Alive and twitching...
Feb. 27th, 2003 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
whitereflectionEr, yeah, still out here. In a way. :)
Anyway, the first stained glass class went decently well. Pretty much it was just basic, her showing us the tools, and giving us an overview of the process. She also lectured a bit on the details of how to start with a pattern, and how to get that pattern cut into pieces to use for templates for the glass. Is all rather neat, actually. Then those of us who haven't cut glass before got to practice a bit on window glass--and yeah, I ended up with several nicks just in the hour we were working. ^^;; I also spent a chunk of money on basic supplies--tools, that is. I haven't bought glass or lead or anything like that. It's gonna be another chunk of money when I have to buy a soldering iron, I think. Gotta make some time to work on my pattern before next Tuesday.
Gonna hang out with Anj some tonight. Been a lot of stressy things going on of late, so she James and I are going to eat crap food and watch Azumanga Daioh or My Neighbors the Yamada's, or a bit of each, something like that.
Oh, and in one week, my aunt (Dad's older sister--the one who my uncle left), who was in the hospital for a staph infection in her foot A) ended up in respriatory failure and coding on the table after having a panic attack then an asthma attack during a very simple routine procedure to put a stint (?) in her leg to help the staph infection-sore heal, and ended up on a respirator for a couple days; and B) because they worried the respiratory failure was caused in part by a congestive heart failure condition, had a stress test, which led to a near-heart attack, and they had to do an angioplasty on a blocked vessel. Ohyeah, and it turns out her pre-diabetic condition is now full diabetes. Oy. As expected, this threw my Dad into a bit of a loop this week. And there's still the problem with my other aunt (Dad's younger sister)--it is suspected she has a tumor on her pituitary gland, but she is having to wait for-freaking-ever before they can get her in for an MRI to confirm this. At the least, it is said this sort of tumor is almost always benign and might even be able to be dealt with by medicine rather than surgery, but still...I can't believe they're making her wait so long, wondering and not knowing for sure. Geez.
Us here, tho, we're ok, though something is kicking my ass allergy-wise again. Started during the class with a combination of the instructor's whiteboard marker, and some other chemical smell, that maybe is from the solder or something? Eh... *shrugs* I'm living on motrin and feeling kinda like I have a cold constantly. Oh, and Rei? I think one way or another, I'm a go for AX--dunno yet whether it will be just me, or me and James, but count on *someone* being able to help you share that room. :) *happy thoughts* Akon, AI, *and* AX this year...I like the thought of it. :)
Anyway, the first stained glass class went decently well. Pretty much it was just basic, her showing us the tools, and giving us an overview of the process. She also lectured a bit on the details of how to start with a pattern, and how to get that pattern cut into pieces to use for templates for the glass. Is all rather neat, actually. Then those of us who haven't cut glass before got to practice a bit on window glass--and yeah, I ended up with several nicks just in the hour we were working. ^^;; I also spent a chunk of money on basic supplies--tools, that is. I haven't bought glass or lead or anything like that. It's gonna be another chunk of money when I have to buy a soldering iron, I think. Gotta make some time to work on my pattern before next Tuesday.
Gonna hang out with Anj some tonight. Been a lot of stressy things going on of late, so she James and I are going to eat crap food and watch Azumanga Daioh or My Neighbors the Yamada's, or a bit of each, something like that.
Oh, and in one week, my aunt (Dad's older sister--the one who my uncle left), who was in the hospital for a staph infection in her foot A) ended up in respriatory failure and coding on the table after having a panic attack then an asthma attack during a very simple routine procedure to put a stint (?) in her leg to help the staph infection-sore heal, and ended up on a respirator for a couple days; and B) because they worried the respiratory failure was caused in part by a congestive heart failure condition, had a stress test, which led to a near-heart attack, and they had to do an angioplasty on a blocked vessel. Ohyeah, and it turns out her pre-diabetic condition is now full diabetes. Oy. As expected, this threw my Dad into a bit of a loop this week. And there's still the problem with my other aunt (Dad's younger sister)--it is suspected she has a tumor on her pituitary gland, but she is having to wait for-freaking-ever before they can get her in for an MRI to confirm this. At the least, it is said this sort of tumor is almost always benign and might even be able to be dealt with by medicine rather than surgery, but still...I can't believe they're making her wait so long, wondering and not knowing for sure. Geez.
Us here, tho, we're ok, though something is kicking my ass allergy-wise again. Started during the class with a combination of the instructor's whiteboard marker, and some other chemical smell, that maybe is from the solder or something? Eh... *shrugs* I'm living on motrin and feeling kinda like I have a cold constantly. Oh, and Rei? I think one way or another, I'm a go for AX--dunno yet whether it will be just me, or me and James, but count on *someone* being able to help you share that room. :) *happy thoughts* Akon, AI, *and* AX this year...I like the thought of it. :)
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on stained glass
Date: 2003-02-28 07:16 am (UTC)Two things to really invest in, their worth it if you get involved in this, your soldering iron and a good grinder. I went through so many danged irons that probably ended up with me spending way more than if I'd invested in the one I ended up with in the first place. If you're dead on with your cuts, you can get away without the grinder but it makes things wayyyyy easier even if all you use it for is to smooth those little razor edges. I'd also recommend a quality cutter made for stained glass work, but I've a collection of "disposable" (those cheap glass cutters that you don't mind just throwing out when the wheel dulls) that often work better on some glass more than others.
Are you leading with copper foil or cutting and soldering lead came? I mostly have worked with foil and solder than using lead came but it does give little window suncatchers a nice edge.
Have fun and don't mind the little nicks and scrapes you're going to find. I found that rubber cement is great to have around simply because it's so great at collecting all those little nearly invisible prickleys that end up on your skin after cutting. My only problem when I was really into doing glass was it was when I was still working in medical lab and having *ANY* cuts is a real drag when you're working with contaminated human products and wearing gloves all day long. ^__~ Just keep aware of where you've set your iron at all times! I have a tendency of becoming very involved and reaching for it and finding it by the heat as it burns into my hand or arm! ::grin::
Re: on stained glass
Date: 2003-03-04 08:47 am (UTC)But dang, yeah--expensive is the truth. So far the priciest thing I've had to get is the cutter (one of the not-so-expensive ones fit my hand the best--will have to see how long it lasts), but I know the soldering iron is gonna run me. I was hoping to not need a grinder (I have a hand tool I was hoping to get by with--is it a grouter? The one that can be used to hold the glass and grind rough edges)...but she's going to have to show me how to use it. In the class last week I couldn't figure out how to do it--if it keeps being difficult, I'll have to pop for the grinder. Man, the costs, the costs--and that's not even considering the solder, glass, came, etc.
Oh and yeah, this class is the one on lead came--I hope to take the copper foil class next (maybe in summer). Especially since it's possible to integrate the two, doing the tiny work in copper, and the larger bits in lead.
Thanks for the tip on rubber cement--I'll have to pick some up, as I know me, I'm gonna end up with lots of prickleys in my skin. ^^;; My buddy Anj recommends something called NuSkin, that can be sprayed on over cuts, so that I won't have to go around in bandaids all the time (otherwise I think my hands will look like mitts, yeek). Heh, I can see me having the same problems with the soldering iron, with my distractedness.
Got my second class tonight, so long as the weather doesn't get bad and cancel it--even though I'm still home from work, I'll do the class. I'm not contagious, and with a five-week class, I really can't afford to miss a session. I think this time she'll have us try out the store's grinder (I might as well price what that sort of thing would cost...)
*hugs some more* Is awesome to get a chance to say hi again! Been a while! Take care,
--Di