New Basket Bowl - Rescued!!!

Remember my failure with the Coral Orange Basket Bowl earlier this month???
Well . . I set it aside for a week or so . . couldn't bring myself to chuck it in the scrap bin! Then I had a bright idea . . I get about 1 a month! :o) . . so I got back to work on it and managed to rescue the bowl . . fused it up some more, deep slumped it, polished it and finally etched it!
I'm dead chuffed! . . its turned out fine! See my Flickr photostream for some pics of it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cooking-with-glass/

Today's Tip

Don't buy expensive Mullite dams for containing your work whilst firing! Consider buying a small kiln shelf and cutting it into strips using the guide fence on your diamond bladed ring saw or tile saw! Approx 3.5 cm wide strips are great for most work pieces. When set on edge during firing they are 3.5 cm high.
A small 6" x 6" kiln shelf will cost you around £7.50 and give 5 strips (thats £1.50 per strip/dam), whereas a set of four 6" mullite dams (Hot Damz) will cost you around £13.00 and thats £3.25 per dam . . more than twice the price!

New Basket Bowl On It's Way?? Total Failure!!

Total failure isn't the word for for it really . . it's completely buggered! Several of the glass "tines" or "spokes" have cracked and broken off and the centre area has cracked. It's just not repairable/recoverable . . so I'll have to post it up to "experience", put the glass in my scrap bin and give it another go!
On a brighter note, my new piece of kit finally arrived on Saturday . . so I'll be setting it up today and getting on with making good use of it!

New Bit of Kit!

Well . . after all that beer on Friday night it took me a couple of days to get over it! :o)
Not really! . . Just a very relaxing weekend watching the motor racing! Still a petrol head . . despite it's current price!!!
I've just bought a new piece of kit . . a diamond bladed band saw . . for cutting glass and glass shapes and for shaping my bowls. With a bit of luck it will be here tomorrow and I can get a slightly off-shape, 12" x 9" deep bowl, re-shaped and ready for display!
Off up to the studio now to continue making my new basket bowl. I'll be publishing photo's later this week when it is completed.

Beer Cheaper Than Gas?? Where??

A friend sent this to me today by email! Very good of her I thought . . only she didn't say where! :o)

Still . . its sounds good to me!

Off to the pub then . . by Shanks's Pony (to save on fuel!) . . to save some money . . on beer!

Digging Holes!

Nothing to say?? . . Say nothing! :o) . . otherwise those holes you dig with your mouth might open up and swallow you!!!

No Glass Work Today!

Well . . the title says it all! Unfortunately, like a lot of artists these days, I have to go to work to pay the bills and subsidise the glass art work!!! . . Ah well . . nobody said it would be easy! :o)
On the plus side . . its a lovely day . . and I shall be outside for most of it! . . Mmmmm! Must remember to put some sun cream on! . . and take my sandwiches with me!
Have Fun Y'all . . I'll be back tomorrow . . hopefully with some witticisms from today to relate to you!