 1983 he founded Wardell Publications Inc. to produce instruction and pattern books for the glass craft industry. Randy is the author of 10 books and his company has created and released more than 50 published products into the market. He is a writer, editor and frequent contributor to glass craft magazines and informational websites.  

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The Notch and Fire Polish Technique in Jewelry

How-To
Most of us have the perception that great art can only be created by mastering intricate and complicated procedures. However when you listen and learn from really creative people very often you will find the most effective touches are added using straightforward and uncomplicated techniques. Master teacher Jayne Persico uses a simple technique called Notch and Fire Polish to add dramatic designs to her jewelry creations. Jayne uses a diamond wiresaw to cut notches and scroll work into her glass jewelry blanks. Then she fire polishes these scroll-notches allowing them to take on a lace-like appearance. The effect is beautiful on its own but the addition of wire wrapping and glass beads will take the work to a whole new level of sophistication. Discover how you can create masterworks like these in Jaynes jewelry book Innovative Adornments. This Randys ProTip brought to you from the book Innovative Adornments by Jayne Persico. Visit Wardell Publications .

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Thinking About Making an Identical Set of Dinnerware?

Business Tips
Your aunt has asked you to make an identical matched set of bowls for her. But Im going to suggest that you try to get her to think differently. Experience tells us you can repeat a design to create a set that is close but chances are they will not be precisely alike (thats one of the appeals of handmade). So instead of identical, work within a design theme then create variations on that design to give each item in the set individual character. In other words, plan to make your designs different right from the beginning and people will appreciate your creativity as a special endowment. Besides matched sets are made by a robots not one-off artists like us fusers. This Randys ProTip brought to you from the book Introduction to Glass Fusing by Petra Kaiser. Visit Wardell Publications.

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Is It Safe to Use Fused Glass for Dinnerware?

Everything Else
The official answer from the glass manufacturers is, All tested compatible glasses have been tested by the FDA for food bearing surfaces and were determined to be suitable. However, if you add other processes or compounds to the items, for example paint, stains, decals, glazes, etc. it is important to check that these items are also approved for food bearing surfaces. In addition it is of the utmost importance that dinnerware items be properly annealed, especially if youre going to place hot food on them - the thermal shock could cause a break in poorly annealed items. This Randys ProTip brought to you from the book Introduction to Glass Fusing by Petra Kaiser. Visit Wardell Publications. Also, at Delphi we take food safety and dinnerware very seriously. We always recommend that certain glasses are capped with clear. These are usually irids, dichro and glass with texture, since these can also trap food particles. Please see this Bullseye link for more information: http://www.bullseyeglass.com/products/faq/#faq_011

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Divitrification After a Full-Fuse Firing

How-To
Have you ever noticed ugly, hazy, gray coloration around the edges of your full-fused designs? This is especially noticeable when placing darker colored or iridized glass designs on a lighter colored background but it can happen with any color combination. This phenomenon is known as edge-devit (devitrification) and is most often caused by grinding the glass edges prior to fusing. This also occurs when using a diamond blade saw to cut your glass. One glass manufacturer explains it this way; The roughened edges in the ground area create thousands of tiny points from which crystal growth can easily propagate. The best solution is to score and break the glass as close to your final shape as possible to minimize grinding (or better yet avoid it altogether). If you must grind you could try using a light coat of clear overglaze (i.e. Fusemaster Super Spray) on the ground areas to create a clear surface glaze. This Randys ProTip brought to you by the book, Introduction to Glass Fusing by Petra Kaiser. Visit Wardell Publications .

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