Door Inserts

sandblasted glassSometimes simple projects can be more difficult than they look. One would assume in looking at the lines in this design that they are the simple combination of a line and an arc, but not so. The curve of the arc actually lessens to meet the line – more like an oval.

One of the more difficult tasks in sandblasting is shading large areas evenly. There are no guarantees that your sand will shoot with perfect consistency, in fact I can almost promise you it won’t. Nor is it possible to force the human body to perform with absolute machine like precision. Shadows in the booth can also deceive the blaster into thinking it looks perfect.

These are all reasons that being an adrenaline junky is a helpful personality trait in this business. The challenge in this project was to try to evenly blast the middle areas. Click on the thumbnail to see how it turned out.

sandblasted glass Vancouver

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Antique Style: UPDATED

stained glass windowThe Farm Cafe is a charming and romantic restaurant in Portland Oregon. The building is actually a converted late 19th century house that retains much of it’s original character.

The design for the windows are meant to blend with the decor including some actual antique windows already there.

UPDATE: Install on Tuesday was successful. The slideshow of the building process turned out quite nice (click on the image to the left).

stained glass art Vancouver Washington

cutting stained glass

leading

soldered window

putty for stained glass

buffed stained glass

first window

stained glass installation

farm windows finished

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Friday’s Post

pet stone grave marker by Glasstone Studio in Vancouver WaThis time it’s one for us. A bit belated – it felt better to avoid it for a while. We left this one unpainted – definitely a subtler look. (click to enlarge)

It’s true, our cat “Friday” WAS old, but it didn’t really seem like it – just last year I looked out the window and was shocked to see him fearlessly beating on a big raccoon that was eating out of his bowl. Probably embarrassing for Friday that the raccoon didn’t seem to notice much and just continued eating.

Micky has a nice Friday post on her blog. Good photo too. Here is a link.

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Slideshow of Studio

glass workshop Vancouver WaTook some photos of my little workshop last night. To check them out, click on the image to the left.

Construction is done for now. There is still plenty I would love to do to the place, such as putting in a ceiling, and doing something with the floor – but those things will have to wait for a while, I have actual glass jobs to do!

glass studio pacific NW

sand blast booth with reach in

sandblasted glass studio

glass studio workshop

studio of Ron Branch

art studio Vancouver wa

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In the Beginning – booths #1 (and 2)

Booth-building series Click this link to read from the beginning post.

Actually, in the beginning there was no booth. At the studio where I had first been employed as a glass artist, I had worked outdoors in a vacant lot. They had been doing it there for I don’t know how many years, and so it was like standing amongst blinding white dunes of silica. Thinking back on it has that same surreal quality as remembering that there was a time when people smoked aboard commercial airline flights or while shopping for groceries – just doesn’t seem real but it was, you know?

sandblasting glass outsideThe other place where I was blasting back then was under a roof attached to an old shed, but still basically without walls. I came across this photo from 1987 that shows me working at night out behind a place I was renting in Chandler Arizona. I was also using the inside of the shed for building stained glass windows. As enjoyable as it can be to work outside, there are many disadvantages to deal with, such as the little gifts that cats leave for you in your sand.

The next time I was setting up, I decided

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