Suicide Glass!

Fused glass and razor blades are made for each other! With the latest craze of Steam punk* these glass items seem to fit right in.



I fused my first Blade Dish about four years ago and I have been making them occasionally since. They are a combination of float glass (picture glass) which gives the glass a greenish tinge and red enamel powder sandwiched between the glass. Oh, and don't forget the razor blade. Because steel blades are so thin they don't cause fractures when fused.



My first dishes were always shallow, because I worried that a deep slump would cause the blade to fracture the glass. But as you can see from the deeper dish (above) the metal is flexible enough to bend and slump with the glass.

The ultimate steam punk accessory must be the Rock n Roll Suicide pendants. I wear one to work sometimes and I always get comments (and sometimes funny looks). As David Bowie said "Your too old to lose it, too young to choose it..."

Pendants and dishes are now available for sale on Folksy and Etsy.

* "Steam Punk is a sub-genre of fantasy and fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era —but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy." Wikipedia.

Wax Batik Papers

I spent last weekend making 60 sheets of wax batik papers to sell in my shop http://ILoveRed.etsy.com They are fun to make because each one is different and the dyes are such vibrant colors. On some sheets I have double printed the lizards (geckos) and on others I have used a decorator's paint brush to splash and drip hot wax over the painted geckos (lizards). Layering the color is fun too because, by painting the first layer yellow, the next blue layer of color turns green. The red and orange papers are particularly successful as, combined, the colors just sing!


These papers come in packs of six, sized A4 and, because they are painted onto thick quality cartridge paper, make excellent book covers or gift tags.


The dyes are colorfast and, although all the wax has been removed from the paper, it leaves a stiffness to the paper and a slight sheen. I remove the wax by ironing the paper between sheets of newspaper. The heat from the iron causes the wax to melt and become absorbed into the newspaper.


The tool I use to print the wax with is called a tjap (pronounced cap) and is an Indonesian wax printing tool made from copper. It conducts heat from the wax pot so I have to wrap the handle in a cloth to prevent my hand from burning. Wax is an extremely volatile material and should be treated with the utmost care and respect.


I love the combination of golden yellow, tangerine and fuchsia pink in this paper. As the lizard-geckos were printed with wax on white paper, the white shows very clearly.


For a tutorial on how to print your own wax batik papers please visit http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/wax_batik_collage_papers

Cut Out and Keep

Cut Out and Keep is a great site for the crafting community. The site includes a Project Page where you can learn how to make fantastic craft items, from fimo to fake blood! My favorite project is the sweet wrapper bracelet
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/wrapper_bracelet
You can also add projects of your own and the step-by-step guide makes listing a project very easy.

Here are some images from my Project on creating a Razor Blade Pendant using the Tiffany glass techique. http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/razor_blade_pendant
To buy the actual pendant visit: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7925799

Inclusions in glass

What is an inclusion? Well it's anything that can be fused between two pieces of glass (but not glass itself).

What objects can be fused as an inclusion? Washers, razor blades, certain types of metal foils, copper wire, coins, leaves, clock parts......

What can't be fused as an inclusion? Paper, plastic, hair, fabric, string, wood, foodstuff.

Why can you fuse plant matter but not paper or fabric? Because they will all turn to ash in the intense heat of the kiln but certain plant matter will leave behind a skeleton in the shape of the inclusion - such as ivy leaves, ferns and heather.

Why has the glass cracked around the inclusion? This happens when the inclusion is too thick for the glass such as heavy coins and bulky washers.

I have fused metal foil in between my glass but it has turned black. It could be that the foil is too thin or that it isn't a fusible foil. for fusible gold, silver and copper foil coe 90 go to:

http://www.warm-glass.co.uk/Shop/CategoryProducts.aspx?CategoryId=68

Copper sheet sometimes sheds small rusty or black residue between the glass. Clean the copper well with a silver cleaner and wash in hot soapy water before use.

Can all types of glass be fused with inclusions? Gosh, I don't know the answer to that one - I fuse inclusions (with the exception of the coe90 foils) between float glass coe 80 -82.

Fused glass sushi dishes with inclusions can be bought from http://glassprimitif.etsy.com/ and fused glass pendants from http://en.dawanda.com/shop/glassprimitif

These glass items have been designed and made by me (Glassprimitif). Please respect the copyright of this design.