And Yet Some More

A few More From Kokomo

Kokomo Glass

Priced a little higher than Spectrum but just unbeatable in quality of colour and cutability so it's therefore going to most likely be cheaper in the long run!

Actually it should be even less expensive.

Why?

Well, our one and only Canadian stained glass supplier (OOCSGS) has added a 4.9 % U.S. dollar surcharge. But... they got their Kokomo order in April when our Canadian Dollar was actually higher. Go figure.

North America's oldest glass manufacturer with documented sales to Louis Tiffany!

The only crappy thing about kokomo is their website. Don't believe me, take a look...

We just restocked so selection is amazing- here's some examples-

We Revisit An Old Post

A couple of months ago Mikey wrote the following:

"Just doing a final check on some emails, while almost walking out the door for a quick vacation (store will still be ably run of course), and I got some news- one disturbing, the other almost as disturbing. Firstly, to Gary Brown, someone that gets picked on and teased mercilessly in this blog- not out of meanness, but out of my affection for him and Dot (how she puts up with him, I'll never understand)(do a quick search on Gary Brown, or any derivative of that name and see the onslaught of entries referencing him and you'll see what we mean). Over the weekend, his family were the victims of an unfortunate and devastating household mishap, that will affect them for months to come. We all sympathize".

Mr. Brown also happens to be a reasonably adequate blogger and is authoring one on his misfortune.

While it is obviously but a mere shadow of what Mikey achieves here, we do wish to encourage him to strive for something better.

For that reason we invite you to partake in Mr. Brown's musings here.

Fusing Overrated?

As just a lowly stained glass store owner who has tried 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.

Again as a shopkeeper, 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...

Keep Your Thoughts Pure and Your Glass Clean

Some helpful advice for fusers from Bullseye found here.

And yes, we do carry this product.

As a matter of fact we have it on sale until the end of June...

Fusers' Club Going Gangbusters!

Tomorrow and next week mark a two week extension on this ever increasingly popular course.

It's a fuser's workshop where more advanced techniques are discussed and attempted. The class has done fibre relief (see Zenia's above- she's into bones), pattern bars, powder wafers and freezes, plates and over the next two classes they'll be working deep (up to 8 glass layers) and who knows what else.

One of the participants, Kim S. has even done some great pot melts as seen below...

Interested?

We still have space if you'd like to jump in for one or two weeks. Thursdays from 7pm to 10 pm. Two weeks is only $45.00 and covers all firings too!

Calling Steve Jobs

How cool is this?

We call it the iFigFone mold from Slumpy.

It's mold #9305 at only $15.99 and is the perfect size to safely cradle your iPhone. See the one Zenia made using Spectrum's Aventurine Blue and Green and an Ivory.

So, because Figimodo wants to rub in the fact that he's traipsing all over Paris while we struggle here, by sending us pics of him enjoying himself, we've promised to publish these pics only if he sends along some sale ideas.

Here's today's...

All dichroic 1/4 sheets.............. 40% off!

All dichroic smaller than a 1/4 sheet...50% off!!!

... only until June 26 or while supplies last...

Figimodo Called From Paris

Figimodo took off for Paris this month and left us in a lurch as far as setting up some sale items- his only job here at FIG.

He did notice that we used the same picture of him that he sent, twice last week.

we did it on purpose because he's getting a little too cocky with this 'I have to find myself' in Paris thingie all while we fumble about trying to figure out some good sale ideas (I think we have too...Mikey).

If we publish a fresh picture of Figimodo, he's promised to come up with some good sale ideas. So here's a fresh pic. Let's see how he does.

Just Like Us

... some things never change?

and here's some more...

Of Course We've Got To Post Pics

Asked Zenia to pull half a dozen new molds to show off for you...

Early Mornings At FIG

... are usually spent wondering who will arrive first- summer or Tina.

You see she's usually puttering around in her English Garden at 7a.m. and forgets that Mikey needs his Timmy's at 11 a.m.

Tina sent me this pic tonight.

Here's proof that sometimes they arrive at the same time...

Damn Figimodo!

As you might have read above, Figimodo, the official What's Going to be On Sale at FIG mascot has taken off to France for the summer, putting undue pressure on Mikey and the staff to come up with equally promising sales.

As he traipses around Paris, visiting his family at Notre Dame and generally carousing with all manner of sordid characters (hey, where's Gary Brown this month?) he leaves the FIG staff in disarray digging out of this Slumpy order or even posting some really good sales.

So...

Each week the FIG Staff are posting some hopefully amazing sale item.

This week (until June 10);

1) Taurus III Ringsaw..............$444.44!!!

and for fusers...

2) Bullseye kilnshelf paper....10 sheets/ $29.99

(sales no credit card, some limits may apply)

And, we've also added a Sales Table with continuously rotating stock all at some great discounts.

The Packing Slip, Part Two

The Packing Slip, Part One

Slumpy Mold Order Arrives

Just in and being competently(?) unpacked, priced and put out for sale, over 800 molds for slumping and fusing. And that includes lots of sushi plates which is something some of you have been screaming for (Margo the loudest). And we made sure to include a lot of these molds at under 13" for those of you who've bought one of Coneart's great 110 volt kilns!

This batch includes almost every mold they make and even a bunch in stainless steel preformed into circles and squares, weaves, floral formers, business card holders and more. And, because of their higher cost, Zenia will be setting up a mold rental registry to make it more affordable.

We've also brought in dams in various sizes, large drill bits for cutting the top opening for a lampshade (1 1/8"), the lamp fixture for draped pieces, and fibrefrax in several thicknesses including some presoaked with ridgidizer!

A copy of our packing slip to follow along with a new catalog page on our website.

And now for a quick news flash:

Toronto, ON: Fantasy in Glass has discovered that rats can be trained to help in the manufacture of their molds for glass slumping and fusing.
Apparently it's not just any rodents, but the "highly social, intelligent" figus- a small caviomorph rodent that is native to Toronto. And while they don't use tools in their natural habitats, they were taught by researchers as well as the staff of Fantasy In Glass to do so in captivity.
After several months of training and practice, researchers say, the figus can move a rake as smoothly and efficiently as croupiers in any Las Vegas casino- a handy skill when mixing the mud-like slurry that these molds for slumping glass are made of.
“This is first time rodents have been trained to wield tools”, said Gary Brownosley, a psydoscientist, who led the experiments at the Laboratory for Really Cool Science in Toronto. He elaborated about how they are so efficient and quality conscious that the Teamsters’ union has petitioned the mold manufacturer to either stop using these poor little helpless animals or to certify them to unionize the shop.
While these figus rodents are best at manufacturing molds 14” or smaller in diameter (a size that is easily accommodated by most of the kilns sold at FIG) scientists from the LRCS are considering training baboons in the manufacture of larger molds-1a specialty of Brownosley’s.
While it has long been thought that tool use is a hallmark of higher intelligence, Dr. Brownosley said, the brain structures that underlie such abilities may lie dormant in many animals with good hand-and-eye or paw-and-eye coordination. Training these figus to make molds in captivity provides insights into the plasticity of their brains, he said, and may even shed light on how early humans evolved tool use in the first place.
In separate studies, Dr. Brownosley notes they are examining gene expression in the brains of macaques and marmosets trained to check the coefficients of expansion in Bullseye glass.
To see the handiwork of these figus rodents, and the well over 1000 molds we have in inventory, keep a look out on this blog...

Every Once In A While

... we get someone who takes one of our classes, becomes so smitten with this craft that their enthusiasm is so extreme it's hard not to want to share it with the world.

Nick has been doing glass less than 2 months, and has already done several projects including his latest pictured here.

Keep it up Nick!

Who's Better Looking?

Zenia, or the 1000 Kokomo Sale Squares that are now specially marked, and on sale in our Sale Racks?

Average price is about 50% less than regular Kokomo!

And what's Kokomo?

Only the oldest glass manufacturer in North America

Only the only glass manufacturer with documented sales to the Louis Tiffany studios.

Only the best quality sheet glass manufacturer in production today with some amazing colours such as copper blues, and 5-colour streakies,

And only the best cutting artglass made at sheet glass prices!

Too bad their website sucks...

Molds for Slumping and Fusing

It's no secret that we're big fans of Slumpy's and regularly stock well over 600 of their molds. It's taken us a couple of deliveries and much feedback from customers and staff to find out what you all want.

Didn't help much. We just learnt that you want more selection.

So we said the heck with it and decided to just order almost every mold they make.

In about two weeks we're getting in;

1) over 750 molds, including a bunch in stainless steeel, that because of their higher cost, Zenia will be setting up a mold rental registry. This includes dams preformed into circles and squares.

2) kilnposts and ceramic dams for kilnworking (i.e. making pattern bars)

3) fibre blanket in several thicknesses as well as pre-rigidized

4) lots of sushi plates (we heard you Margo)

5) lots of molds under 13" specially for those who've bought one of Coneart's great 110 volt kilns!

As soon as we get our pro-forma invoice we'll post it here and will offer a prepay sale on this delivery.

See a video tour of our current mold selection here.

Another Note About the Fusers' Club

As you can see in this picture, we have the fastest teacher in the business. Like Superman, she's just a blurr when fully utilizing her teaching superpowers.

New Intergginer Course

Wednesday May 19 marks the start of our next day time Beginner Class. But we've had so many requests for another day Intermediate Class (our Fri class is perpetually full) that we've blended the two classes into one combined- hence the aptly titled Interginner class.

Taught again by Treece, seen above watching a student stare down his lamp.

More details here.

Non-Figimodo Sale Item of the Week

Until May 15, buy a Weller 100 temperature controlled 100 watt soldering iron (the best there is) for a measly low $85.99, and we'll throw in an extra tip (value-$18.99!) for free!