The Delphi Blog

My time is limited and I can only work in 2-4 hour intervals. Are there any preventative steps that I should take to assure that my work will be in good shape when I return? Many hobbyists find themselves in the same position, and this is a very good question. We cant cover every possible scenario, but hopefully we can help. Obviously, there are areas where it wont make any difference if you get interrupted. For instance, pattern prep, glass cutting, fitting, and grinding. However, if you do find that you need to stop in the middle of applying copper foil, youll need to think about how long it will be until you can resume the job. If it will only be a few days, there isnt anything special that youll need to do. But if it will be longer than that (or you live in a particularly humid area), your foil may show signs of oxidation when you return. (Oxidation happens to metal when its exposed to the air. It can prevent a nice solder job, so its important to avoid it, or at least know how to clean it up.) To keep oxidation to a minimum, store the foiled pieces in a plastic zipper bag, or cover them as well as you can with plastic wrap. This will limit the amount of air that ca

My second day in Lansing was the day Id been waiting for. Classes. I met instructors Val Oswalt and Roy Kapp. When I say experts, Im not kidding. (Those of you whove taken classes with them know what I mean.) Online marketing expert Stacy Daniels joined me for the fusing portion of instruction. After much discussion over terms and techniques, we created small glass tiles for firing. These would eventually be slumped into small jewelry dishes. Here are a few beginner fusing tips I wrote down: 1. Theres no real benefit to using 90 COE over 96 COE (or vice versa) 2. Never fuse more than one layer of glass over your mold (create your layered effect first if you so choose) 3. Molten glass wants to be inch thick. Plan your piece accordingly. 4. All kilns are different. Dont be surprised if you have to adjust your firing schedule. 5. Take notes to keep from repeating mistakes in the future. Next on the docket was flameworking. The whole thing appeared so intimidating with the torch billowing out fiery blue and orange gas. Watching Vals hands move with such precision and coordination amazed me. Flameworking is a delicate dance - moving the glass rod and ma

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 .

No two ways about it, getting a good black patina on zinc came can be a problem. But it is not impossible. I sometimes tell my students that the best thing about using zinc on their project, is that it will probably disappear inside their projects wood frame, but that doesnt have to be the case. Follow these few simple steps and youll find that, with a few modifications to standard patina finishing procedure, getting a nice dark finish on zinc isnt such a mystery after all. You wont be able to get a copper sulfate finish on zinc; the chemicals just wont work, but you can get a number of shades from light charcoal to black Step One: Metal Prep Zinc fresh out of the case, like any other metal, will immediately begin to oxidize. You may not be able to see any visible signs of oxidation, but believe me, its there. To combat oxidation in preparation for applying any patina to your zinc, you should first go over the metal surface with a fine grade steel wool (000 or 0000 grade will work just fine. See photo top left). As you do this, you will notice a difference in the finish of the zinc (See photos right). Compare the freshly cleaned areas of your zinc came with untouched ar

Tulips are my favorite flower. They symbolize the coming of spring, new beginnings and the end of winter's cold, dark days. Tulips are not too showy or too dramatic. They are subtle but striking. I think they are perfect. Like most flowers, different colors of tulips represent different feelings and emotions. According to ProFlowers.com, red represents true love, purple represents royalty, white stands for forgiveness and yellow conveys cheerfulness. If you're a beginning stained glass artist and you're looking for a simple lead project that will be treasured for years to come, try this Free Tulip Pattern from Glass Patterns Quarterly . You could make a tulip of every color!

Youve spent the last several days in a flurry of activity getting ready for the show. Reaching, lifting, bending, packing, shoving, sitting for hours during travel, standing in awkward positions while unpacking, setting up your booth, walking back and forth on uneven ground. Perhaps youve even been subjected to extreme temperature changeswind, rain, drafts. In any case, youre finally done. Youve certainly earned a few moments of relaxation, so you reach for a cool (or hot) drink, plop yourself down in a foldout or canvas chair, slump back, stretch out your legs, and survey the efforts of your labors. Now its time to get up and greet a prospective buyer. But you cant move! Pain shoots through your back, your legs and your shoulders. You look and feel like a chick trying to peck its way out of an egg as you struggle to get up and out of your chair. Here is whats going on : Those musculoskeletal problems from your past have just come back to haunt you again in spades. Old, forgotten injuries, some from childhood, have away of returning when you least expect them, especially at times of physical and emotional stress. The cause? Previously injured and weakened muscles a

Ah, the perfect scoreevery glass cutters dream . But is there really such a thing? Lets put it this way: If you run your glass cutter around your pattern, apply pressure to the glass surface and the glass breaks predictablywhats so imperfect about that? Nothing really, but if your su cessful breaks are the product of luck rather than skill, well hope for the best, but expect otherwise. To guarantee a good glass score every time takes nothing more than observing a few non-negotiable facts about how your glass cutter interacts with you and your glass. Step One: Get Comfortable You must be comfortable with your glass cutter. If you havent already, find a glass cutter you like, and most importantly, likes you back. That means finding a glass cutter that isnt uncomfortable to hold. You should be able to cut glass without getting fatigued or feeling any pain. Blisters are sometimes unavoidable, but pain and fatigue will undoubtedly frustrate you. The right, comfortable glass cutter will allow you a long cutting session, during which you can concentrate on technique and not be distracted by discomfort. Step Two: Get In Position Position is everything. The wheel at the end

In my family, the Fourth of July is right up there with Christmas. Family comes in from all over, matching shirts are distributed, lawn chairs are hosed down in preparation for the local parade, and sparklers are lit even before the sun goes down. When "us kids" were younger (we're now all in our 20s), there was always a Fourth of July craft planned to keep us busy. Now that we're older, we've moved beyond the Uncle Sam toilet paper holder puppets, but still look forward to our time together. Here are a few grown-up craft projects for Independence Day to share with your family. If nothing else, I hope these images inspire you to enjoy and appreciate this Fourth of July- happy crafting!

1. Make the glass strips as wide as you'd like your mosaic chunks to be. Strips about 1/2" to 3/4 " usually work well. 2. Snip small pieces off the strip. Aiming your mosaic cutter straight across the strip will produce "squares" and "rectangles." Aiming the cutter at an angle (the same angle each time you cut) will give you "diamonds." A combination of aiming straight across the strip and at alternating angles will produce "triangles." 3. Once you've aimed the cutter, just squeeze the handles until a piece of glass breaks off. Or, you can snip pieces off a larger piece of glass. Cut near the edge and work towards the middle. This will produce random "moon" shaped pieces, which you can use to fill in small areas of background. They also make nice leaves.

I was 22 weeks pregnant and already humongous , if that's not too much information. I boarded the plane hoping that I would have a somewhat comfortable flight from Tampa to Flint. After getting settled, I make a To-Do list for my trip. 1. Try not to knock over anything breakable with enormous belly. 2. Try to keep emotional outbursts to a minimum even if first few lampworking beads are lumpy piles of goo. 3. Remember to wear protective clothing so as not to light body parts on fire. 4. Arrive a novice, leave an expert.

We each have our own unique style of presentation and interaction with our attending students. That being said, I believe that there is a set of principles relating to the teaching process that might be useful to review and clarify so that they are readily available for future reference. Advance Planning You and your students will benefit if you ask them to bring either images or actual samples of their work. You will need to identify the point where each one is in his or her career so that you can work to move them forward from that point. Each will be different, and the more informed you are, the better youll be able to serve their needs. Do this as early in the class as possible, if not before. I also find it helpful to communicate via e-mail prior to starting the class with an encouraging note. Check the class listing in the catalogueit is common for the host to miss something or misstate something. You can give a bit more information in the e-mail. Be sure to mention what it is that you want them to bring to the classsamples of work, images, objects to work from, specific questions, or projects to work on. Decide in advance what the focus of the class is goin