A Note For All but Specially Ann

The new,  hot and anxiously waited for latest Spectrum Fusers reserve is now in!

Following Up

In a previous post, Mikey alluded to doing some tough summer cleanup (I only wish. It was VooVoo, Zurch and I who did all the slogging while Mikey sat in his pithy Ivory Tower playing World of Warcraft... Vanna Opal) and set up the kilns to do some scrap melts. Here's how they turned out after a full fuse-

(Before)

(After)

Our Monthly Sales page is now The Unpredictable and Sporadically Always Changing Sales Page and already Mikey has changed and added stuff- see here (you might need to do a page refresh)...

Summer Cleanup

Doing our summer cleaning this month, we tripped upon a whole bunch of stuff that we can use, re-use and even sell. 
How about some amazing bevel clusters at a fraction of their original price, or patio stone molds at under $10!, lightly used grinders, or some nice book racks for the studio (short and tall). Grinder motors and new cheap soldering irons. Glass crates. Groziers and glass cutters. Stained Glass News back issues, Glass Patterns Quarterly and Stained Glass magazines at a fraction of their original price (this craft is over a thousand years old, you think a few years makes a difference here?). The list just goes on and on. All will be sale priced and available starting Tuesday.

Who Knew?

Who knew there were so many cool groups you could hang out and chat with on Facebook?
Mikey just joined the Fused Glass Fanatics group the other day and suggest perhaps fusers here might want to check it out. 
He posted the above pic there and actually got some nice compliments. Now he has to turn sideways to get into the Ivory Tower his head is so big... 

What's The Score?

Aside from a really bad double entendre, The Score is Spectrum Glass' quarterly newsletter, going strong now for more than thirty years. It covers their products (natch) and also includes design ideas, marketing help, technical direction and even once in awhile devotes their cover story to some of the world's most modest glass suppliers (see below).

This month's issue #124 gives some advice on how to have 'some summer fun with the kids' as well as several patterns for both the stained glass and fusing person. They also make mention of their newest colour- Peacock Green Opal. Mikey likes it so much he's making this plate as done by Patty Gray (no doubt pics to come ad nauseum). 

Worth checking out.

I Know, I Know

As Mikey was perusing the Fantasy In Glass FB Page (I know, not everyone is on FB, that's why our blog is still the go-to place for FIG Stuff) the other day, he tripped across this short video- timely as this glass is due here any day!

Post by Spectrum Glass.

An Apology, Sort of

As just a lowly stained glass shopkeeper who tries to keep his finger on the pulse of this industry, we have seen a great change in the focus of our business over the past few years.
And that change has been towards fusing.
We realize that promoting fusing so strongly can result in alienating our stained glass customers and this is crucial to avoid as while fusing is getting bigger, it will always remain a small percentage of sales.
So why this blog entry you ask?
Perhaps it's to apologize for the recent trend here on this blog, which was heavy on matters related to fusing and slumping rather than stained glass. Or perhaps to remind people that glass for fusing is also great glass you can use for stained glass. Or perhaps if we talk less about fusing we'll also hear less from Rev. Gary Brownburp.
But if you have any questions about fusing don't be afraid to ask.
Mikey was there before the beginning (not like in Egyptian times, but like in modern glass industry times- like before you could even buy fusible glass and we tested our own).
Yes, it does seem that Mikey somehow fluked his way into a trend that finally happened thirty years later.
Cleaning up the other day, Mikey tripped across one of his first fusing experiments- GNA strips laid on edge with a clear top and bottom cap done over thirty years ago. Pic above (and yes, you can still fuse with the whole GNA line- except red) ...

Due in Any Day!