Slumpy Order Pending

Anyone interested in special ordering any molds from Slumpy drop us a note before April 25 and we'll make sure to add it on, and at a 25% discount too!
Below, some samples-

Check Your Glass For Holes!

If you're looking for great cutting glass, we suggest you look on the back side of your glass. 

For holes the size of a dime. 
Or a 15mm jewel. 
Lots of them. 
Because glass that has these holes is a full three decibels louder when being cut. 
Which may not sound like much. 
But an increase of three decibels will double the cutability of your glass cutter at its tuning frequency (30 hertz). And reduce what's known as 'cutter wheel excursion'. With this added tractibility your glass cutter requires less pressure to generate force to the glass. 
Of course, with this remarkable glass, there's one thing you'll miss- frustration. Simply, Swiss Cheesed GlassWerks' cathedral glass is unmatched in ease of cutability when compared to glass without holes. It cuts with less pressure and therefore poses less stress on your cutter wheel and therefore your hand. 
Now remember, this is a science, so there's more here than just drilling holes. Swiss Cheesed GlassWerks' engineers fine tune each sheet of glass for optimum performance and efficient cutability. All of which means that if your glass doesn't have holes you might want to talk to a Swiss Cheesed GlassWerks dealer. 
And get the hole truth!
Available exclusively at Fantasy In Glass Glassworks, Canada's first and still only officially sanctioned stained glass emporium!

(SwissCheesed GlassWerks is the official defacto holder of the naming rights to the Fantasy In Glass building)

Remember...

While March may come in like a lamb...

It goes out like a goat.

April Sale Now Posted

As is usually the case, we introduce the Monthly Sale with an unflattering and embarrassing picture of Zenia. In a unusual moment of weakness, we decided that this month's picture while embarrassing and unflattering was one taken so long ago that who would care?

Sale here...

Intermediate Courses

Our Intermediate courses are for those who want more than the basics, but yet don't want to tackle something as complex as perhaps a lamp or compound fractions. Consider the Intermediate course as a good way to get out  and enjoy this craft stress free with many new friends and away from annoying family members. Instruction in advanced techniques such as the use of cutting jigs, acid etching and mosaics will be taught. If you have a particular project in mind but don't have the confidence to start it alone, then this course is for you. Taught on Wednesday nights by our long suffering Louie (30+ years)- Six nights (18 hours) for $89.00 or on Fridaysduring the day by Theresa (mid-level suffering at less than a decade) six days (24 hours) for $95.00 (other lengths prorated).

A new addition to these courses is our offer of free glass fusing firings in our large kilns!
Go here for dates... 

And look below at the recent work of one of our Friday students-

This Saturday- Puddles and Plates Seminar

Got nothing to do for a couple of hours this Saturday, then consider dropping in and taking this popular seminar. Puddles and Plates is innovative, highly addictive, very productive and oh, so easy.       

This seminar is spread out over two days. The first day ( at 2 hours) is devoted to learning the process and doing the initial setup of your Puddle blank. In Week Two (3 hours) you will make your puddles and prep a plate for slumping. Cost includes your choice of several molds, handouts and three firings. This class will give you a very high number of usable finished jewelry pieces as well as what Mikey affectionately calls a 'Crumb Plate'! 

Cost............................... $99.00

Week 1 -Sat. March 22, 2014 ........ 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Week 2 - Sat. March 29, 201............ 10:30 am to 1:30 pm

Yippee!

Still no real distributor for supplies means we continue to source out supplies and accessories from all over the continent. It also means that we can bring in the latest items before anyone else.

Coming in this friday-

1) over 600 sq ft of fusible glass including the new Uroboros Sys96 Transparent Gold-Pink UR60-105-

and their UR60-103 Deep Gold-Pink Striker-

This is a colour that has been sadly lacking and in high demand since the Sys96 line came about. We cannot express enough how much we love this manufacturer! 

Now remember, just because it says it's fusible, it is still glass and therefore more than appropriate for your stained glass needs as well!

2) over 1600 sale squares from Spectrum, Kokomo, Youghiogheny and Wissmach.

3) all tools and accessories that we might have been low or out of stock on.

4) all special orders from customers- we'll be calling you with the good news hopefully beginning next week.

5) maybe a few other surprises...

Anthropology of Stained Glass Reredux

The most significant discovery in Mikey's long and illustrious stained glass career was entirely serendipitous. Last April, the renown stained glass store owner was hiking in Germany's Neander Valley when he tripped over something on a trail. Some quick digging exposed the obstacle as what seemed to be the tip of a mastodon tusk. It wasn't until a few weeks later when the entire tusk was unearthed and dated that Mikey had realized the magnitude of his find. You see, the tusk he believes, is actually a Neanderthal glass cutter. Using traditional anthropological naming vernacular, Mikey gives it the name "toyofigus" in honour of his glass emporium- Fantasy In Glass (FIG).
     
What makes this find so significant and explosive is that like the grozing pliers discovered in Slovenia last year, the 50,000-year-old toyofigus predates the presence of glass making! 

Examining the ToyoFigus glass cutter closely, we see the existence of a carefully aligned hole that starts at the top of the cutter and runs down through its entire length. 

"I think a Neanderthal master craftsman must have used a stone awl to hollow out this the  toyofigus glass cutter." says Mikey. "Therefore, without a doubt" he says, "this proves that, while primitive man made and used tools, more importantly it suggests that Neanderthals used a cutter lubricant proving they were concerned with cutter wheel longevity".
Furthermore, while digging out the tool, Mikey also had uncovered the entrance to a cave and another major find: the first example of Neanderthal cave stained glass cutlines. Fittingly, the cutlines show lamp and suncatcher designs alongside proposed formulas for actually manufacturing glass once fire is discovered. "Maybe what we have here is the birth of a new hobby and artform."

Mikey theorizes that the Neanderthals' fondness for stained glass may explain why they vanished some 30,000 years ago. "Maybe their frustration at not actually having any glass to cut scared away all the game. They would have produced an awful racket all over the place complaining and arguing over whether Kokomo artglass would continue to be as popular as it is yet to be."

Silvercreek Preschool

We were introduced to this wonderful facility for pre-schoolers with learning disabilities through the sad tragedy suffered by an old friend. Suffice it to say that we proudly love the connection with Silvercreek, and continue to find ways to do some fundraising on their behalf.
From a recent move (Vanna Opal has way too many shoes- Imelda Marcos is envious) we have a ton of storage boxes (average cost $3-4 ea). Come on in and for a lousy $1/box they're yours...

Monthly Sale

The end of the month is traditionally the time when we get to put something on sale, but more importantly it's also another opportunity to post an embarrassing picture of Zenia as the means to announce it. 
The March Sales Page is now up here...

More Chihuly

Sorry about the pic Zen, but I just couldn't resist...

Love him or hate him. That's how we prefaced a chat about Chihuly and the exhibition he put on at the Museum of Fine Arts a few months ago (see here). 
It got a lot of interest from those who read this blog and/or follow us on Facebook and Instagram, so we thought it a good idea to dig up an old photo album of an exhibit he put on several years ago here in Toronto. This one was held at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in the historical Distillery District and at the time was the largest collection ever of Chihuly's works in a private setting. 
Because our website is so large, we are posting this photo album on our Facebook page here...

FIG Solder

This is what over half a ton of FIG branded 60/40 solder looks like.
Yeah, I know, there's many more alloys than 60/40, even those less dangerous (lead-free) but we do love to live on the edge. 
As to why 60/40, we republish these words of wisdom from Mikey telling you why...

Did you know that...
... the atomic weight of lead is 82, its symbol is Pb, its density at 300k is 11.4? Tin’s symbol is Sn, and its electron configuration is ... oh, never mind, that’s way too much information.

Solder is an alloy of tin and lead, and the proportion of the two affects the melting point, but in a strange way. The most popular alloy for almost all stained glass work, and most definitely copper foil work is 60/40 (60% tin, 40% lead... Helpful Mikey)(a titanic intellect in a world full of icebergs...Ed). Looking at the two metals by themselves we see that tin melts at 450F and lead at 621F. But something really weird happens when you combine the two- the melting point drops down to as low as 361F depending on the mix of the two.
Check this out:

Ratio tin/Lead   Melting point
     0 / 100                621F
     30 / 70                496F
     50 / 50                421F
     60 / 40                375F
     63 / 37                361F

If we continue to raise the amount of tin to lead past 63% the melting point begins to rise again to where it is 450F at 100% tin, therefore 63/37 solder has the absolute lowest melting point. Pretty weird, eh? (what, you forgot about Marv Albert?...Mikey) And you thought that ratio was a gimmick? With respect to cost, the last time Stan (Mike’s metals commodities broker) checked, tin was about ten times more expensive than lead, telling you why solder prices can vary so extremely according to the amount of tin they have.

Now Back In Stock

Yup, still no full line distributor in Ontario, but we seem to be managing very well.
We've just brought in a bunch of fusible glass (also great for stained glass) nicely topping up our selection. Lots of Lemongrass SP226.72, Uroboros Lipstick Red Opal #60-615, the relatively newish 60-618 Black Cherry and the stunning Uroboros #60-602 Flame Red Opal.
And remember, every Tuesday this month this glass is included in the 'Buy 3- get 1 Free Sale'!

Our Used Tool Sale ...

... is underway and with a vengeance! 
From Fan Out lead dykes,  to Toyo lead pattern shears to Supercutters, to gently used soldering iron tips ($3/ea!) to light sockets and in-line switches, to grinder heads (used and new in damaged packaging) to strip/cirlcle cutters and running pliers- just so much stuff. 
Mikey even tripped across a box of high-end lamp fixtures- 3-socket clusters in verde green patina finish and 4-socket clusters in rich brown patina all with old style keyed sockets. If you've ever built a Tiffany style lamp then this is the ultimate and final touch to complete that lamp. Originally priced at $139 and $169. Yours for $50!

 And should you want to come in to visit and think you might be missing the Olympics, don't worry- Mikey has installed a large flat screen TV for your Olympic viewing pleasure (and how-to YouTube videos no doubt after the Games... Vanna Opal).

Peter R Showing Of Again

And as he should...

Monthly Sale

We understand your confusion as an unflattering picture is  our traditional means in announcing our Monthly Sale. Mikey obviously had a weak moment this month (or couldn't find a picture suitably unflatteringly enough) so he dug deep into the archives and pulled this one out. 

Any comments about her extremely large forehead are not warranted...

Go here (don't see it? Try a screen refresh)...

Latest Shipment Arrives!

Still without any full line glass distributor in Ontario, we seem to be doing even better today as we continue to shop elsewhere. 
And we couldn't be more excited! 
And why do you ask?
Selection is so much better than it was the last ten years under the old Hollander Glass, as they slowly slid into bankruptcy. 
And prices today are significantly less.
So, what came in yesterday?
How about all the out of stocks on our fusible glass such as the very popular SP226.72 Lemongrass? Or Sp100F Clear Crystal Iridescent? Thick SPBlack? Even SP100F Thick Clears in Ice and Crystal. 
Also in, all missing Spectrums (most importantly all their clear textures), the long time gone black c-chain, a bunch of Youghioghenys (the most popular YO4444SP), filters for Fumetraps, Bullseye Clear fusible,  grinder coolant, all Morton tools, Taurus ring saw blades, pre-tinned copper wire in all gauges and plutonium (just checking to see if you were paying attention)...
We also got a pile of Rat Paks in and look what we found hidden inside-

While all three are pretty cool, Mikey's most excited by the one above- a fusible Spirit made from Spectrum's amazing Blue Aventurine! 
Here's another shot below as it's tough to photograph how awesome this glass is.

And a special thanks to The Other Mikey who helped Vanna Opal unload the shipment as Mikey snoozed at home blissfully unaware...

Audiophile Craziness

Trying to come up with a good way to illustrate the flexibility of molds, we thought of doing so by making some cable lifters.
Now if you are a crazy obsessive audiophile (read Mikey... Vanna Opal), you are convinced you can hear the difference between speaker wire or record mats or different vacuum tubes, then you are the kind of person who would love a set of these. 
You see, there are all manner of tweaks that audiophiles like to try, to see if they affect/improve the sound of their stereo and and this is one of them. It seems that speaker cables that are lifted above the floor will sound better (allegedly) so rather than buy some esoteric (read expensive) cable lifters we took a look at some of our molds to see if there was one we could make use of. Obviously there is no cable lifter mold, but if you are imaginative, you can use sections of existing moles to suit your purpose. Here's what we did-

We took a Candle Bridge Mold and cut some strips 2" x 7" - each lifter needing 2 pieces- ours was SP4001 Spirit for the top and SP1009Black Cord for the bottom (remember, the Cord texture 'memory' will remain if you fuse the textured side to the Spirit).

We then fused the blanks together and laid them out on the Candle Bridge Mold- 

and slumped them so they look like this-

and finally put them into the sound system enabling us to finally hear angels' wings flapping...

Look!

Just checking to see how many of you actually pay attention here...
Or who might need a job...

Working the Details

Start with this-

Slice it up like this-

Shift the strips a bit and space them out like this-

End up with this-

Yippee!

Finally got around to posting our Seminar Schedule for 2014!
Go here and try and consider learning something...

Great Used Kiln For Sale

A couple of mea culpas- Red has a beautiful, virtually new Evenheat GTS23.9 23" round by 9" deep kiln with 6 button computer controller (not Comeart as previously mentioned). 
This pristine kiln new sells for $1700.00 U.S. then add brokerage, exchange and shipping to have it land for over $2K.
Red's price is $1200.00!

Contact her at rcooney4378@gmail.com