Adventures in Dangerous Art
I'm learning the art (or is it a craft?) of stained glass. At this weblog, I record progress, note useful links, and document flesh wounds.


Links

The Art League
Where I took a lead class and a 3D construction class.

Weisser Glass Studio
Where I buy supplies, and where I took a foil class.

Virginia Stained Glass Co.
Where I buy supplies if I happen to be in Springfield and if they happen to have what I want.

Warner-Crivellaro
Great prices on supplies, a lively and helpful Glass Chat message board, and excellent Technical Tips on stained glass tools and techniques.

Glass Galleries Links List
A list of Glass Chat users who've uploaded photos of their work.

The StoreFinder: Stained Glass Store Front
Lots of articles.

ArtGlassArt.com Tutorials
Even more articles. Particularly recommended: "Anatomy of a design" and "Wood frames."

rec.crafts.glass
Courtesy of Google Groups.

Nancy's Beginner Tips and Tricks
Scoring, breaking, soldering, finishing, and more.

Splinter Removal Tips
Crucial.

Syndicate this site
Someone out there is using XML for something... right?

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Archives

It's a glass cutter.
January 14, 2003: I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Buyer's Remorse
I discovered a few days ago that I would be one measly $3.50 length of lead short of what is necessary to finish the last transom. Today, in order to procure the measly length, I undertook the half-hour-or-so drive to Kensington. While waiting patiently at Weisser for my lead to be pulled, I noticed they had all these foot-square pieces of a swirly iridescent blue lying in stacks on the worktables, and great sheets of the stuff leaning against the vertical glass bins lining the walls. I paced around and eyed the glass, pretending not to. It became inevitable that I would take some home at the point I decided to go ahead and ask what the glass was.

They said it was a Spectrum glass. I/339-6S, to be exact, which is their Dark Blue/White, Wispy... except iridized. Spectrum's website doesn't give color chips for the iridescent variations, going on about how tough it is to photograph it properly.

I tried my hand at it, and believe I did okay. You really need two pictures to get a good idea, though:

pretty like an oil slick!

This is how the glass looks in reflected light. Here you can see the shiny iridescence that coats the glass's surface.

yet surprisingly blue

Putting the glass against a window in order to view the light it transmits, you can see that the base color of this glass is a transparent cobalt blue, which is finely swirled with opaque white.

Super, super cool. The person behind the counter at Weisser said they were just getting it in, and if I'd come in half an hour earlier, I would have missed it. Even though I have no idea what I'm going to do with this pretty blue glass, I'm glad I happened in when I did.

Posted by Michelle on January 14, 2003 04:40 PM
Comments

That is some supercool stuff. I'm pretty excited to see what you make with it.

Posted by: Kim on January 14, 2003 09:29 PM

Wow! That's amazing! Any ideas for a pattern yet?

Posted by: Sarah on January 15, 2003 10:46 AM

It seems that Don isn't as taken with the iridescence as I am. Rats... this means I'll have to make something that can be hidden in a corner where it will not make the man of the house wince.

Posted by: Michelle on January 15, 2003 10:51 AM

No clue, Sarah. The only other project idea I have in mind for after I finish the transoms is to redo these two wall sconces in our bedroom, and if Don hates the iridescent glass, it won't get used there. I'm not sure it'd work there anyway, for lamps and stuff you really want a more opaque glass to diffuse the light, I think.

I'll come up with something though :)

Posted by: Michelle on January 15, 2003 10:55 AM

I'm with Kim and Sarah - those colors are really lovely.

Posted by: Adrith on January 15, 2003 02:05 PM

I like the blue. I think it'd be cool for sconses, it could be a bit dark though.

Posted by: Liz on January 15, 2003 04:11 PM

Heh. So basically the consensus here is: What do *icky boys* know?

I've got totally rocking girl power happening on my comments board.

Posted by: Michelle on January 15, 2003 10:04 PM

You can add MommaB to your list of blue glass lovers. It is gorgeous!!

Posted by: Momma Bastard on January 16, 2003 08:40 AM

I like the blue glass too!

Posted by: Josh on January 16, 2003 08:46 AM

Apparently, Josh, also, has rockin' girl power.

:D

Posted by: Michelle on January 16, 2003 10:05 AM

Just call me Blossom.

Posted by: Josh on January 17, 2003 09:50 AM

You're totally going to regret having said that.

Posted by: Michelle on January 17, 2003 03:06 PM

Have mercy on Blossom/Josh. He just had his wisdom teeth yanked. It's prolly the Percoset talking.

Anyway, I never said I hated the iridescent blue/pink/yellow/purple/teal oil-slick looking glass. It's just not something I would've picked. I'm sure my brilliant, sweet girl will make wonderful use of it.

Posted by: Don on January 17, 2003 11:20 PM

awh!

*melts*

Posted by: Michelle on January 17, 2003 11:54 PM

I love the blue glass. Cobalt's my favorite color BTW. So if you just need to make some gorgeous thing to continue to practice your technique and then want to give it away...I'm your girl. (winks)

Seriously, even to my untrained eye, your work looks great, and increasingly more flawless.

Posted by: Stephanie on January 26, 2003 11:46 PM

Thank you so much, Stephanie, for your selfless, almost martyr-like, offer :>

And thank you for the compliment---"flawless" is pushing it but I try to get closer to that state all the time.

Posted by: Michelle on January 28, 2003 12:30 PM

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