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Torch Time at Blue Heron
FREE
Glass Bead-Making Workshop
Saturday June 21, 28, July 19, 26 and August
9, 23.
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Make Four “Round” Wound Glass Beads
with Dotted Decoration
A One Hour, Fun-Filled Tour de Torch
You must pre-register and pay a fully
refundable deposit of
$10 to attend (no refunds for no shows).
Only one workshop per person.
Call Blue Heron Glass at 769-7299 for
details.
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Showing at
Blue Heron Glass
Ganesh
Glass
June 3 - June 28
Blown Works by
Michael Barnett
Meet the Artist:
Friday, June 20, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
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Summer Hours
We will be closed July 4th and 5th.
We will be closing at 3:00 on Thursdays from
June 5 through August 28.
We will resume normal hours the week of
September 2.
Visit us at our new
location!
Northbridge Shopping
Center, 1714 Old Towne
Road.
See Map
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Class Summer
Break
Summer
break is in July and August. Classes will resume early September.
Check here
for our
Latest Class Schedule.
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Mike Hiester's latest creation, the Demon Bowl.
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What's
on Mikey's mind?
We've all wondered.
Mike Hiester, owner of Blue Heron Glass, shares with
you his thoughts on all things glass. Updates will be posted occasionally,
and then
archived for posterity.
5.15.08
What’s on Mikey’s Mind?
Always more glass and not enough time. We have now been in the new location
for six months (still unpacking and trying to find everything) and things
are beginning to look up. I promised I’d talk a little bit about glass this
time and that’s what we’re going to do.
There is currently a lot of well deserved concern about the overall economy
and the economic health of the country. Couple that with the cost of gas
and folks tend to think they can’t afford to play with glass any more. Well
there are a couple of ways to cut costs and still enjoy the obsession. The
one I’d like to address today is transitional glass.
We
occasionally get “Transition glass” from Spectrum through our supplier, Ed
Hoy’s International. Laurie Novotny, our sales rep up there, does a super
job keeping things in line for us so all you ever see is a smoothly
operating glass store supreme. She is also finely tuned to my requests for
current stock of transition glass. Transition glass is basically glass that
fails to meet the manufacturer’s standards of quality, either in clarity or
trueness of color, density, surface imperfections, or whatever. What this
means to you is a buck or so less per square foot for glass with which you
are already familiar. Who hasn’t played with a nice Spectrum 329.6?
Reminiscent of malachite in the moonlight wouldn’t you say?
The downside to transition is lack of consistency. In my
experience, it usually manifests itself in uneven mixing of the colors so
that nice even mix that Spectrum is known for is lacking. But remember,
they don’t claim this is first quality stuff (and neither do we). Every
once in awhile you find mixes that are beyond normal ranges, like the deep
golden red/amber waterglass® that is a transitional form of 451.20w. We’ve
used this very successfully as a border in transoms.
A
while back I got hold of some Youghiogheny uncats (uncategorized, basically
transition). These were sold as Uncat Blue Stipple at a bargain basement
price. The colors were blues I’d never seen before and the stipple was
pretty much lacking (they were fairly dense), but you couldn’t beat the
price.
I can here the fusers now, “well that’s just great for the regular stained
glass people and the mosaic artist’s, but Bullseye is so expensive.”
Actually it’s not and since you all have read and studied your catalog I’m
sure you are all aware the Bullseye makes a “B” grade glass. Fully
compatible, but outside target appearances (page 5). Hey, if you don’t have
a catalog stop by and I’ll give you one or call Bullseye and they will send
you one.
The really neat thing about the “B” grade list is that it also contains
experimentals! What a great way to get some colors that nobody else has.
Of course most of the time you’ll never be able to get them again either,
but remember, with transition you are not getting consistency.
The
Demon piece that finally came together was made in part with an experimental
orange/yellow that fell between 001125 and 001321. When fused to French
vanilla, 000137, it produced a really interesting background. The beasts
themselves were also made with a limited edition glass, stingers pulled from
orange lollipop rods.
So
there’s lots out there and many ways to cut a few bucks off the tab, but you
have to be willing to take a few risks. Most of the time they work,
sometimes they don’t. Next time I want to talk about the ladies of Ohio and
the upcoming Blue Heron Crab Fest, which is about to morph into some type of
Blue Heron Feast.
Remember, It’s only glass! v
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