Friday 25 September 2009

Experimental group


Experimental group
Originally uploaded by steampunkglass
I haven’t managed to post or list much new as been rather busy trying to tidy the workshop and sort out a few domestic things. Our cat Merlin, despite a second op, is much better and thank you to all of you who sent kind words and thoughts! He’s returned to mischief, being generally fussy about food, plus now he’s taken to following me constantly as I am now his best friend for retrieving him from the vets! Touch wood that we don’t have to go back for a long time.

I am quietly working on a new idea for some xmas gifts for us blokes for a change! I am told we are rather rubbish to buy gifts for (it’s easy for me, just send glass rods!) Here is a quick preview of some experimental shapes for some ideas I am playing with – I am not telling you what they are for yet though - I don’t want to spoil the surprise! ;-) There is a 5p coin for scale, the shortest of the long thin beads is 76mm long.

There is a quick listing of some clear glass leaves over now on my Folksy shop of a destash of leaves I made for another project that just didn’t quite work. Rather than gathering dust I am giving chance for some other creative soul who I am sure can have a bright idea of what to use them for, plus whoever buys them within the next week I shall add in some coloured ones too!

Wednesday 9 September 2009

New Toy

Well I finally have a new toy that I’ve been promising myself for ages! This is an infinite rim, multi-hole, graphite marble maker, straight from the US of A!

I should have actually had it last week, but the post office has been rather causing headaches, I seem to spend most of my time apologising to American customers for non-appearing orders. I am not sure how they can send me two parcels from the same post office 5 days apart? Never mind, I have it now!

I have yet to use it, but I can see it’s certainly best grade graphite. I don’t have too much problem from my current one, but have noticed on occasion the odd speck coming off and marking a marble. This one also has special conical holes which are meant to make shaping a little easier and smoother, and there is one big hole on the flip side too! With marble tools it's actually the edges of the rounds that are used, the marbles are rotated inside them to make them spherical, this special shape is supposed to make that easier.


I must admit I didn’t expect it to be so chunky though, feels like it’s made to last, even has a little spiral on the counterweight finial at the end!

It does seem though as soon as I treat myself to something I suddenly get unexpected bills. One of our cats, Merlin (the psychotic black & white) has reoccurring ulcers around his chin and mouth. Last night we found one was bleeding rather nastily so it was down to the vets with him. Apparently it was a simple case to cauterize it, but one was in a sensitive part of his mouth so needed a general anaesthetic for a 2 minute op! (I feel like he needs that to give him pills!) All went well, I pick up the little devil tomorrow, and sure he will be back to his mad psychotic ways very soon. What really worries me is the vet says we will have to open his mouth every week to check to see if they ever reoccur; so now as well as burns on my fingers it’ll be puncture wounds too!