Making the mundane interesting

I've been trying out a few new designs this week, and if you subscribe to my facebook page you may have already seen pictures of some new work from me. Along with some more razors I've also been expanding on non-jewellery glassware too. I've produced some calligraphy dip pens!

Unlike other glass versions these are made with borosilicate glass, and have a classic holder inside so can take any italic nibs! At the moment the metal holders are visible on all but one of them, but I also hope to make some where it is a little more hidden too.

I am trying to make a little more time for making new 'stuff' along with all the usual favourite I already make as I would really like to expand the range of glassiness that I have on offer. I like making pendants, but I like making functional objects even more, especially if I can take normal boring items and raise them up to be more 'interesting' such as the razors I already make.

I am quite surprised and intrigued by the comments I hear when on the stall to the razors. Often men comment 'they're a bit posh for shaving!' but I think everyone should be able to start the day with special and individual things to remind them that they are too! My favourite is when I often seen young girls, usually 7-12 years old, who point very excitedly at the razors to their Dads, suggesting they should get one - and the fathers ALWAYS have full beards! I think they are trying to tell them something!

I hope to get some more razors made soon, and so start listing them again on line, up until now I've only been able to make just enough for the stall, but I've managed to get a small stash of the heads so will hopefully have enough to be able to list them too. I am also hot from the torch (quite literally!) where I've been working on another new non-jewellery item, and is looking good. This came entirely from a chat with a customer at the stall, and has already started to morph into an unique design whilst playing with shapes! More on that to come!

Christmas is Over & Synchronicity

It's been a crazy few weeks, what with two craft fairs and a welcome influx of orders, plus various 'dayjob' things that need my attention at the same time! Last Thursday I was at the Museum of London's Docklands branch for their Xmas evening fair. It was nice to be in the warm, but after a frantic hour of getting the stall up, three hours of chatting to customers and stall holders, then a frantic half hour packing up the dry air started taking it's toll as I begun loosing my voice! Luckily a couple of old friends turned up (including Miss Alice who seems to know every interesting corner of London!) who insisted I stop for a quick drink before trundling back on the DLR to get home, like Cinders, by midnight.

With nothing else planned now, it suddenly feels like xmas is over for me! I'm still adding to the Folksy and Etsy shops, and a good job too as one of my razors has been featured in the Folksy Festive Sampler, which is both an online newspaper, and a real paper that's being given away around the UK! I need to make more shaving brushes and razors (they are quite time consuming) and I am in two minds whether to continue to sell them on Folksy or sell them on my website to save people the hassle of opening accounts on Folksy, although I suspect I'll carry on just selling them on there for the time being.

At least now it feels like I might get time to sort out one or two projects I've been mulling over for a while, including some custom metalwork for the shaving brushes. The night before I was about to order in supplies I was chatting to my other half about silver cored beads, as I know boro versions of these would look fantastic. Spookily the next morning I logged into Frit Happens (a forum for lampworkers) and found someone offering a special press to help core them! Such strange synchronicity, I had to buy it, and now added to my 'to-do' list is practice big-hole-beads too. I suspect my Xmas break is going to be quite busy after all!

Razors, Marbles, and Beer

It's been an odd week, most of which I've spent trying to make as many razors as I can, only to run out of the heads! About ten minutes ago the postman turned up with some more (phew!) so I will get some more listed on Folksy soon! This had me going through my stash, and I am now reaching the end of the old two blade versions which aren't made anymore. I think I've got two more to list, then it'll be the end of a little era, and I'll only have the Mach3 heads which are a little more expensive. I still have a stash of shaving brushes, however they are limited in quantity too. I've found some replacements, but they don't have the nice silver finials and are a lot more expensive. At least I know have the firepower on my new torch that it's a little easier to make such large glass items, I just need to make them now!

After getting the new torch I realised I needed a bigger marble mould to help me when making marbles and cabochons. Almost everything I seem to do starts in some way as a marble, until reshaped or bits are added. In a fit of madness I ordered a new mould from USA, not realising how big it was! It's massive! The picture here shows it next to my original first graphite marble paddle, the largest hole on that is 25mm (1 inch) and this one has 6 holes on each side, going up to a whopping 1 3/4 inches! As only use the rim of the mould this (in theory) means I could make marbles up to 2inch or more although I've not managed to do anything bigger than 40mm yet that stayed in once piece!

Our local pub closed recently, only to reopen a week later under new management. It's good that it's still going, but the changes aren't good for us as my other half has lost her part time work there as barmaid. I am not sure how old the pub is but it's listed in 1841 census, but I don't know how much further it's history goes back. It's a real old world place, there are pictures in there from around 1900-1910 (at a guess looking at the outfits) when it was much smaller and next to what looks like a dirt track! We did manage to obtain a 'little' something from the landlady as she was clearing out. New pumps were put in a while back, and these older pumps are good solid brass (I guess they're 20 years old or more), rather than their new faux-brass replacements. There is talk when we eventually move of building a home mini-bar one day, and this will certainly help put Del-Boy Trotters home bar to shame! For now though, it will go into the loft until we decide when and where that will happen. It does give me time to find some more horse brasses and old beer pump badges to go with it though!

Return of the Razors!

Yes, razors are back!

One big problem I've had with making the razors I was selling in my Folksy shop last year was that the heads were no longer being made. Luckily I have a few squirreled away, although once these double blade ones are gone, they'll be gone for good!

Fortunately, I have managed to track down a source of new heads, and they take the Mach3 triple blades which I had lots of people asking about last year. They aren't quite as 'Edwardian' looking as the old type, and quite a bit more expensive, but it does mean I can continue to make them!

One problem I'd forgotten about (probably deliberately!) was the amount of rejects that I end up with. Making such long handles introduces alot of stress in the glass. Normally this isn't a problem as a good long soak in the kiln will anneal out these stresses. However on such long ones as this by the time I've finished working on the far end the other end has cooled too much and starts to crack! Even trying to keep it warm doesn't help, in fact it often makes it much worse, I even find that putting it into a warm kiln brings the temperature of the 'cold' end up too quickly and causes it to crack! Argh!

While trying to work around this I've been experimenting with making the entire handle solid glass. This makes, to my mind, much more pleasing and organic shapes with the light going straight through the handles allowing me to do much more exciting things with the colours and designs. Also as there is less metal work it makes the heads for it cost a little less too so I can do them a bit cheaper than the other Mach3 types! I really find this type exciting and want to do many more of these solid glass handles, I've only listed one so far but I have ideas for so many more

I have also found out the Venus Ladies blades fit these new heads too, so if I can get the pink boro to behave and not boil and bubble and go a horrible colour then I'll try making some Ladies razors too! Watch this space!

SteamPunk Saturday & Competiton

It feels like ages since I've been at the torch, what with so many events and things going on. One thing I've been wanting to do is make more Steampunk inspired stuff, but I seem to be easily distracted by pretty shiny new glass and techniques to try out.

I'm trying to make a conscious effort not to do 'sticking cogs on stuff.' I'm not saying there is anything wrong with 'sticking cogs on stuff,' but the genre is more than cogs. I guess it's part of the genre becoming more known, and thus more commercial, and cogs and gears are quite iconic. There is a whole other host of motifs that have yet to be explored. Also, making cogs out of glass is difficult. I know, I've tried.

One very common yet now seldom seen Edwardian design was faux marbling. You still see it on old books, and was done by floating oil based inks on water, making pretty swirls in it, then passing the paper under the water then up to 'stick' the colour on. Faking marble with paint on decor is even older, I have a copy of a 1600's book on how Paper Mache and wood was made to look like tortoiseshell and marble.
When I started making the razors (some exciting news about them coming very soon!) the first comment my 'other half' said was the effect reminded her of a tortoiseshell. Since those early ones the handles became more colourful, and now they remind me more of these old marbling effects. The name 'Steampunk Tortoiseshell' seemed to have stuck though!

I am also too practical for my own good, and even when I try to make Steampunk stuff often they don't get finished unless they 'do something!' This weekend I've been marrying up my 'Steampunk Tortoiseshell' glass with some brass parts (no cogs!) to produce something that does something, and is also wearable. Whether that 'something' is useful is another thing altogether! I'll announce what it is in a few days time when I start listing 'it' in my Etsy shop. However if you'd like to leave a comment with a guess the first one to get it right I'll send a free handmade marble to! No limit to the amount of guesses, and as an extra clue this device is unisex, and can easily be held in one hand. I can't wait to see your guesses!