When is Purple, or Blue, Pink?

It seems that pink is a colour I continue to have problems with! Not just with pink glass, but boxes too!

I spent a lot of time trying to find just the right boxes to fit the marble bottle stoppers I make. Most I came across just didn't suit the long profile, and those that were long enough were too shallow. I was about to take a deep breath and have some made to measure (which could have been expensive) when I found the ones I now use. At the same time I also got new boxes for my pendants as well. Although more expensive, they were much better quality, had nice pristine white cushioning, and much more sturdy - very important when posting stuff out!

Of course things don't always go to plan! I had originally chosen purple for the samples, but they had no stock, so went for classic black. When I went to order lots more in time for the Dark Mills Festival I found they were out of stock until after the festival was over! Ekk! However they now had purple back in stock, so went for that, even though it meant I'd have a few non-matching boxes.

The first box I opened was great, a light but nice shade of purple, but all the rest were so light they were (in my opinion) pink, or lilac at the very least! I couldn't really wait another four weeks for replacement black, so have stuck with them. I've nearly used them all, so now I've gone back to black, at least that way there is more chance of them being the right colour in future!

Pink is a colour I have real problems with when working it, all the brands bar one seem to bubble and cause problems. I have come across one make which is lovely - and really expensive and hard to get! However I was delighted last night when I coated the back of a pendant in wisteria blue, only for if to come out a really nice shade of pink! Boro - it's weird stuff sometimes!

Pictured here is a new pendant I made last week for a commission, I really must work with more Gilson opals!

Last Minute Threading!

A quick reminder that I will be at the Dark Mills festival this weekend in Collingwood in London http://www.darkmillsfestival.com/market.html , I'm still working like mad putting everything together, I have my tick list so I hope I don't forget anything! One thing I have been checking is the weather, especially after the winds and torrential rains of last weeks bank holiday weekend. The good news is it looks fine and warm, ideal as so much of the event is outdoors, and I am sure there will be some amazingly dressed people at the event to make my currently purple tinted hair look rather tame! I am very much hoping my new cyberpunk pendants will find some new homes to go along with some amazing outfits!


A quick couple of photos of some luscious red pendants, each with some lovely Gilson Opal heart-shaped inclusions! These will be on the stall this weekend, so long as I get a move on and get the ends crimped and them boxed and packed in time! Must dash, there are some last minute glass snakes that need putting on cords! If you are coming along I hope to see you there, if not have a great weekend! :)

Sunday Updates

Very short blog update this week, but if you’d like to read more there a long interview with me at Indie Smiles http://www.indiesmiles.com/where-the-boys-are-part-ii-steam-punk-glass/ It’s part of a series of interviews with crafting blokes who also sell through Folksy.

I’ve been working on a few things, and I just had to share these with you! I’ve been working with Gilson Opals again, they seem to really lend themselves with the new nebula pod pendants I’ve been exploring. Personally I prefer the white opals, they seems to work better on the dark backgrounds. I have them hovering above the centre where most of the light concentrates which helps bring them alive. Typically I’ve now run out of Opals, and my ‘Opal Man’ hasn’t got any of these nice round ones left, however he does have some other shapes which will may suit these even drops even better – watch this space!

Birth of a Marble; Picture show

I’ve not a lot to report at the moment, but I did try to take a few one-handed pictures of a 'galaxy' spiral marble; although some steps aren't shown clearly as I needed both hands for those!

It’s not tidy, but ready to work! The black ‘thing’ is a graphite marble mould, the marble is rounded out partly in the flame and partly by rotating in a mould that is too small to fit it – only the rim is used. Weird, yes, but it seems to work!

2nd step, getting rod hot ready to add the spiral

Spiral is made! I couldn't show this step very well as I needed both hands!

Added some glass to make a nice, and hopefully interesting, base!

I've melted more glass off the fat 10mm rod to make the front and attached a thin 4-5mm rod to the back to hold it - very much a two handed job that! The thin rod is a 'cold seal' so can easily be removed, although sometimes it can remove itself thus the pie tin in case it falls!

This now takes a lot of time to melt and get the shape right, also getting rid of as many imperfections in the front to make a nice crystal clear lens. At the moment it's more of a 'bulge' shape.

Getting there! Front now rounding out nicely, the back rod will be switched to front and back again as I try to get all parts even and smooth, using the rim of the marble mould to try and tame it into shape where needed.

Still rounding! This one I've popped a Gilson Opal inside, which would be done before adding the lens glass.

As round as I can get it, the supporting thin punty rod will now be removed, any scar left given a quick work over to remove, then it's into the kiln for a very long soak to anneal.

Hope you enjoyed that, obviously there are alot more stages between that I couldn't show, but hopefully this give you a bit more idea about how it all comes together from a few sticks of glass to a little ball!

Opals !!!!

(New 30mm marble with opal, now on Etsy!)




Unlike ‘soft’ glass, working with borosilicate has some limitations of colours, ways of working, and what can be put inside. For a start buying it can be fraught with difficulties, I only know a few people using it in this county, and getting supplies is tricky. In the USA there are lots more people using it, which means more trade and it’s easier to get the more difficult items. Last week I had to launch a desperate plea on the Frit Happens website for one special effects rod rather than trying to put together an expensive import from the USA!

The USA have been using boro much longer than here, one of the amazing things discovered by some USA lampworkers that although many items can’t be used easily in borosilicate (gold and silver evaporate before the glass thinks of melting!) that one strange opal has the right properties for being encased in borosilicate (pyrex)

In France in 1974 Pierre Gilson was able to create the first synthetic opals. These weren’t bad imitations made with plastic and glass; they are physically and chemically opals, made by copying the extreme pressures and temperatures over very long periods (some can take 12-18months to form) that naturally make opals. It’s only under a microscope that they can be seen as different as they have no flaws like normal opals, so makes them stronger!

The best bit (for me!) is unlike natural formed opals they have no water content! Coupled with having same expansion rate as borosilicate it means they can be encased without cracking or exploding!

I bought a few some months ago, but as they still aren’t cheap it’s taken me a while to get the nerve up to try them out. I posted a picture on last weeks blog showing one; they make such amazing ethereal planets. I managed to get some tiny dot bubbled orbiting one which was a wonderful effect. I started on a second one I was just about to tidy the marble up and get rid of some of the extra bubbles & knocks when the gas ran out! Argh! I’m still debating whether to break it up for the opal, or sell it as a second as I can’t re-melt this one because the red glass in it might go a nasty colour if I do.
(My first Marble with a Gilson Opal!)

I have now made a very large 30mm marble (about 1 1/8 inch) with a lovely galaxy swirl, originally I was going to put the opal in the centre but it wanted to orbit on the arm which I think looks better as it breaks up the symmetry. Underneath I’ve done some lava-lamp effects with whispy yellow, green-yellow and blue glass, and a simple cobalt blue backing. It’s now in my Etsy shop, a little more expensive than some of my previous marbles, but it is rather special! I’ve really enjoyed working with these little treasures, and hope to include a few more as I really like the ethereal feel they give to my little landscapes, or should that be galaxy-scapes?