lampworking class

I am lucky enough to live near the creative quarter in Nottingham.  It's an area on the edge of the city centre, with a market place and lots of creative businesses, workshops and shops.  I took a lampworking class with Rosie of Bden Glass who also runs the shop which sells lots of different handmade goods.

It was a 2-hour one-to-one class.  I was a complete beginner so Rosie took me through all the equipment, her set-up and safety concerns.  

This is the torch.  It runs on a mixture of gas and oxygen.  I have forgotten which gas!  The silver pipe you can see is an extractor pipe which went out the window.

I made 4 beads.  They are formed on a steel mandrel which has been dipped in bead release.  I couldn't take any in-process pictures as it's very much a 2-hand job.  The beads are made using glass rods which are melted in the torch and wrapped around the mandrel.  The photos above show the beads when I'd made them.  They were plunged into annealing beads to cool down slowly, though you can use a kiln.  Rosie then cleaned them up for me over Christmas and I collected them last week.

This is the first bead I made.  A very simple one-colour bead.  As you can see, I didn't get it round!  There is a lot of skill involved in this technique and it's the kind of thing you need to perfect with lots of practice and experimentation.

This lovely marbled green bead was my second attempt and is actually round on one end!  Still slightly pointed at the other end, but better.

I made this bead from a transparent blue glass, then added opaque blue dots.  I'm very pleased with this one.  The dots aren't particularly even, but the shape is good.

This bead was made from clear glass and then rolled in frit (small pieces of glass) to create the confetti effect.  Unfortunately, it had an air bubble in it.  Rosie did warn me it might break... and it did!  I wasn't too upset though as I'd taken the class for the experience rather than the end product.  I'm going to book another session with her to have another practice, get some more tips and maybe try other techniques.  I'd definitely recommend this if you have a lampworker near you, it's great fun, if a little scary at first!

Dichroic glass

Wonderful mum found a new craft class venue, between both of our houses in West Bridgford, Nottingham, a little town with great cafes for a coffee or afternoon tea after a day's workshop.  The classes are held in a beautiful little handmade shop - Locally Produced for You.  The tutor was Katherine from number8glass.

We went to a dichroic glass workshop.  I've worked with glass before, but not dichroic glass.  I'm not really sure what dichroic glass is, other than it's pretty, sparkly glass!

Above are the before photos.  The tutor had lots of squares and rectangles of glass.  She would then cut the dichroic pieces to the size and shape we wanted, or round the edges by nibbling at them with grozier pliers.  Once she found out I just to do glass work and have even made a stained glass window, she passed the cutting mat and cutter over and told me I had to cut my own!  I'm pleased to say I hadn't forgotten what to do.

The top one is a square of black glass with three pieces of dichroic glass on top, and three glass rods on the top right.  The bottom one is a square of white glass with a square of green dichroic and a square of flowery dichroic, then I added some green frit on the left hand side.  

I love the black line around the green glass which is just what happens with this kind of glass.  Oh, I should probably say that the picture above and the one below show the two pieces after they'd been fired in the kiln.  The green frit didn't come out too well.

I really like this one, it's very rounded and tactile.  The photos don't really do them justice, they are so hard to capture due to the sparkle.

This one is a brooch.  I used blue glass in two shades.  The lighter blue one has some silver confetti on top, and that's sandwiched in with a piece of clear glass.  

I like the way this one came out too.  It's certainly very unusual!

Finally, this one is a piece of black glass and a piece of white glass sitting on a white base.  I used a piece of dichroic (it's clear with holographic squares on it) on the top.

We had a brilliant day.  I really enjoyed playing with the glass and designing pieces of jewellery.  I really do have to get myself a kiln at some point!

more lighting up (getting a bit repetitive here!)

Not last Wednesday but the Wednesday before was the last glass class of the term, no more classes until October!  The previous class I'd only got as far as cutting out the pieces for another tea light holder so I had to work really quickly this time!

There was grinding and wrapping in copper foiling and soldering and balancing and soldering and soldering and more soldering!

I really should have cleaned the solder off the glass and washed off the sharpie marker before taking the photos!

Seeing them together, I definitely need to add wire and beads to the orange/yellow/red one.  I think it looks quite plain in comparison.

I could also do with improving my soldering.  I'm considering buying a soldering iron so I can make these at home, to use up the scraps of glass I have and to practice, but if I can't cut the glass cleanly enough, I don't have access to a grinder...  decisions, decisions!

Light up. Again.

I promised a non-sewing post and a non-sewing post you are going to get!  Remember the tea light holder?  I added some wire and beads.

My tutor didn't know if silver plated wire would work with the solder, but I did a little experiment and it did, so I pressed ahead.  I used my pliers to make random shapes, added on beads, then held them in place with masking tape whilst I soldered.

You would not believe how many times I forgot that solder is hot.

I'm happier with some of the decorations than others.  Originally I wanted them over the glass panels, but I ended up putting them in gaps of glass.

I stuck to two different types of beads to keep it cohesive.  Big word.

I think this curly wurly one is my favourite.

I may have made it a little bit too big to be a tea light holder!

Light up

Morning ladies.  I thought you might like to see what I'm working on in glass class now that my window is finished.

This little tea-light holder is not yet finished, but you wouldn't believe how long it's taken me to get to this stage!  I spent several lessons just playing around with bits of glass, unable to make anything I liked or felt enthusiastic for.  It's nothing to do with the actual class, I think it's just me.  Depression has a way of flattening my creativity, even though I know that being creative can help heal me.

It's about 8cm cubed and the bottom is mirror.  The edges of the pieces of stained glass are all wrapped in copper foil and then soldered together.  I struggled with the soldering.  That arrow, by the way, just points to the top as it took me ages to get the bottom the same size as the frame!

My soldering isn't great, but then I'm not finished with this yet.  I'm going to add some beads and wire.  I don't have a solid plan yet... maybe I never will.

I do apologise if my blog is getting a bit maudlin, I can't seem to find my usual blogging "voice".

A "thing"

When I made my fused glass monster aliens for my brother, I was told off for not showing a before shot!  I forget sometimes that this might be interesting for other people, I kind of assume you all know how to fuse glass, but whilst some of you do, this is a brand new process for others.  So, the Wednesday before last I took some photos of the piece I made before it went in the kiln.

There are two types of glass we use in our classes.  Fusible glass can be put into a kiln and will melt and fuse to itself, creating lovely rounded edges.  Non-fusible glass is used for leading work or copper foiling.  I wanted to use up some of the fusible glass I have so I chose a large piece and cut a square, then just began layering other colours and transparent glass on top.

So above is how it looked before it went in the kiln and below is after the kiln.

This photo is taken on a white piece of paper and makes the colours look quite thick and very blue.  It's so hard to photograph things like this, especially when, like me, you're rubbish at taking photos.

I held it up to the light.  This shows it off a bit better, but it's still not a great representation.

I'm sure you're all now wondering "what is it?".  It's a .... thing.  Yes, one of those ... things.

It's NOT finished...

I'd geared myself up for a ta-dah post on the window.

2 problems:

1.  I can't get a decent picture of it...

2. It's not finished.

Yes, you read that correctly.  I know, I know, I said it would be finished this week and it would have... except my teacher remembered that I need to blacken the lead!

Let's back up a bit.  Wednesday night the window came off its board and I took the opportunity of a photo.

It's on it's side, it'll be landscape above the door when it's fitted.  Quite a few people have asked me if I know where I'm going to put it.  When making something like this, you have to know where it's going before you start as it has to fit exactly, to the exact millimetre, so the location above the front door was chosen at the beginning.

Next I covered it in cement.  No photos of this as my hands were filthy, as you can imagine.  It was then sprinkled with white cement.

Of course, I had to do this process front and back. My teacher turned it over and I nearly had a heart attack.  I think it looks really pretty with the white in it!

Yesterday afternoon I left work at lunch time and came home to clean the cement off before it dried permanently.  I thought I'd hate it (I hated cementing it), but I really enjoyed it.  First I ran an upright knitting needle along each piece of lead to remove the cement, then brushed it over with a stiff brush.

Can you see the gray bits of cement?  I'd cleaned the straight rectangular pieces at this point, you can see above that all the cement still in place.  I struggled to get photos as it was on the dining room table which has an electric light directly above it. Clearly I can't go carting this about to get photos!

That's all the cement dust that came from one side!  I then had to turn it over.  My heart was in my mouth but it was much easier than my practise runs at class.  I think it's because our dining room table is lower and I had more control.

(photo with flash)

It took me three hours to clean it, front and back.

(photo without flash)

The teacher is putting on an extra session next week so I'll be going along to blacken the lead and make it look all luscious. 

I tried to get a photo of the cement between lead and glass.  Didn't really work out but I like this arty shot!

I think I'll do my final window post when it's installed, so that will be a few weeks away.  Nothing like keeping you in suspense!


Related posts

fused glass elements
glass cutting complete
beginning the leading
leading the nuggets
more leading
leading the rose and stem
main panel complete
right hand panel finished
leading finished
all soldered and an actual window

glass update week 9

Wednesday was an exciting day.  The stained glass window is soldered, ladies, it's actually a window!

You are seeing the other side to that you usually see and it is upside down on the board.  I spent Wednesday's class soldering the front of it, then my teacher flipped it over whilst I nearly threw up with anxiety, and I soldered the back.

See, all soldered!  I LOVED soldering, I want to solder more, anything, everything.

My soldering at first was rubbish, but it soon improved. Because of this, the back is better than the front!

The lead in most of the window is 1/4", around the nuggets I used 3/8" as the 1/4" was too bulky.  The very edge is 1/2".  Soldering the nuggets to the outer 1/2" lead was a real b*&$*r!  When I'd put the last bit of solder in place and then wire brushed it to get rid of the tallow (used as flux.  Am I talking a foreign language now?). I nearly wet myself with excitement.

Next week I'm cementing this baby, the following day I'll have to take a half day to clean it up, then I'm off to the NEC for the Stitching shows.  When I get back I'll begin the nagging texts to my uncle about when he can come and install it!  That will be an exciting moment...


Related posts

fused glass elements
glass cutting complete
beginning the leading
leading the nuggets
more leading
leading the rose and stem
main panel complete
right hand panel finished
leading finished

fused glass monster aliens

Monster aliens or alien monsters, I'm not really sure which.

A couple of weeks ago I had a transport issue - I have to take Mr CA's car to glass class as a window just does not fit in the boot of a mini (not much does!).  Unfortunately, he was parked on the next street, his boot was full and I was late. 

Result?

Alien monsters.   It was good timing as I didn't have a birthday present for my brother and so thought I'd make him something.  Yes, he will be 38.  Yes, he'll love these alien monsters!

This is fused glass.  It's a specific type of glass with a certain melting point.  I cut the pieces out individually and placed them on clear glass.  They went in the kiln and the following week they were ready.  They are dimensional and very tactile.

I sketched each one and then just started cutting.  It was fun as it makes a change from the precise work I'm doing with the window, the edges can be rough as they just melt anyway and flow into the glass below.

One thing I haven't missed whilst working on the window and using the bandsaw and grinder is cutting myself.  My hands were like ribbons when I left.  At one point I got a small shard in my finger, I could see it sticking out but could do nothing about it as I nearly passed out.  Yep, I'm a wimp and no, I have never given birth!  My teacher and one of my friends had to rescue me.

It was an uncomfortable drive home, a tiny shard had fallen down my top and was sticking in my stomach!

Glass update week 7

Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that there was no glass class update for week 6... No, no-one noticed?  Not one of you has a spreadsheet of my activities or a folder full of photos of me taken through a telescopic lens?

OK, fair enough, I'm not very exciting.  On with the update.  Here's where I was...

I finished the right hand side of the design on Wednesday night, I know how terrible my photos of this project are, this time I took a photo and the flash was on... I think it shows the colours better and certainly captures the sparkle of the glass.

Here it is without flash:

See what I mean.  This is the edge I worked on.  The square was already fused, back at the beginning of the life of this window so I just had to slot the straight pieces in.  Clearly they'd been cut by a blind woman with only one functional arm (or maybe by me) as I had to grind, cut or bandsaw every single one of these pieces!  I got them all in and...  the fused square was too large!  Back to the grinder.

I just have to finish the top and right hand side border now.  That involves cutting a precise semi-circle out of each end of each of the clear glass strips.  If I get that done next week, that gives me 2 weeks to get the soldering and cementing done before the end of term.  Yeah, it's not going to happen.  It didn't help that my table-buddy was flicking through a pattern book and I had to join in ooohing and aaaahing over the fabric designs and a whole chapter of Japanese designs that would be perfect for Sashiko...  so easily distracted!


Related posts

fused glass elements
glass cutting complete
beginning the leading
leading the nuggets
more leading
leading the rose and stem
main panel complete