Glass project and lots of learning

So a friend recently asked me to make her a business card holder. Her exact request went something like this:

I has a commission for you. I need a beautiful, simple glass business card holder for my desk in blues and greens and purples. Like the ocean at dusk. ... Now, if it turns out to be a pain in the ass or something that would require too much of an investment in gear, we can cancel the order. Otherwise, I trust your creativity!

I knew I had a challenge on my hands. First, my kiln temps are off or the guide I use is incorrect. I've had the most problems with slumping, well, more with draping, but it's the same thing temp-wise. Bowls and plates have been ok. But my candle holders and vases just haven't been working.

I stumbled upon the site Fusedglass.org and the temps they suggested for the projects I've tried are quite a bit different in some cases. My kiln is programmed to slump at 1280-degrees (F). Fusedglass.org suggested slumping at 1175-degrees. That's a big difference. The hotter the glass gets, the more it slumps (eventually becoming liquid). 

I didn't want to test my new temps and ideas out on the requested piece (although I did a bit anyway), so I made two pieces (4" fused glass squares, 2 layers thick). I also knew I had to figure out what to use to do the draping. I ordered a kit from Delphi Glass, but it was discontinued. Back to square one.

What if... what if I use two of the 10" fire damz I ordered for the pot melts  side by side, stood them on their sides, and wrapped them in 1/4" fiber blanket.  Well, the first attempt on the first business card holder didn't go well. The blanket is too thick and doesn't fall under the weight of the glass as I thought it would. The 4" square is slightly curved downward. I ramp the temp up and it still doesn't help. I ramp it up again to 1295. Still no luck. I let the piece cool down and anneal for the day.

The next day I notice I can bend the fiber blanket I'd used in the first firing down enough along the sides for the glass to continue draping down the sides like it should. I set the timer so I can check the progress. Once the glass falls into place, I let the piece cool down and anneal for the day.  Success!

 

This glass was capped in clear when it was fused. You can see the bubbles made from air pockets that were trapped between the layers as it fused into one piece.    

For my business card holder second attempt, I decided to go ahead and try making the one my friend had requested. Since she was pretty specific in her color requests, I used two pieces of the blue/purple swirl glass back to back to make sure the colors would be vibrant on both the inside and outside of the piece. I also knew that the 1/4" fiber blanket from the last project couldn't be reused and cutting new a blanket square would be too stiff.   < LIGHT BULB >  Ah ha! I have high temp wire. So I just snipped two pieces of the wire and wrapped the blanket around the two fire damz, trimmed it to fit, then wrapped a piece of wire around each end, securing the blanket around the fire damz. After getting the glass to balance, I started the kiln. It was still too warm last night to open the kiln, but here's what I got to see this morning:

I even added little rubber feet to the bottom of the business card holders. And, just to prove these are functional:

 

WANT!!!

These would be the coolest shower tiles ever. I want these so much I just can't stand it. I can imagine doing the entire bathroom, floors and walls, in a mix of these and other tiles. Think of the footprint changes as you step out of a hot shower, too.

Source: inventables.com via Sandra on Pinterest

Oh so charming Steampunk

Source: etsy.com via Sandra on Pinterest

Steampunk may not be my thing, when it comes my personal design style, but this was just too awesome and adorable, all at the same time.

Productive weekend without the kiddo

So I met mom for lunch yesterday and let her take the little man for the weekend. We'll meet up with her tomorrow afternoon to pick him up and I can't wait. I really miss him when he's not around.

However, I didn't let missing him keep me from getting a few things done:
-Vacuumed the downstairs and boy did it need it.
-Went to a friend's house and taught a jewelry lesson to her and her grandkid (really, I just loosely plan the project with a certain set of charms/beads/pendants and a project type as the focus of the day, let them do most of the design to their tastes, help and instruct as needed).
-Helped hubby shop for a new TV over the phone while sitting at home with the pups, helped him hang/hookup new TV, helped him buy a bigger new TV and plan a return for the current new TV.
-Also got hubby to put together my new bathroom storage cabinet (plain white wood, doors, stands over toilet) or, as he calls it, the "I don't care what it is as long as I don't have to see tampons anymore thingy". 
-Had a date night with my sweetie at Peak City Grill in downtown Apex. A bit on the pricey side and my steak could have used some seasoning, but very enjoyable. Our waiter was great as was the atmosphere. Loved that we could support a local establishment and have a very nice, very adult meal. I'm sure we'll head that way again in a few months. Hubby says he gives it a 6 or 7 out of 10.
-After dinner, I decided to finally assemble the ingredients for laundry soap as shared by an old friend (recipe to follow). I'll take some to mom tomorrow and let her try it, too.

...and before we head out to get the baby boy, I'm hoping we can install the attic flooring kits I found and put a few things up there and out of the way.

I love weekends where I feel I've been productive but not rushed and stressed to do so.

Anyway, here's the laundry detergent recipe:

     Ingredients:

• 1 bar Fels-Naptha soap, finely grated (use microplane grater or a food processor)
• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 cup baking soda (optional, just think it might get rid of smells a bit and makes whites a little better looking)
• 1/4 cup OxyClean or similar product (it's completely optional)

Mix it all up really well.  It won't look completely uniform, but it's okay.  You can pour it in small batches (about a third of the recipe at a time after it's been mixed) into an old blender and pulse it a few times, just to mix it really really well and make sure any clumps are out.  I think it also grinds it a bit finer, which may help dissolving in cold water washes, but it really isn't a necessary step. 

Put in an airtight container.  You only have to use 1 tablespoon for a small load, 2 tablespoons at MOST for a large or grimy load.

Look at what I've been making

Aren't they pretty?  :-)

 

Dichroic glass capped in clear glass, then fused in a kiln.