Dichroic Glass Crafts Blog

How can I make glass beads in my kiln? I make clay beads all the time and the glass easily melts in there. Is there an easy way to do glass ones? website?

Buffalo NY plastic surgeon

11.5 tall, 7.5″wide

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Original Holly Lynn Studio necklace. Heart shaped necklace. Handmade Dichroic glass pendant with .925 sterling silver bail on an adjustable leather necklace. Artisan crafted Dichroic heart pendant.. Specifications: Adjustable Leather (more…)

fused glass– I cut it, smash it, shove it – push it -pull it – fire it and I can make some for you

Glass Combing is a very invigorating kiln shaping process.  Glass is manipulated by warming it up to a softening high temperature and then utilizing a long stainless steel instrument to rake over the substance.  This activity is ordinarily executed in a pulling movement.  This action blends and smudges the colors collectively into a distinctive design. Organize the glass and necessary resources for this procedure.  Be certain that every piece of glass possesses the matching COE (coefficient of expansion).  The glass must be cleansed and dry before starting.  Heap the glass a few levels dense or they can be placed on their edges and tacked jointly.  Dissimilar hues respond differently to high temperatures.  Keep comments of all that has happened throughout the firing.Abide by every part of the safety precautions, like wearing safety attire.  Wear cotton clothes for this procedure.  Man made fabric can cause acute burns if melted.  Protective green welder’s glasses must be on to guard eyes from the infrared rays of the kiln.  These must be put on when looking into the kiln.A jug of tap water should be near to plunge the hot tool in after combing the glass.  Make certain the pot is large enough to hold and support the tool if need be.The kiln shelf or supporting tray must be coated with up to nine or more coats of kiln wash.  This wash breaks down in high temperatures, so put on more layers.  Fiber board can also be utilized to shield the kiln shelf.  Do not use thin fire for this operation, as the paper  disintegrates in soaring heat and can stick to the glass.Once the glass has been heated up to about 1250 degrees Fahrenheit, permit the pieces to soak at that estimated temperature for around 20 minutes before going on to further heat the glass.  The kiln should achieve a temperature of around 1640 degrees Fahrenheit dependent on the COE of the precise glass.  Once the glass has reached a molten point, turn off the kiln.  Dressed in all the protective garments open up the kiln lid.  Only comb through the upper layer of the glass, as combing any more could disrupt the shelf primer below the glass.  This raking needs to be completed swiftly prior to the glass cooling.  If the  glass starts to cool before the procedure is completed, shut the unit and turn the unit back on to warm up the glass.Dip the raking rod in water if required and dry with a towel prior to resuming any additional raking.  If glass should stick to the raking tool during the process, lift up the rod a little and let the scorching glass to cool down before removing the tool from the kiln.  If pleased with the results go on to the next steps.  If needing more combing, close up the unit and turn it back on.  Allow the glass to reheat again before beginning the raking deed once more.The finished chunk can be flash vented to about 1100 degrees Fahrenheit.  This particular feat will stop some added change and to avoid devitrification to form on the glass.  The annealing time needs to be expanded prior to allowing the glass to return to room temperature.  Allow the completed artwork to cool down below 100 degrees Fahrenheit before opening the kiln.

Our leaders are saving us from the threat of ‘dangerous’ disposable products! – with taxes…..

Recently a law in France was passed to tax plastic cutlery to try to encourage consumers to buy more eco-friendly products, and Paris is planning to expand the measure to include several other items, the environment minister said last Monday

There are similar taxes on disposable products in Malta and closer to home in Ireland the plastic carrier bag tax of 15 Eurocents per bag was introduced in 2002. In England we are starting to see supermarkets charge for bags, or only offer ‘bags for life’ at checkouts or their Anya Hindmarch equivalents. Sainsburys have announced today that they will not give carrier bags away at the tills and customers must request them.

There is apparently a law in Spain that states that companies serving food are required to lay a new table cloth (or serve food on a wipe clean table) after each meal. Restaurants in Spain use large amounts of disposable paper table cloths as this law would require the restaurants to either have an abundance of linen table covers or serve their meals on McDonalds style wipe clean tables in order to meet their obligations. Not really the look most restaurants would strive for (unless you run a KFC/Burger King et al)

In the UK we have some laws regarding disposable products which don’t fit well with the apparent ‘green’ policies of governments past and present. One such law is that recycled paper cannot be used to make products which come into direct contact with food. A sensible idea methinks, you don’t want to be eating your supper from a paper plate which used to be toilet paper. However many companies in UK, in order to be seen to be going ‘green’ and ‘doing their bit’ are offering plates made from recycled material. But how you ask? Surely thousands are falling ill from bum to mouth disease or something? Well no, what the companies are doing is laminating the top of the paper plates with plastic so the foodstuffs don’t actually touch the surface of the paper. Brilliant!? No, bad idea. The product is now single use in the strongest sense of the word(s). These new plates cannot be recycled into anything and will need to go to landfill as the paper and plastic are fused together for all eternity.

Just because something is made from recycled material does not mean it is a ‘green’ product, attention to how the product is made and if the product can be recycled after use is most important. Every product Event Supplies sell can be recycled and many are made from recycled paper where the law allows, and they do let you know what the goods are made from. Beware of companies cashing in on the whole green hoopla at the moment with really not very environmentally sound products.

A common law and set of taxes for the whole of the EU maybe the way forward with regard to disposable products. One country taxing a particular disposable product heavily could mean governments in their quest to be seen to be doing the right thing will unintentionally close disposable manufacturing companies leaving thousands out of work.

I do wonder however, how taxing anything disposable will save the planet. People will simply pay more and we doubt all the money in the world can stop seas from rising and landfill sites from overflowing. Personally I like the plastic bag tax, this one works and fewer plastic bags are being used as a result and people still get their shopping home. Some products however, you cannot simply replace with products that are ‘for life’. People need to be responsible for recycling; the onus should be on us at home and work.