Category Archives: Money-saving ideas

Reduce Waste – Make Danglers!

Posted on 2 November, 2021 by chatterglass

Glass manufacturer and our use of glass in kilns consume a lot of energy so perhaps our craft is far from ideal if we want to claim that we are “green” and want to “save the planet”. So, as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bubbles, High temperature wire, Money-saving ideas, Recycling | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Make Your Own Glass Cleaner

Posted on 30 December, 2018 by chatterglass

Today I want to chatter about glass cleaning products that are used on kiln-fired glass, discovering who’s using what and talking about what works and why, and then talk about how you can make or choose the best glass cleaner. … Continue reading →

Posted in Glass Cleaning, Money-saving ideas | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Make Your Own Glassline Paper

Posted on 14 November, 2016 by chatterglass

Today’s chatter is for glass fusers and is about Glassline Paper. I’ll discuss how and why you might make your own, either because Glassline don’t produce exactly what you want or because you have the time and inclination to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiment, Glassline Paper, Glassline Pen, Inclusions, Money-saving ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Repairing a Broken Mould

Posted on 7 May, 2016 by chatterglass

Today’s chatter describes an attempt to repair a broken ceramic mould so that it can be brought back into useful service. The repair process takes time and patience but it might help you salvage a expensive broken clay mould. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiment, Microwave kiln, Money-saving ideas, Mould, Recycling, Repair | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Stretch, Bend and Squiggle

Posted on 19 May, 2015 by chatterglass

If you only ever use stringers for straight lines and think that the advent of 0.5 mm diameter stringers is exciting then this blog probably isn’t for you. Ditch those straight line stringers. Get stretching, bending and squiggling. Read on! Stretch and … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiment, Microwave kiln, Money-saving ideas, Mould, Stringer | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Buzz Those Frits

Posted on 11 January, 2015 by chatterglass

For some time I’ve been using my fingers to sprinkle or place frits. I have also been tapping them out of a simple home-made frit dispenser. All very simple and low-tech but not very precise and rather laborious. So I … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiment, Frit, Frit Sifting, Money-saving ideas | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Use Your Glass Grinder Waste!

Posted on 23 March, 2014 by chatterglass

For many years I have been accumulating dried glass grinder waste in huge pickle jars with no clear idea about what to do with it. But now I have. But what do you do with the sloppy mess in your … Continue reading →

Posted in CMC, Drilling holes, Experiment, Frit, Melting Glass, Microwave kiln, Money-saving ideas, Recycling, Tylo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Make Your Own Safety Flux

Posted on 16 February, 2014 by chatterglass

You will be familiar with safety flux if you make tiffany-style copper foiled stained glass panels, and if you are, you may be interested in this posting because it can save  you some money. I’ve looked at several manufacturer safety … Continue reading →

Posted in CMC, Flux, Money-saving ideas, Soldering | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Make your own Copper Patina for Lead and Solder

Posted on 16 February, 2014 by chatterglass

For a small fraction of the price of a bottle of copper patina solution you could be buying a lifetime’s supply of the active ingredient – and just add water. The chemical you need is called copper(II)sulphate pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H20) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Money-saving ideas, Patina, Polishing | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Make Your Own Finishing Compound

Posted on 13 February, 2014 by chatterglass

If you’ve ever used glass finishing compounds like Kem-o-Pro or LIVA Glass Polish you’ll know they’re really useful for polishing your glass, solder and lead work and for giving it a protective coating of wax. They’re  also very useful for … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiment, Money-saving ideas, Polishing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments