The Delphi Blog

Imagine creating waterfalls that actually shimmer or night stars that really twinkle. Delphi is bringing in guest instructor Janet Schrader to show students at the Lansing Creativity Center how to do just that. Janet will show students how to achieve different textures, colors and effects with mica powder. Mica can be used to liven up Christmas ornaments, jewelry, mixed media projects and more. Each student will make a pendant and several samples to take home. Class will be held Thursday, Jun 24th from  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Glass Artist Janet Schrader lives outside Olympia WA where she has been doing glass since 1979. She has won both local and national competitions for her stained glass and jewelry designs. Always wanting to find something exciting and different to do with glass kept Janet creating and developing new designs and one-of-a-kind works of art. The same desire for something new has lead her to write 11 art glass design and instructional books that are distributed by CKE publications. More about Lansing Creativity Center Classes

Foiling and crimping. Most glass people either hate it or love it. Its one of those jobs that just has to get done one way or the other. Foiling glass is a no brainer, and the technique can be mastered in a matter of minutes, but crimpingwell , lets just say that it has its variations. One method that I picked up from the productions shop I first worked in has always proved to be the quickest and most efficient: Finger fids. Whats a finger fid? What youll need: 1. Masking tape 2. Your fingers Step One: Extend the thumb, index and middle fingers of the hand you usually crimp your foil with; or if you use a fid, the hand you usually hold your fid with. Step Two: Cut about ten short strips of masking tape approximately 3 long. Step Three: Beginning with any one of your fingers, wrap the tape over the tip of your finger and press it onto the sides. Wrap a second strip over your finger tip at a right angle to the first. Finally wrap a third strip of tape around your finger covering the two tape ends. Step Four: Repeat for your middle finger and thumb (Suggestion: you might want to put an extra layer of tape on your thumb since that finger usuall

1. Make sure that your pieces are clean and dry. Cut a piece of clear contact paper, remove the backing and lay it sticky-side-up over the pattern. 2. This is a perfect way to hold cut glass, globs, jewels, or marbles in place for tack soldering. As you can see in the photo, you can even move the sheet around and, if you are careful, you shouldn’t disturb the glass at all. 3. Tack solder the pieces to each other as you normally would. Then, remove the contact paper and finish soldering the front before turning the project over and soldering the back. Reprinted with permission from Stained Glass News. All rights reserved.

I admit it. Im a fake. When Delphi hired me to be the Social Media/PR Specialist, I was looking for a reprieve from my graphic design job at a small local magazine. I longed for a more creative outlet. A place where I could learn new things, write about them and interact with others. Delphi was a perfect fit. Only problem was I didnt know a thing about art glass. Id witnessed my mother, a botanical illustrator and painter, create a few large-scale stained glass patterns for her friend (a real stained glass artist), and that was the extent of my experience with the craft. I knew nothing of fusing or sandblasting or lampworking. My experience with mosaics extended no further than my fifth-grade Tessellation project. I felt worthless. I started researching online, talking to Delphi experts and interacting with artists on Facebook and Twitter. I was learning a lot, but I still felt like a phony among glass geniuses. What I needed was complete immersion. That finally came in the form of a trip to the Delphi Creativity Center in Lansing. And herein begins my journey. Stay tuned for Part II...

Do you have a question or comment? Please contact us at [email protected] Dear Delphi, I am a stay at home Mom who loves jewelry. I am looking at different ideas on how to make some extra income and not be away from my two daughters. I have some basic skills but I am more interested in what is hot on the fashion scene. Can you help? Thanks for asking, and we think we have some great ideas and simple solutions for you.The big looks today involve color and metal. Some examples of metal that have become extremely popular are fine and medium gauge wires in sliver and sterling. These wires are used as hooks, shapes and handmade intricate designs. The openness of the wire and delicate sheen of the silver or sterling will give enough bling to your designs.I recommend the book Totally Twisted. It is an outstanding reference guide showcasing 20 different designs in a step-by-step method. It also explains how to combine glass and metal wires to create distinctive and unique jewelry pieces.Another great new look in the jewelry arena is beautifully aged stone and earthy designs-with rich patinas and sophisticated designs. Polymer Clay can emulate the real looks of

When and how did you get started in stained glass? I've been interested in stained glass for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would sit in churches and watch the (often) biblical depictions come to life when a stray ray of sunlight cast its illumination our way. Sun shadows dancing. I dabbled in many media over the years, trying to find an outlet for some of the visions careening inside, but none of them took. Drawing, painting - even watercolours - no amount of professional training could guide my hand in a satisfactory way. But then there was the glass. I lived abroad for a few years, and wound my way through Europe on my way back to the States when I finished my Peace Corps Service. My last international destination was Paris, where one of my closest friends lives as an organist. Two beautiful autumn weeks of divine pastries, lavender light, music, and myriad cathedrals. From the towering behemoth that is Notre Dame to the stone spires of Mont Saint Michel, I spent dizzying hours transfixed in glass. I took photographs of the coloured light cast through the glass and onto stone floors. The vibrancy was impossible to contain and I felt compelled. I needed glass in

I have some questions about Lead-Free Solder. Does it tarnish over time? Can you use patina on it? Does it flow like regular solder? Is it better than regular solder? We are sure that you arent the only one with these questions. Lets start with the question of whether or not its better than regular solder. Since the harm from lead is caused by ingestion, any project that will come in contact with food or food containers should be made with lead-free solder. In addition, anything that is handled, like jewelry or kaleidoscopes, should be made with lead-free solder. Hands have a terrible habit of making it into the mouth before they get washed! So, yes it is better than regular solder in these situations. As far as working with solder, you should be diligent about cleaning your hands after touching any solder. Dont eat, drink, smoke, or do anything while working that will cause you to ingest solder, regardless of what type you are using. So how does lead-free solder differ from regular solder? That depends on your definition of regular solder. The most popular solder used in copper foil work is 60/40 (60% tin, 40% lead). The other option is 50/50 (even amounts of tin

From our Facebook fans, here are a few household items that can be used as tools in art glass creation. Some great ideas here! Hairspray for gluing (the non-aerosol kind, the cheaper, the better!) Olive oil for your glass cutter The spoony straw from a slush puppie for pouring small amounts of frit Butter knives for bead making Chinese take out containers for storing smaller pieces of fusable glass. They are rectangular and stack well with a clear lid. Also, the soup containers to store frit (each size of frit in its own container stacked within the others of like color and only the top one needs a lid, and they are clear) Glass yogurt pots for storing frit and other bits Plastic containers that tubs of crystal light comes in for storing smaller pieces of glass. I also save the tubs for mixing glue/water, frit and water, paint, etc. Shelves that hold plastic bins for toys. Theyre great for storing scrap pieces of glass, sorting them out into colors. Needles stuck in pencil erasers for drawing designs in frit/paint Small skewers for smoothing copper foil and drawing designs in frit/paint Metal pick set (like dentists use - found at Harbor Fre

For more than 30 years, Kent Lauer has been working with glass . His passion lies with beveled glass in particular, and hes made a great impact on the craft with his cutting-edge (no pun intended) techniques. Living in Southern California, Kent has had the opportunity to work on custom glass for Hollywood stars, movies and commercials. He has written articles for Glass Craftsman magazine and Glass Patterns Quarterly. In addition, hes been teaching his techniques to students around the country for more than 25 years. Delphi is proud to have him teach at its Lansing Creativity Center next month. If you live in the Michigan area, or are planning to travel there this summer, we encourage you to look into taking Kents Faceted Dichroic Glass Pendants class. In this class, students make beautiful, faceted dichroic glass pendants and learn awesome cold working techniques. The brand new hands-on class covers all aspects of creating breathtaking pendants, from cutting thick glass with a diamond ring saw, to laminating and beveling. A thin layer of dichroic glass is laminated between two layers of beautiful Starphire glass, then ground and polished into an incredible jewel. No

You can make frit from leftover glass pieces in a few different ways. First, if you have a torch , simply heat your piece of scrap in the flame until it gets red but not drippy. Then drop it into a bowl of water (wearing protective eyewear, of course) and watch as the glass breaks into tiny little pieces. You could also choose to use a Frit Piston . Place compatible glass scraps into the frit piston, insert the upper plunger into the tube and plunge. The nice thing about the piston is that it allows you to create frit in any size you want. Another, perhaps less refined, way to create frit is to wrap your glass in a towel, grab a hammer and have at it. (This works especially well if you’ve had a bad week at work!) You can also try a good old-fashioned mortar and pestle . This works best with small pieces of scrap or large frit that you want to grind down.

Delphi Glass and ArtFire, the premier marketplace for handmade crafts, announce a new online art contest. The Ring of Fire Artist Challenge is open to all artisans. Entries are being accepted now. Contest ends June 30 and winners announced July 9, 2010. Following its annual festivities for National Art Glass Month, Delphi has organized another online event with the help of its partner ArtFire. The first annual Ring of Fire Artist Challenge is designed for all artisans of all crafts and abilities, inviting them to use common art supplies in new and creative ways. Artisans are asked to choose one or more items from the 10 products that make up the Ring of Fire. These items range from patterned dichroic glass and fine silver wire to mosaic tiles made entirely from recycled glass. Winners are chosen by popular vote and jury based on technical skill and creativity. A beginners category is also available. Grand prize includes a Delphi EZ-Pro Deluxe Kiln by Jen-Ken Kilns, which fires both glass and ceramics. Winners also receive many prizes from Delphi, ArtFire and all sponsoring companies. We created the Ring of Fire contest to support the handmade arts, to inspire creativi