Micah Says, People want pictures of Glass!

Yeah I know. That's what I go for too. Here's what happens. I blow the stuff, usually I am pretty excited about the things I have blown (at least some of them). I check the annealer @ about 14 hours. Still too hot to open, 15 hours, still too hot to open, 16 hours... 225 degrees - Okay, I take a quick peak - open and shut the door real fast. Wait a minute, Wow the temp is about 200 degrees, but it's climbing back up. Open again real quick, everything made it. back down to 200 degrees. Climbing back up . . . Okay, I'll crack the doors now and let it cool down. Leave the shop. Walk in the house. Get a drink. Walk back out to the shop. Get to thinking "Man it would be stupid to pull out a piece premature and have it crack. Go back in the house. Use the bathroom come back out 3 hours later... (just a joke - the 3 hour part) come back out a few minutes later. Open the doors to the annealer wider. Reach in and touch to glass to take it out - even though the annealler says its 147 degrees, the glass is still probably over 200. Bad idea. Get frustrated at my impatience, go back in the house for 30 - 45 minutes, come back out and every piece is cracked! (Another joke - every piece cracked part) Anyway, come back out, can't wait to touch them and pull them out and look at them. Still pretty warm, get excited, wrap them in blankets, put them in a box, take them to Italian Jim's Pizzeria(our pizza restaurant) and put them in the display case, still warm from the annealler. Spend time getting everything placed just right. Switch other stuff out. Move and rearrange. Satisfaction! Looks like something on a Chihuly website. (Not really - but looks pretty good for what I'm used to) Then, I think, "You know, it's going to be a whole lot of hassle taking everything out, hauling it back home where I have all my picture taking stuff at. I'll take the pictures someday......" Pictures never get taken. Have moved on to making the next new hot thing that I can't wait to see and get to the display cases at the pizza shop. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

Now you know what I have to deal with when I have to deal with ME! What a pain.

Okay, this time I really will, Get the glass, Take it out of the display cases at the pizza shop, Take a chance on the right person coming in looking at the empty spaces, seeing the old stuff I blew (which of course is not nearly as good as what I just put in the display case), them thinking, "There's no new stuff here!" and leaving.

But I really will get the glass and take the pictures and post them. I really will. I really will. I really will. With God's help I really will. If I repeat it enough, it will happen. I really will. . . .

Note to Gnat and MiniMolli:
Those plastic jars I use to put the frit in: I used to use glass bottles because glass is just really cool. Dropping and breaking a full really cool glass jar of frit is not, so I opted for really cool plastic jars with big mouth openings. (A lot better than the smaller mouth opening that I had). The bigger mouth makes it a whole lot easier to dump frit back in the jars at cleanup time.
I ordered one each of the 16 oz, 24 oz, 32 oz, 48 oz, & 64 oz plastic jars to see which size suited me best. I chose the 32 oz because it would hold over a kilo of frit and then some. I bought them from US Plastics.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=usplastic&category%5Fname=3&product%5Fid=165

Stock number 66269
Pet® Clear Jars For Packing
Virtually unbreakable jars are ideal for packing industrial products and foods. Made of the same material that soft drink bottles are made and meets FDA standards. Caps are included. Dimensions are listed diameter x height.

Pictues will be coming. We have done some pretty neat stuff. Also will post picture of my new grinder. It is a fine piece of equipment! I have been grinding my bud vases that I blew for the restaurant and the bottoms of platters etc. A great touch to finish off a piece! How did I ever do without it?

Still working on getting those knobs like I think couple of folks (you know who you are) want them.

Quick Post

Hello, sorry I haven't posted any pictures. I took some pictures but I took them in a place that wasn't the best for taking pictures and they came out too dark. Don't like dark pictures!

Anyway, we have been blowing some basic stuff, just trying to get back up to speed after 3 months off. Most have gone decent - a few went south - a few were awesome.

I resurrected the "Artifacts Series". I blew probably the best of that series that I have ever blown. They were a little bit bigger - they are the biggest to date. The color combination is . . . well it's. . . . . STUNNING! I used "Florence" which is basicly a creamy white with just a faint whisper hint of pink - and then. . . . Gold Ruby extra. WOW! I then blew a 2 piece Sea Form type set to match and then placed the 3 piece "Artifact" set and the 2 piece Sea Form type set together. 5 pieces that are . . . . . . well I just like to stand there and look at the beautful color combinations. I 'll have to get some picts of that and post it.

Also, I have been supposed to make some curtain hold back knobs and have experiemented but not happy with what I have done yet. Still working on that.

Just finished a couple of pieces tonight - now I have to go work out. I have lost about 19 pounds in the last 3 or so weeks. I want to be in shape when I go to Pittsburgh so I can perform at my optimum there learning from Dante. In a perfect world, I need to lose about 40 more pounds - Sounds mind boggling sometimes. Anyway will take more pictures and hopefully post soon.
Thanks
CM

Back in the saddle again

Well, we blew again for the first time in about 3 months! We made 2 platters - one with a body wrap and lip wrap and 4 bud vases. I think everything is going to make it. Not one piece was lost! Micah understands why Dale Chihuly quit blowing glass with just one eye. Until he gets his lense replaced it was hard for him judge depth and deal with spacial awareness. In spite of all that he did good.

I may post some pictures of what we did.

The new burner head works great - my furnace seems to be burning much more effiecient. I also tweaked the burner on my glory hole and packed some refractory insulation around the burner head. Mr. Guiberson said the burner head will do better and last longer if the top part of it stays as cool as possible. I could even touch it for a little bit! I hope to blow some tomorrow.

Bye for now.

CM