Do You Have Bigger Marbles?

This week we're addressing a common problem which needs repeating.  While you are using a grinder the pressure you apply to the glass should be in a forward motion pointing towards the grinding wheel (see the green arrow),  not a downward force towards the tray that the glass is resting on (as the red arrow shows).    Pushing downward achieves nothing-- in fact, I grind by holding my glass above the grinder surface because I feel I have more control that way.

So, if you're pushing downward you are only slowing yourself down.  Relax and push ahead for easy grinding!

Wow, is Mary Grace's Kaleidoscope Window stunning or not?  I sure think it is!   It's got a great use of color throughout the window and I think that Mary Grace was quite pleased with it when it was finished and hanging up.  I know that I am.  You have to love that irregular border.

Jeanne completed her first box and I have to say that she took to it like a fish to water.  The textured glass is beautiful and the cast brass feet add an extra flair of elegance that makes this box stand out nicely.

 

Terry finished her latest Butterfly Window and discovered the 'joys' of applying borders.   The outside edge had *minor* discrepancies but that was nothing to worry about because the channel that surrounds the window covers small inconsistencies easily.     If she had lined up the outer edge evenly then the inner visible edge would have been off and her solder line would have been disjointed which would be a serious problem.   Sometimes a border just doesn't line up but as long as the problem is hidden under a channel then there's nothing to be concerned about.  Terry handled this perfectly.

 

Susan R finished her Mardi Gras Mask panel just as I suspected she would.  Her soldering was flawless and I have to say that her work just keeps getting better and better.  The color of the glass that she's used really makes this shine in the sunlight.

 

Jeannette finished her Mermaid Window and even got it framed.   I must say that she certainly made quick work of this window-- so quick that she made a Rabbit Lawn Ornament as well!   She's doing great work and these pictures certainly show that.

 
Linda F completed her latest Wise Men Window and, as always, it looks great.   I don't think that Linda could make this window look bad even if she tried to.  This was made with someone specific in mind and I know that they are going to love it.

 

Terry made this Cross Suncatcher while she was at home and she even designed the pattern.  While drawing it she made sure that things aligned to make this cross as sturdy as possible without having to resort to wire bracing to hold it all together.  Beautiful.

 

Betty was really busy this week as she got this Sunflower Panel completed as well as the majority of work on two windows we'll see a little further on in this post.  As for this piece, well it's perfect.

 

Tasha's Sailboat window is a relaxing scene to say the least.  She got it all cut out in one week and then finished grinding it this week.  It's all fitting together beautifully and she's ready to start foiling it now. 

Tracey had to re-cut one piece of glass to get a perfect fit for her Jester Window and it 's looking so good it's brought a tear to the Jester's eye.   The tear is a nice addition and Tracey's border colors work wonderfully with this window even if I didn't get a picture of it.

 

Carol's Water Lily Window is being constructed from the bottom up and it looks incredible.  The green glass that she picked for her leaves is a perfect fit because it has traces of pink throughout it.  I can't wait to see this one completed.

 

Terry's Newest window (another of which was designed by her) also features a pink/green mix of glass which matches the flowers wonderfully.

 

Jan got her baseball diamond all tacked together and then picked a wonderful new textured glass for her background.   It took a little doing but she was able to get the four large irregular background pieces all cut from just one sheet of glass.  Look to see the border get applied to this when Jan returns.

 

 

Barbara got even more of her trees cut out and her color placement is what's really making this window work.  The original pattern was colored in random autumn colors but Barbara carefully positioned her colors which added depth to this window which really makes it look like the real deal.

 

And here are the other two projects that Betty is working on. She's making her own Christmas Bells Window and even though it isn't completed yet she already told me that she loves it and can see herself making many more of these.  The second window is her variation of Linda F's Mardi Gras Mask and she's almost got this one finished already.

 

 

Mary's beveled Fleur De Lis is another window that is almost completed now.  All of her glass has been cut, ground and wrapped.  With just the final border left to be tacked on Mary will surely be soldering this when she comes back in.

 

Rowena started a new LSU Window and has her yellow letters all cut out.  She plans on using a clear background and then a purple border.   We'll see what that looks like when we return next week.

  

Paula began working on a wedding box and to design it she needed to have the actual invitation in hand so we could get the proper height for pattern.   This week she encased the invitation between two pieces of clear glass and then got a Rose pattern picked out and scaled out to size which will incorporate the bottom leaf as a 'lift' for easy lid lifting!

  

Bonnie almost had her Butterfly Lawn Ornament completed but then the was an 'incident' that set her back just a little.  Nonetheless, she recovered gracefully and she is just about ready to get a stake attached to this piece.

 

Martha now has all of her Beveled Fleur De Lis Window tacked together and she's ready to begin soldering.   I don't know for sure what's up next for Martha but I think it may involve a sailboat and a light house.

Susan D got her Fireman pattern copied and ready for action but this week she decided to stay on the horse that she mounted last week by continuing to work on Flower Suncatchers for her ongoing  Flower Cornucopia project.  She got all of the petals and leaves that she cut out all ground and ready for foil.   That's what I call time spent well!

 

Becky S is so close to completing her Cheetah Window that I know we'll see it completed when she returns.  She has all of the glass attached and a thin zinc channel applied to the outside edges for strength and stability.   All she really needs is a little more solder on the second side and some hooks and then this will be finished.

  

Brenda cut out all of the glass pieces for her Cross Suncatcher and then spent time at the grinder grinding it. As I said before, her sister Terry modified the design of this extensively so there were no longer any weak spots in the finished piece at all.   What impressed me most was how she disguised the lines that make this cross so sturdy.   Very impressive indeed and so is Brenda's cutting and grinding.

 

Lastly we look at Susan R's newest piece, a Rabbit Lawn Ornament.  I have no doubt that Susan will make short work of this.

 

We've been missing in action for a week because we went out on one of our Stained Glass Cruises with a number of our students but we'll be back to our regular weekly updates from her on out.  See you all next week!

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks