The Delphi Blog

How did you get started in glass? I have always admired stained glass but never thought I would have the patience for it. It seemed like the process was daunting. I am the 'webmistress' for my Fremont Harley Owners Group Chapter and a lady in the Chapter created a glass panel to honor another member's wife who had passed. I mentioned to her that I'd always thought about doing stained glass but figured it was too hard. She offered to come teach me and change my mind. Last April, she did just that. It is labor intensive - but as a website developer I've developed the patience for intricate things. Why glass? I'm a very visual person, have always been artistic, and love vivid colors. Ever since I was little, I remember my mom washing out empty noxema bottles (cobalt blue) so I could hold them up to the light. I loved going to church just to look at the gorgeous stained glass windows. My favorite moment is holding panels up to the light for the first time. It's always an oooo ahhhh moment for me. How have your other interests/hobbies/career influenced your glass designs? Things I love show up in my glass panels, like my cats. I love red chili peppers a

We are all looking to make connections. The success of social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube prove it. We want to connect with people who have similar interests and affinities. We want to share our likes and dislikes with others-our time and talents. Perhaps this is why Delphi's Art Glass Festival has been so successful, especially in recent years. The Michigan Art Glass Festival brings in art glass enthusiasts from all over the world to meet Delphi instructors, art glass industry experts and fellow glass artists. More than 1,000 art glass enthusiasts poured into Delphis Creativity Center in 2010 and more are expected this year. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and learn more about art glass, said Lisa Parks, Executive Director of Delphi Glass. Its so neat to see people reunite who havent seen each other since previous Festivals. The level of competition increases each year as well. We are always amazed at the projects we receive, Parks said. It seems the bar is raised every year. All of the entries are put on display in the Lansing Creativity Center for visitors to peruse. Admission is free. The second arm of the Art Glass Festival is t

If you're looking for a reason to go Las Vegas, (as if you need a reason!) consider attending the 2011 Glass Craft and Bead Expo. The expo, held every Spring, comes alive with hundreds of classes and exhibitors, and this year will be no different. Classes will take place March 30 - April 3, and the show floor will be open April 1 - 3. Here are just a few of the unique classes that caught my eye. The full class line-up is available on the Expo website . Beginning Dichroic Boro Marbles by Josh Mazet Offhand Flamework Glass Blowing by Suellen Fowler Working with Reactive Glass, Opaline Color Shifts, Shadows and More! by Gail Stouffer Kiln Formed Dimensional Glass by Diana Wondergem Screen Printing on Glass by Tony Glander Up-Cycle It: Kiln Casting with Recycled Glass by Petra and Wolfgang Kaiser Beginning Fritography with Michael Dupille There are also several classes on photography and Photoshop software, and Internet success for your business. If you do plan to attend, please stop by the Delphi booth. We have a large booth every year with Delphi experts on hand to answer your product questions. Delphi also donates supplies to GC&B Expo ins

@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } A few weeks ago I attended an arts festival in Tampa. And while I was pleasantly surprised to see so many glass artists showing, I noticed that many of the artists were displaying similar items. In fact, the show could have been called the Dichroic Cabochon Show. There were trays and trays of these cabochons at every booth, and while they looked beautiful sparkling in the sunlight, I wondered how many were actually selling. Artists making projects to sell at shows, giftshops or online, should try to diversify their offerings. Go one step further and offer something a little bit different. Flip through fashion magazines, peruse mall storefronts, and log into craft site forums to find out whats really selling. Here are some interesting pieces I found online (that I would love to wear!) There are so many possibilities with Dichroic glass; dont get stuck in a cabochon rut! Looking to purchase dichroic glass?

I love listening to the stories our customers share with us, especially during the holiday season. It seems this year there is a reoccurring theme. Snow globes. Water or snow globes are a huge decorating trend for holiday 2010. I remember fondly my very first snow globe, given to me on Christmas Eve, 1961. Right after the Christmas Church pageant, I was awarded an Away in the Manager globe for remembering all my lines in the play. I also remember, with a smile, the last episode of the TV show St. Elsewhere when the autistic son, looked into his snow globe, shook it and the entire hospital came alive. Did you know that water globes (The correct name, snow globes-came much later) have an interesting history? Water globes first appeared in the late 1800's in France and are believed to be derived from the concept of paperweights. The first water globe was a palm-sized glass globe featuring the Eiffel Tower as the center piece with a ceramic base. It was introduced to the public in the 1889 Paris Exposition and became a great souvenir item. Snow globes spread across Europe from France to Germany, Austria, Poland and then England. Figurines, clocks, dolls, medals and wedding flo

Looking to expand the scope of your bottle cutting projects? Listen up. Diamond Tech International has just created a new bottle cutter, the Generation Green (G 2 ) bottle cutter. Its clever design allows users to cut anywhere along the bottles curved body and to cut rings of various sizes. The tool is adapted to cut almost any size glass container including wide-mouth jar and oversize wine bottles, a feature customers have been specifically asking for. And its lightweight frame allows users to cut bottles in a few quick steps. Sturdy construction and a 6-wheeled turret cutting head helps ensure long product life. The G 2 can be used for creating a variety of projects, ranging from hanging pots and votive holders to glass jewelry. It earns Delphis title of Earth Friendly because it allows artists to repurpose used bottles into components for glass art. In addition, it is constructed entirely from recycled materials.

The grinding head on my grinder is frozen on the motor shaft. How do I remove it? You may find that you can move the grinder head down, but not up and off, the shaft. This is due to the shaft becoming larger for one of two reasons. First, glass, dust and debris accumulate on the shaft. This coating builds up and makes the shaft larger. The second possibility is a nick or scar on the shaft, causing the same thing. In either case, push the bit down to get it out of the way. Then, using a fine steel wool, gently polish the motor shaft (with the motor running) for about a minute. The bit will usually then just lift right off! If this attempt does not work, you can apply an anti-seize liquid or spray (such as WD-40) onto the grinding head and motor shaft. Wait 10 or 12 hours and try removing the bit. As a last resort, you can try using a faucet handle/washer remover (from a friendly plumber or hardware store). This tool is used by placing the center of the remover on top of the motor shaft and the pullers beneath the outer edges of the bottom of the grinding head. Here are a few things you can do to help prevent your grinding head from becoming frozen onto the motor

"Quick! I need a last minute gift, and I need it now." What should I do? What should I give? I have no time left, and I will not go to the MALL one more time. Sound familiar? Is this just a repeat from past years? Do you want a simple solution? Let the Delphi Elves help you eliminate the stress, the frustration and headaches and achieve Ultimate Holiday Bliss. OK maybe, thats pushing it a little far, but we do have some awesome gift ideas that you can create in fewer than three hours in most cases. I have selected some of my favorites to give and receive.

My panels always grow, even though I use pattern shears. Should the pieces, once cut and ground, fit in the white part of the pattern leaving the black lines to represent lead or foil? That is exactly where the pieces should fit. But as you have found out, sometimes thats easier said than done. Lets take a look at all the places your pieces can grow: 1) Making a copy of your pattern for cutting out pattern pieces. First, determine if the line width on your pattern is appropriate for copper foil or lead. When tracing the pattern, try a few different felt pens until you find one that is the appropriate width for the technique you are using. The wrong width pen may cause the pattern pieces to be either too big, or too small. A good way to determine the appropriate width is to make some test cuts using your pattern shears. (There are two sizes of shears, one for lead and one for copper foil.) 2) Cutting out the pattern pieces. Using the appropriate pattern shears, remove the black line (which represents the foil or lead). If you dont use pattern shears, be sure to cut the entire black line away. 3) Tracing your pattern pieces onto the glass. Once your pattern

Looking for some easy holiday projects that you can make with the whole family? Here are a few great ideas courtesy of our friends at Diamond Tech International. There are a few great fusing projects and several simple mosaic ideas as well. Click on "Download the PDF" to print out the step-by-step project guides. Happy Crafting!

How did you get started in fused glass art? It seems that fused glass is really just one step in a progression of mediums that started while I was dabbling in ceramics. I am not formally trained in fine arts (I was a fine arts major for my freshman year in college before the fear of failure set in and I switched to communications) so all my art training has been personally pursued. A number of years later, I must have happened across a warm glass site or a book and the deal was sealed. I did a Craigslist search the next week and immediately found someone in Bangor looking to sell her glass fusing studio for $400. Everything I needed to get startedkiln, glass, glov es, shelf paper etc. It was almost eerie how easily I happened across exactly what I was looking for - especially in Midcoast Maine (which is a very rural area). I will say that it has taken me into my 30s (and no formal art training) to finally find a medium that I feel so desperately passionately aboutthat I want to stay with it for a while - years, decadesmaybe a lifetime. How would you describe your design aesthetic? Industrial Organic. What does that mean? Beats meI guess I like to think that its a bl