thelittleglasskiln.co.uk

All our small bottle clocks (under 750ml) are now reduced for a limited time, with prices from just £12.75!

Our clocks are now fitted with new smoother, quieter sweep second hand!

I’ve finally got the first of my new range of fused glass clocks in the online store.

 You can find them here – http://tinyurl.com/yz6falk.

£15.95 until 10th May 2010! (will be £18.95 after).

I had been hoping to have had my fused glass clocks on the website by now, as per my last post, but I’ve been kept really busy with an order from one of my suppliers, so haven’t had time to add them yet. They will be appearing at some stage though!

 Hopefully I’ll have a bit more time to spare soon though. I’ve bought a new (well, second hand, but new to me!) kiln to allow me to double my production, so that I can get my large orders done much more quickly. this will benefit my suppliers, who will get their order sooner, and me, as it means I’ll have more time free to get on with other things.

It’s not a new kiln, so whether it will need new elements before use I’ve yet to discover, as I’ll be collecting it in a few days.  It means it may be a few weeks before I’m able to make use of it, but because of the price, I really couldn’t afford to NOT buy it. I can’t wait to use it now! Also, as it’s actually a ceramics kiln, it will fire to higher temperatures than my glass kiln, so I’m hoping to have a bit of a dabble with pottery too. My existing kiln uses less power than this new one, so that will still be my main kiln, but it will be nice to have the extra capacity there when I need it.

This is the latest clock in the collection. I think this is my personal favourite, but goodness me, it’s really taken some doing trying to get a decent photo of it. I’ve still not really managed, but these will hopefully give some idea of how it looks. Time to invest in a proper light tent, I think!

Hopefully all the clocks I’ve made so far will be added to the online store (www.thelittleglasskiln.co.uk) tomorrow.

This tile is the reuslt of my first play with my new grinder. I’m quite pleased at how it turned out.

'Under the sea' fused glass tile/plaque

I had intended to turn it into a clock, but now that it’s complete, I feel bad about drilling into it, so I think I’m going to keep it intact as a tile/plaque.

I particularly like the bubbles sandwiched between the green and clear glass layers, which add to the underwater effect, and how well the dichroic fish turned out. In the right light, the colours really shimmer, and it really does give the effect of fish scales. It’s also slightly raised from the surface, making the fish stand out.

Dichroic glass fish and bubbles

I recently found a box of my old art glass and decided to have a play. I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the bits and pieces that I found so much that I’ve decided to invest in a glass grinder and some new art glass, and start widening my range of items available for sale.

The bottle clocks will still be available of course, but in addition to these, I’ll be introducing some more individual fused glass items to the website. These will include more clocks, plates, dishes and possibly jewellery. Each will be a one off design, so the buyer can be sure that their item will be a unique piece that won’t be found anywhere else.

This is the first of my clocks, made using the odd bits of glass I have left at the moment (new glass due today – I can’t wait to get started!).

Pink and black fused glass 10cm square clock

It can be hung on a wall as a small wall clock (hanger attached), but would also make a cute desk / dressing table clock, using the optional acrylic stand.

Green/Black fused glass clock

 This one is the same size as the first, but this time made from transparent green glass, overlaid with opaque black and small pieces of blue dichroic glass marking out the 3,6,9 and 12 points on the clock. The transparent glass has attractive bubbles trapped within the layers to create extra interest. Again, the clock can be wall hung, or free standing (using the acrylic stand).

The 10cm clocks are likely to be priced at £18.95 (inc. postage).  They’re not currently available on the website ( I only have these two ready at the moment!), but if you’re interested in either of them, please feel free to get in touch!

Just a quick note to say it’s the last day of the Valentines 15% sale today.

Bottle clocks from just £13.56 delivered!

This is a picture of my first attempts with the bottle cutter…

Recycled Corona beer bottle glasses

Unfortunately, I got a bit carried away and tried to cut a couple of them down a bit more, and ended up with lots of broken glass instead (which I’m sure will come in for fusing into something else), but I’ve kept the other two, and after grinding down the edges, they make quite servicable drinking glasses.

I’m not sure whether I’m planning on selling these yet. I like the idea of them, and I know this type of glass is quite popular at the moment, but they do take a lot of work (grinding the tops down takes aaages!), so I might just make a few more for our own use and as gifts, and leave it at that, unless I get many requests for them.

I’ve been busy playing with my new toy over the last few days (all in the interests of research of course!).

My ‘toy’ is a bottle cutter (by Ephrem’s, an American company), and I love it! Cutting straight lines is definitely an aquired skill, but I’m getting the hang of it slowly, and I’ve cut a few decent rings out of the bottle now.

My new toy!

Basically, it’s a metal base, with rollers that the bottle rests on horzontally, and a small cutting disc. You slowly rotate the bottle towards you, pressing against the cutter to score a line right round the bottle (it doesn’t really cut, just scores).

You then heat the score line over a candle flame for three or four revolutions, before plunging the bottle into ice cold water (or you can rub an ice cube around the score line, as per the instructions – but I’m too impatient for that!). It usually takes a few goes over the candle and into the water before the bottle splits, but the cracking/ popping  noises you hear as the crack starts to expand are very sastisfying, if a little scary at first! You do certainly need an amount of patience, as it does take time, and not every bottle works, but it is pretty effective, and certainly a lot safer than other methods I’ve seen online involving petrol, lighter fluid and hot wire/car batteries!

I’ve lots of ideas for the cut pieces of glass, so hopefully they’ll be appearing on my website at some point in the near future – keep an eye out for them!