The Delphi Blog

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

It's clear from all of your pieces that you love working with bright colors. Where do you get your love for color? I just love color! Without color, life can be dull. Color helps to create mood, passion, emotion and can bring out the best in people. How would you describe your artistic style? I believe that my style can be categorized as "beachy." I love the beach and surfing, but I also love the woods and nature, so sometimes it's "nature inspired." You have done several beautiful mosaics and stained glass panels, and I also understand you do some fused glass work and bead making. What's your favorite medium and why? I love making mosaics because that's what led me to glass in the first place. I go through spurts though. I'll make a whole bunch of mosaics and then make beads in between. Then I'll switch it up and make a stained glass piece. I guess it's just what I want to do that week or what idea I wake up that day. I read in the Jersey Star Ledger that you're an avid surfer, hunter, runner, biker, rock climber, snow board and overall outdoor rockstar! How do you make time for your art? Balance. And sometimes really really late nights working in the studio!! It

Chances are, right now, in reading this blog post, youre avoiding an overdue task . I too was avoiding a laundry list of work-related tasks in writing this. Procrastination is a part of life, and its certainly always been a part of mine. As a teenager, my parents would accuse me of putting off everything from piano practice to math homework. Id vehemently deny their charges hissing back, I work better under pressure!The truth was, I often felt overwhelmed, under-productive and anxious. Over the years, Ive been able to combat my avoidance issues using 4 tools. The trick is constantly reminding myself of these actions, because they do not come naturally to me. 1. Just Say No! I say yes to everything. Need someone to head up that event? Sure! Want me to design 12 posters for the Car Wash? No problem! Take your kid to daycare? Of course! Saying yes inevitably leads me to bite off more than I can chew. I often say yes because Im afraid if I dont, the chore wont get done, or wont get done as well. I finally realized, so what? Chances are, if it doesnt get done, or done as well, it wont be the end of the world. 2. Keep your To-Do List Short. Once you decide what you are goi

When John Falibota of Girard, Ohio, told his wife he was going to take a stained glass class, she couldn't stop laughing . John had a life-long fear of cut glass. If a glass broke in the house, he wouldn't go near it for fear of cutting himself. But over time his fear subsided, and in 1984 he and his wife, Marlene, started attending craft shows and eventually opened their very own stained glass store in 1999. Their 1,200 sg. ft. store provided classes and supplies as well as fulfilled custom orders. Seven years later, they moved to an even larger store (2,375 sq. ft.) and added imported blown glass and Russian glass animals to their inventory. Due to the tough economic climate, John and Marlene recently moved again to a smaller store (1,600 sq. ft.). They dropped the imported glass and returned to their roots-teaching, supplies and custom work. They carry tools, glass and anything else one would need for stained glass art work. They also specialize in kitchen cabinet doors. If you're interested in taking one of John's classes, book early. He limits his classes to three people, so it's a very personalized approach. Since he started teaching, John has taught close to 4

Delphi merchandiser Kayleigh McGrath recently shared some photos from her early days at Delphi. She was playing around with different colors and textures of glass and learning the hard way that there are limits to what you can do (and can't do) in fusing. The first image shows what happened when Kayleigh layered dichroic glass, coating to coating. The base is 90 COE dichroic rainbow pixi stix on black, (Delphi item: 921714) and the top is an old texture we don't carry any more (cyan red radium on clear.) The second image is of a piece Kayleigh loved so much she impatiently removed it from the kiln when it was still too hot (haven't we all done this!) As you can see, it suffered thermal shock. This was made with the same 90 COE pixi stix on black for the base and capped with Delphi item: U630090 90 COE Uroboros Souble Rolled Clear) Moral of the story? Fusing is about trial and error. Sometimes you end up with something truly amazing, and sometimes you end up with a mess. That's the fun of it! Looking for Fusing Tips?

We tell ourselves not to judge a book by its cover, but the simple truth is, we are attracted to whats attractive. On a recent hunt for a birthday present for my mother, I came across several beautiful handbags in several different boutiques. What ultimately influenced my final purchase decision was the complimentary gift-wrapping offered by one of the storeowners. The handbag itself wasnt any prettier or better quality than the others I was considering, but the packaging was beautiful. Brightly colored tissue, a big sturdy box, quality wrapping paper and an oversized hand-tied bow. No, it wasnt sealed with a kiss, rather a large gold embossed sticker with the boutique name and logo (theres nothing wrong with a little discreet self-promotion). Here are a few tips for better packaging-it might just buy you your next customer! 1. Show your customers what theyll get. The boutique I mentioned earlier had a gift box mounted on the wall near the cash register, so I knew what to expect. If youre selling online, provide a short description (or picture) of the packaging you provide. 2. Remember the details. Small items like earrings can be posted to a piece of cardstock cu

How and when did you get started in glass art? I saw an article about Kristin Frantzen-Orr along with a step by step example of how to do one of her famous floral beads. I talked about it so much my husband bought me a beginning torch set for the following Christmas. Once I got the kiln and the duel fuel torch, I just kept experimenting and growing from there. Kristin is still my idol and I keep telling myself that one day I will do nice, clean floral beads like hers! Your jewelry, vases, plates etc. are all beautiful. I especially love the geologic nature of your Copper Reactive dish, its so unique! Can you tell us a little about how you achieved that look? The base glass is Bullseye Steel Blue Opal (000146) and it reacts all on its own! I used clear stringers and broke up chunks of clear to use along the outside edge. Whatever the clear covers stays blue, and the exposed glass reacts and turns metallic. The firing temperature is the key, don't take it above 1400 F. Bullesye lists several projects with reactions on their website www.bullseyeglass.com http://www.bullseyeglass.com I understand that you teach some classes? What do you teach, and why do you enjoy it?