[Jewelry making - Article 00274] - Re: [Orchid] Fused Glass a step child

[Cave, Jerry D]

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    I've been asked by several if I have a website. Shamefully, no, I
    don't. Day job is I.T. which makes it difficult to even turn on the
    'puter when I get home. Add insult to injury, I don't even have a
    studio at the moment. We moved last year and we're in process of
    building new studios. Insulation goes in today with drywall
    scheduled to arrive mid-week. My wife will have the glass studio that
    she's always wanted and I'll have my own separate jewelry studio. As
    you can imagine, I can't wait to get back to the bench. The studios
    will be large enough for workshops and classes, which we intend to
    pursue. Later this summer I will have fresh new work with pics to
    share. Hopefully Orchid will be kind enough to post a few. 

    Many perceive glass to be very fragile. As Larry mentions, if
    annealed properly, it's very durable. I've bounced lamp worked beads
    off a concrete floor just to see what would happen. They bounce right
    back into my hand when I've done the job correctly. No, I wouldn't
    recommend this practice to everybody. Fused un-mounted cabs, just
    like stones, can be somewhat fragile if dropped on a hard surface.
    Once set, that cab seems to become much more durable. I've had work
    blow off my display at windy outdoor shows only to land face down the
    hard asphalt below. A piece might get chipped a little however it
    never cracks. This is soft glass too, not hard glass i.e.
    borosilicate. 

    Some glass workers will short cut the fusing process with shorter
    annealing cycles, or no true annealing at all when they're doing
    jewelry. This is generally acceptable for small jewelry objects. A
    person wouldn't dare short cut annealing for large objects as the
    piece will be unstable and can shatter at anytime. Being old and
    stuck in my ways, I will not short or skip the annealing process
    regardless of the work. The work will be quality without question. If
    that takes a little more time, so be it. 

jerry


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