How to Kill a Market Pt1

If you have already read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19049239 and think traders in Greenwich are just moaning, and not getting into the Olympic spirit, then I am here to tell you that's really not so.

Before the Olympics we were told by the that the Market and shops in Greenwich were vital in helping absorb people leaving the equestrian events to stop the train stations being overwhelmed by so many people trying to get trains when the events finished at the end of the day. The market had to change layout and reduce stalls to make it more 'permeable' to visitors so it could soak up more people. The trading hours were changed from 10-5.30 to 12-8pm, with many traders still getting there early to be set up by 11am, all to help keep people in the town. I even agreed to set up my stall outside in the street to help showcase the market.

Showcasing the market, but no one allowed to come and look. Note the lack of people, this was taken at 12.41 when the high street pavements are normally packed

And so at the end of the event everyone was marched past. Barriers remained in place. Normal shoppers avoided the area because we've had bizarre announcements on the buses from Boris Johnson telling people that London is going to a terrible place to travel. I spoke to one stall holder on Monday who'd come from London Bridge (there had been warnings on all the news reports the night before to avoid it as it was a 'hotspot' and would be packed) who told me he'd had an entire train carriage to himself.

I was outside on Saturday, and before we'd even started setting up officials came an complained the stalls were about 14inches too close to the barriers - which were some 4ft away from where we were. Not that anyone over on the distant pavement could get to us if they did see us. If people did want to investigate and try and go through the few gaps in the barriers officials stood in the gaps pointing which giant foam 'pointing finger/hands' to direct people to the stations - where doubtless they all then had to queue for ages anyway in an ever growing crowd. So I spend a depressing day trying to keep my stall clean as the wind blew dust and dirt onto everything whilst thousands of people ten feet away streamed past.

I know there have been official complained to ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) and LOCOG (whatever that's supposed to stand for!) but I don't know if there will be anything fixed quickly. If nothing changes quickly I really may have to close completely for the next six weeks until the Olympics and ParaOlympics are over, and find some temporary work stacking shelves so I can at least pay my bills. Yes, it really is that bad.

The man from the Olympics says 'Yes'

On the front door mat this morning came a letter and license from the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) which allows me to trade in Church Street in Greenwich. Normally I'd be in the main market, but to raise the profile of the market they want a few traders to be in this road which is being closed off to traffic, as a sort of sample of what's on offer to all the people walking from Greenwich Train station going to the Equestrian events.

I still don't know how this is going to work, or even which days I'll be there, but could be interesting! The market is having a slightly different layout during the Olympics to allow more people access, which might also mean less stalls. I'll certainly be doing some odd days, maybe not even weekends, although I do plan to be at the market on Saturday 28th July, as well as Sunday, and an extra Monday too on the 30th! The hours are going to be long too, starting at 12 miday (although I hope to be there a couple of hours before if I can) till 8pm. I'm still a little worried as I don't know if anyone going to the Olympics will be in the mood to shop, but fingers crossed! At least I have a license and won't be hauled away for selling glass!

Where was I?

I've been doing the odd extra Friday at Greenwich market, partly because of the upcoming Olympics and not knowing how busy that will be, and also to see if it's possible to drop Sundays and do Fridays instead. It's a much more laid back atmosphere, so I've been able to get away to chat to other stall holders and, most importantly, have a chance to get some yummy Chicken Katsu Curry from the Teriyaki stall, rather than wilted sandwiches!

This extra day, and trying to make extra stuff in advance of everything coming up in the next few months has sadly meant lots of projects have had to take a back seat. I've seen quite a few things of late that have me mulling over new ideas, but first I need to stop saying 'yes' to commissions. They start off simply then just go off the rails! I feel really guilty when they don't work out, at least if I stick to my own mad musing when they don't go as I plan then I don't feel I'm letting someone down. Right now I have a head full of half formulated ideas, drawers full of half finished bits, and no idea when I can tackle them. This also includes a collaboration with another artists which I haven't had chance to work on, which reminds me - if anyone has any old 1950-1970's chunky ex GPO telephone relays I'd love to hear from you. I used to have a boxful, and remember every electronics surplus place I went into had piles of them gathering dust in a corner, but I guess they're all melted down for scrap metal now.

Throw into this a general uncertainess about how the Olympics is really going to effect me, it's either going to have Greenwich packed with shopping Olympics tourists, or avoided like a plague house as it's right on the doorstep of the Equestrian events. I am still waiting to even find out what days I'm going to be there, which I hope to know within the next few days. Oh, and the markets open from noon till 8pm, so lucky my body clock gave up being in sync years ago!

One of the few things I've been able to do is to pop a few of the new little bottles necklaces into my Etsy shop. I was planning to list more, but someone seems to stole some hours in the day again....

The problem with blogs

The problem with doing a blog, I find, is when you forget to do any blogging for a while. That, along with some PC problems a while back has left me a bit lacking in the blog department. I'm not even sure if blogging has fallen out of fashion either? These days I'm using my Facebook page more as an outlet to tell about new projects, glass, and ideas. (It's www.facebook.com/steampunkglass if you haven't subscribed to it yet)

The big news is the Alien parasites and pathogen project which actually started well over a year ago, checking back my records I see it was the end of 2010, but is only just coming to fruition. These stemmed from some rather overly delicate pendants I was starting to make, I wanted to explore them as an idea but had so many people worried about wearing anything with even chunky parts sticking out in case they broke them I realised I couldn't make them as spiky pendants. Then last summer I had a customer who bought three of my non-spiky space pendants as he liked them so much he wanted to mount them in a frame. Doh! Why didn't I think of that!

However everything else seemed to get in the way of just being creative, so it's only been the past few months I've managed to get a few odd hours to begin work on them  As soon as I did I quickly found I had more ideas than time, glass, and nice expensive box frames! Although they are quite time consuming to make, they are very satisfying to work on, even though it's still lampwork it's really refreshing to have a break from the usual stuff I make for the stall and to go off onto a tangent like this. I'm hoping to get some more of these made ready for May......... but that's another story for next time (can't tell you everything straightaway, else they'll be nothing for the next blog instalment!)

Back to Blog!

You may have wondered where I've been (or maybe not!) Between having problems logging into blogger and all the craziness of the Xmas season of making enough glass for the stall I've barely been on line for ages.

I really don't know where the last few months have gone, the workshop is in more than a mess than usual. I didn't expect December to be quite so crazy, which I am more than grateful for as I expect January to a quiet and lean month. I normally get through one 6kg gas bottle in a month, I got through two and the remains of a third in one month!

However I am taking the time to give myself a little rest, and catch up on some neglected projects. One of this is a Steampunk radio project, of which I finally got around to putting together. (If you check back through the blog there is mentions of the brass plate and the long valve over a year ago!)

It's pretty much done, expect for the internal lights which will shine up through holes underneath the valves to make them glow. I'll make a video when I get that done, as I also have some circuitry that will make the lights flash and pulse.

I wanted to make as many of the parts myself, and not just 'spray it brass and stick cogs all over it' - Steampunk should be so much more than that! That's probably a rant for another time, but I did use just three parts from watches. Two are the brass end caps on the horizontal red/green valve, I think they are the cases from watch springs. The third one is the tiny silver cap on the blue/green valve which is actually a winding knob. Apart from the switches, which will work the circuits, I made everything else.

The wood case is actually scraps of skirting board, the brass plate was in the off-cuts at my local model making shop, which I added a fancy paint effect to. All the little brass & copper rivets I made from tubing offcuts - bead makers will know the Impress bead liner, which usually adds silver cores to charm bracelet beads, and makes rather fun custom shapes for the valves! Add in a few bits of copper wire, lacquer, and two sturdy brass chandelier couplers, and it's nearly done!

I must admit it's not exactly how I'd orginally planned it, some bits I didn't use at the last moment, and added ones I didn't expect to, but I'm quite pleased with how it's come out. I already have another one in mind, which is going to take a bit more research, and will be mostly clear glass, and hopefully quite a size!

When Ejector seats fail & other technological problems

I am sure in the early days of Channel 5 there was a program called 'When Ejector Seats Fail' which always struck me as a very odd thing to fill an hour with! Well here I've had various technological breakdowns and let downs this week, although not quite as dramatic!

Firstly blogger; I can't post comments on any ones blogs, not even my own! Apologies, I'm not being stand-offish, it just keeps telling me I need to log in, logs me in, then tells me to log in. After five times around the mulberry bush I give up and forget what I was going to post! On my last post 'Traveller' asked about Murano visits, sorry for the delay, I really did try to reply! Do check this out for the ultimate 'where to visit list' http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?hl=de&gl=de&ptab=0&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100055046274195658943.00049373d4e78bcba8d4a&mid=1288086552

I hope you enjoy the trip!

More desperate than blogger is my oxycon dying. For non-glassy people an Oxycon is an oxygen concentrator which takes air, and filters out the oxygen which I use to run my torch to melt the glass. I have two of these, as boro needs alot of power to melt and to keep the colours bright as lack of oxygen in the flame 'steals' oxygen from the glass making the colours change. Like many lampworkers I use refurbished ex-medical ones which are still working, but aren't quite good enough anymore for hospital use. They are cheaper and safer than having bottles of oxygen.

The oldest one of these has been playing up, and has been a bit wheezy for a while, it's over three years old, and lately has struggled to keep pressure. Last night the 'red light of death' came on while I was working, and it conked out. I let it cool down and tried again, but after a few minutes it stopped again.

I moved it today to a more open position, so it can get more air to cool it, but once again after five minutes it stopped dead. I half expected to hit the credit card and order a new one, but first I opened it up, hoping it was just the cooling fan that was broken (apparently one of the more common faults. I found one loose pipe, tightened it up, and turned it on. The fan was fine, and that seemed the last hope was gone for it - then a few minutes later I felt a breeze from inside the unit. Investigating I found the real fault was a short piece of tubing that had aged and split! A quick rummage in the shed for a new bit, and it was back working again, even better than it has been for months! Maybe it's not quite an ejector seat, but it's a real relief to have it working again!

New Work Space

Excuse the lack of blog update for the past few weeks, but
I've been moving! No, not house, but workshop.

I hadn't realised how little space I've been working in,
until I wanted to find somewhere for the new kiln, and find somewhere to spread
out the parts for some Steampunk sculptures. Until now the only spare space has
been the top of the kiln, not really an ideal workspace! It was actually on
suggestion from "the other 'alf" who felt that as I was working in
there 24/7 it only made sense I took over the spare bedroom/study which was
being used more for storage than any work! She also rather fancied this smaller
room as her office too. A quick advert in the local paper and the sofa bed was
gone, and then the grand move around could begin.

It's still work in progress, I've spread out a bit but I
still realise there isn't quite as much room as I thought, but I have managed
to put in a massive 6x3ft table to work on, in addition to the lampworking
bench! My old room is finally getting a makeover and decorate, and is already
filling up with books that until now have been spread around the house.

I've been able to drag out some old bits of treasured
electronic 'tat' too, including my Denko 1946/7 shortwave valve radio. It's an
amazing radio, I snapped it up years ago for £5.10 when I was still at college;
it really should have cost a lot more, however I got it in an auction and the
guy I was bidding against seemed to have got distracted and didn't realise he'd
been outbid by 10p! I remember listening to radio Australia
in the mornings between 8 and 9.30am
before the signal faded as the sun interference increased and the signal faded
out.

One thing I haven't set up yet is a photographic corner, so
still no new listings yet, but I've been working like mad so it shouldn't be
too long before I can start refilling my Etsy shop. I have been playing with
the new kiln, and have managed to try out a few kiln casts.

Its quite exciting
and nerve racking to do, I feel like I've got lots to learn, but have managed
to make a few nice casts already. I will hopefully add a new dimension and
styles of glass to add to what I already make, there will be much more about
this to come!