SPONSORS

PACIFIC ART GLASS

 Art Glass, Supplies

and Classes 

 

125 West 157th Street
Gardena, CA 90248

phone (800) 354-5277

or (310) 516-7828  

 

   

 

BULLSEYE GLASS   

 

FACTORY & RESOURCE CENTER

 3610 SE 21st Ave

Portland OR 97202

(503) 232-8887

 

RESOURCE CENTER SANTA FE

805 Early Street, Bldg E

Santa Fe, NM 87505

(505) 467-8951

 

 

 

 

UROBOROS GLASS 

2139 N. Kerby Ave.

Portland, OR 97227 USA

Phone 503-284-4900

FAX 503-284-7584

 TOYO SUPERCUTTER

 A new generation of self-oiling professional glass cutters  

HOLLANDER   

FUSING CENTER 

  5455 Guhn Road  

 Houston TX 77040

phone 713-460-0045

fax 713-462-3646  

Pat's 1502

 Glassworks

Stain Glass & Repair  

www.1502glassworks.com    

2176 Chatsworth Blvd

San Diego, Ca 92107

619-223-1895 or 619-224-4622  

redhotmetal.net

530-342-1970

email - [email protected]  

Glass Cutting Saw Blade Review  by Bill Matulich    

  
Cutting glass any thicker than 1/4 inch requires a saw. But what saw blade is the best? I currently own two blades for slicing glass, the MK 215GL and the Husqvarna Superlok Glass 

Here's how they compare in a head to head comparison that I did recently in my studio.

The test: I used a Harbor Freight Tools 1 1/2 horsepower bridge tile saw.  My saw uses a 7 inch blade. Results for other sizes might be different. Both blades were compared on the same slab of glass, however, and both were "dressed" regularly. The MK 215GL had a little time on it, maybe an hour or so, whereas the Husqvarna was brand new

I sliced a slab of glass 7/16 inch thick and 13 inches long into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. I kept track of the time it took to slice each piece, dressed the blades when they slowed down, and inspected each slice for chipping, breaking, or other problems.

I started with the MK blade for 6 or 8 slices before changing blades to the Husqvarna then switched back to the MK and back again.

My first slice on the MK took nearly 2 minutes to make. After dressing the blade, I was able to reduce that time by 15 seconds. My time stayed about the same for 2 or 3 cuts but progressively slowed after that. Dressing the blade got me back up to speed. Switching to the Husqvarna immediately sped up my cutting by 10 to 15 seconds.

I got faster with both blades. After about 2 hours of slicing, my best times were 1 minute, 30 seconds with the MK and 1 minute, 15 seconds with the Husqvarna. Both blades cut equally smoothly without chipping. The Husqvarna cut longer between dressings than did the MK but only by one or two slices.

Conclusion: The Husqvarna Sperlok Glass+ is the superior blade, cutting faster and lasting longer between dressings, but only slightly so. It is also the more expensive by 10%. Both blades are in the $60 range for a 7 inch blade, with the Husqvarna consistently $6 or $7 more expensive. Both are equal in quality of cuts, resulting in smooth, clean cuts with no chipping.

Important Note

I can't emphasize enough the need to regularly dress your wet diamond saw blades. As you use the blade, the diamonds get dulled and you need to do something to shed the old diamonds and reveal new ones that are embedded in the metal. Without dressing, the cutting slows down noticeably. You'll find that dressing the blade will bring it back to a nearly new condition and speed up your cutting. You can access instructions on how to dress a blade at the HIS Glassworks web site and other sites but the basic idea is simply to saw through a "dressing stick" a time or two. I used a "dual grit rubbing stone" I found at Lowes for $5.00

"One Million Bones" AGASC Glass Casting Party   

July Event by Susan Hirsch   

 
Rob Morey hosted a "bone making day" for AGASC members on Saturday July 24th. What a fun and interesting experience it was learning a bit about glass casting during this hands-on team effort! Rob had done quite a lot of preparation before we all arrived but took the time to explain each step of the process of creating the wax positives he had prepared for us. He then outlined the steps we would be doing together that day.  After cleaning the wax skulls that Rob provided we made plaster/silica 2-part molds. Everyone pitched in, some making clay snakes, some mixing the mold materials, and pouring! Very messy fun. It will take another day to remove the wax, load the glass paste and fire. Then we will return to divest the molds and see the results!  His demonstration included hand-outs with resources of where to purchase the materials so we could do it ourselves in the future.  See more pictures  

 What is ONE MILLION BONES? 

"One Million Bones", a collaborative art installation made by artists, activists, and students, designed to recognize the millions of victims and survivors who have been killed or displaced by ongoing genocides and mass atrocities in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma. The Mission is to create a visible movement that will increase global awareness of these atrocities while raising the critical funds needed to protect and aid displaced and vulnerable survivors.

CREATE & SPONSOR YOUR OWN BONE... (Consider sponsoring more than one bone) For One Million Bones to realize its vision, we need people to create and donate bones for this event. We are asking you to make a bone and sponsor that bone with a $5 donation.  

Check out the web site at "One Million Bones"  and see the photos of the event by clicking here..

A special thanks to PACIFIC ART GLASS who provided discounted material for this project.

Chula Vista Nature Center July 11, 13 & 15, 2001 by Sandy Levin.

Boyce Lundstrom, Sandy Levin and Dana Taylor braved twelve hoursworking with ten 10 to14-year-olds at the Chula Vista Nature Center Summer Camp in July.  The three glass artists taught the students how to create copper and metal inclusions and Raku glass.  The Wild Glass Artists met Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon for four hours each day.  In that short amount of time, the students completed three individual pieces and a mural team project.  

"We wanted to let the students guide our teaching, so we tried to be as unstructured as possible," Boyce said.  The kids sat three per table.  After quick introductions and a short discussion about different types of glass and the fusing process, the students grabbed their scissors and started cutting copper, aluminum, and brass foil.  Circle and rectangular blanks of window glass were pre-cut.  All the kids were adept at creating a picture or abstract design using a variety of textures and materials.  They cut and bent copper wire, painted aluminum foil with green and blue oxides and had fun sprinkling copper granules and trailing copper powder on their blanks painted with Green & Brown and Green Earth Reactive Dry Enamels developed by Boyce.  

After the designs were assembled, they covered the top with a second piece of window glass while the reactive dry enamel was still wet. Metal binder clips attached to the edges held the glass sandwich together for transport to Boyce's studio for firing.  

For the last day, the students decided to complete a team project.  One girl drew a landscape of the area around the Chula Vista Nature Center.  Boyce drew an interpretation of the landscape design in a larger scale on a whiteboard.  After looking at several of the students' pieces the students picked out different textures and colors for the mural.

The design was transferred to ten clear 9" X 8" window glass blanks.  The students worked in pairs on the different sections of the project, some cut copper, others mixed blue oxide with white for that perfect sky and pond, while others layered copper mesh and cut copper wire.  The students also made a black boarder with their initials.  The completed mural was donated to the Chula Vista Nature Center.  

Take a look at some of the finished pieces they are amazing!  (add link to Picasa here)

Of course, a Wild Glass Artist class wouldn't be wild without breaking some glass, so Boyce gave a few demonstrations throughout the three days.  He showed the students how to break a wine bottle by throwing some screwdriver heads in the bottle and shaking it to scratch the inside.  With a light hammer tap on the outside of the bottle, the bottom broke off.  Marti Blair stopped by to help the students cut window class.  On the last day of class, Boyce brought in a piece of tempered glass and demonstrated how and why it shatters into a million pieces.  The kids were all smiles when Boyce pulled out some of his custom-made marbles and bounced them on the ground sending one as high as the rooftop.   

Click link to more pictures! 

Welcome New members:  

Ingrid Tighe

Lynette Hall  

Sponsor: Red Hot Metal.

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