Your Subtitle text
Classes, Courses, and Workshops
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Therapy With Sharp Edges Linda's step-by-step guides to creating your own stained glass panels may be just the kick-in-the pants you need to dive into the wonderful world of stained glass artistry. Part art, part construction, and a bit tongue-in-cheek, Linda's "Therapy With Sharp Edges: Introduction to Leading Techniques" (Copper Foil now available, too) will help de-mystify selecting and cutting art glass, cutting and piecing lead came, applying flux and solder, as well as cleaning properly and finishing up with a sturdy frame border and making your own ring hooks. Student patterns are included to get you running successfully. Come by the studio to pick up your copy or order one from Amazon Books or your local stained glass supplier. 
|
|
e
to enjoy each and every one of these courses and come away with a set
of introductory or advanced skills, applicable tools, and a new appreciation for the
time-honored study of stained glass techniques and the many avenues of
study available to stained glass and mosaic artists alike. You may be
even looking for more challenging or "different" classes to hone your
artistic skills. Whatever your skill level, be sure to get our weekly
NEWSLETTER. It's a small, but important window into what's going on in
our active 'glassopolis'. Also, you will get 'first dibs' on seating
and supplies for classes and new glass that's come in before it gets
printed here on the website. :-) 
|
|
|
|
Artisan Glass! Uncovered and Uncooked! with Linda Oliveira
Can't find the mosaic material you need? Create it yourself with this fun and intriguing class!  |
Artisan Glass! Uncovered and Uncooked! with Linda Oliveira
August 27
Saturday, 9 a.m.- noon.
Please Register by phone or at the shop. $60, All materials provided.
We'll show you how to make your own version of our nearly famous Artisan Glass! Each student will get 1 square foot of textured, clear glass, and be guided through the process of adding a variety of specially formulated paints and mica to create your own unique version of Artisan Glass.
No experience or tools are necessary.
All materials and shop tools are provided for project use.
|
Artisan Glass! Uncovered and Uncooked! with Linda Oliveira
 |
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
|
Beginning Traditional Lead with Stained Glass $145 + Leading Tools ($40 Rental), Glass & Soldering Supplies This 12-hr course guides students through the entire process of creating a traditional leaded panel. Students learn basic glass cutting techniques, leading, soldering, puttying, and finishing. The instructor will provide several designs for students to choose from. Students are responsible for providing their own tools and materials but also have an option to rent from our available tools. All tools and materials are available for purchase at Artisan Stained Glass. Students that are registered for this class receive a 10% discount on all purchases involving tools and materials (including glass). All-inclusive ASG Student Packs include the tools and supplies (except glass) at a 15% discount (pre-purchase only). Please contact the studio at least a week in advance to pre-pay for Student Packs so they'll be ready for you on the first day of class. Note: A $40 Tool Rental fee has been added to this course for students not wishing to purchase or bring their own applicable tools. . |
A leaded and zinc-bordered stained glass panel at the
puttying and whiting stage of the construction process. |
4-Panel Lamp Design & Construction w/ Linda Oliveira - $145 (This is an Intermediate Foil course, You must have taken a Beginners Class to register) Note: Cutting, Foiling, and Soldering Tools are Required ($40 Optional Tool Rental Fee) Heck! 14 hrs is probably pushing it, since Linda calls the lamp to the right her "10-Hr lamp". (Well, she's a bit more experienced than the rest of us and she's pretty knowledgeable about the tools that make the job go faster. But since we've just come away from some serious soldering in our copper foil, lead, or star workshops, she's going to give us a good 4-hr head start ("Haha! Not gonna happen!", she says). But seriously, the first session will be spent talking about what makes a good glass choice for lampshades (and where we can find the REALLY good lamp glass), choosing Dave or Linda's ready-made patterns and choosing the right glass palette to make 'em our own, and then cutting to our heart's content either with or without the help of our Morton Portable Glass Shop. The trick, really, is in the design and construction, and Linda will guide us step by step in figuring out the angles and depths of each side of our 4-panel lamp, and the cool way to keep our panels together while soldering them accurately to the lamp cap AND each other. Details: This class meets for 4 hours/week, Tuesdays and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. Registration cost is now $145 for the entire session and each student gets 10% off their tools and materials. Either bring a 14" lamp base (or 2 or 3 to trade, give away or sell), or choose from our eclectic collection (we get 'em from garage sales or estate sales or Goodwill, too, so we won't be askin' for much, right?) If you need the appropriate vase cap, give us a call and we'll figure out what you need and order it ASAP. We have some already in stock, too. We'll plan the order a week in advance to give us a comfortable lead time in case the vase cap just doesn't work with the lamp. Oh, I forgot- let's make sure they work with a light bulb (or two), too, eh? |
|
|
Beginning Copper Foil w/ Stained Glass $145 + Tools ($40 Tool Rental) and Materials ($165 w/ included book, "Therapy With Sharp Edges, Introduction to Copper Foil", by instructor, Linda Oliveira) This 12-hr course guides students through the entire process of creating a copper foiled panel. Students learn basic glass cutting techniques, foiling, soldering and finishing as well as the types of glass available to a stained glass artisan. The instructor will provide several designs for students to choose from. Students are responsible for providing their own tools and materials. All tools and materials are available for purchase at Artisan Stained Glass. Plus, registered students receive a 10% discount on all purchases for the duration of the class. Student Packs For Copper Foil projects are also available and include all tools and most supplies at a one-time pre-pay 15% discount. Please contact the studio to pre-order Student Packs in advance so they'll be ready for you on the first day of class. |
"Frog on a Lily Pad", displayed in the gallery, is an example of a beginning copper foil project.
|
Moravian Stars Revisited (Fun For the Holidays)!
December 10th, 1:30 - 4 p.m. $40.
Create these amazing beauties from one short strip of art glass and some stained glass solder.
Come into the studio ready to work (no sandals, please)! We'll have everything you need: glass, foil, tools, gloves, and solder. No experience is necessary - we'll teach you everything you need to know. Call or email ahead to reserve your spot. Table space is limited.
| About Our Student Packs for Leaded and Copper Foil Construction Beginner Classes We only carry the best tools and materials available to us. Toyo cutters, Weller and Hakko stained glass soldering irons, Fan Out lead cutters, and GlasStar grinders and grinding bits, just to name a few. Although they are not a part of our student packs, grinders, zinc saws, ringsaws, and safety goggles can be ordered for quick 3-day delivery. Our studio grinders and saws and a few other materials are freely available for registered students, even during non-class times. Additional materials necessary to complete your project will be made available by the class instructor, such as: alcohol, acetone, scrubbing pads, paper towels, additional layout guides and pins, and anything not currently in stock but on order. Also, the glass you choose for you project is entirely up to you and is purchased at a 10% (student) discount. We have plenty of glass available to practice cutting, though, and you will ot be responsible for practice glass. Our ASG studio aprons are readily available for each student to wear during class, and although they are recommended, are not required to purchase. If you plan on soldering for any extended period of time, you might be glad you were wearing one, though. Tools and Glass Prices are not included here because they are subject to market fluctuation. Items subject to price volatility include metals, solders, foils, and chemicals, and as seen earlier this year, supply shortages are not uncommon in the stained glass world. If you wish to read more about our studio tools... continue reading here. |
 |
The ASG Student Pack For Leading
|
The ASG Student Pack For Copper Foil
|
...and More About our Tools and Supplies...
I'm a Beginner to this whole Stained Glass thing. How much should I budget for investing in a complete set of tools for my first class?
Linda has been teaching beginning classes for a long time now and has found the set of tools that balance cost and use best.
If you are considering the ASG deal for complete Student Packs, I'd budget up to $220 for one of the collections outlined in the tool lists above (at the 15% discount off retail cost), as we probably won't make anyone use FanOut (Japan) lead cutters (heretofore known as lead dykes) any longer (we have a few available still, though), which are, by far the best, most durable cutters for lead cutting anywhere, probably due to the special metal alloy used to create the cutter head. Plus, in our opinion they're a dream to cut lead with and we use them exclusively. Unfortunately, they cost us a whole lot to carry them, though, (very low markup) like anything made by Silberschnidt (Made in Germany), Toyo (Japan), Fan Out or GlasStar (USA). We used to use Weller (USA) soldering irons until the Weller 100 was recalled in 2009 for a minor manufacturing flaw, when we switched to the Hakko 456. The Weller flaw has been corrected since then and many of our students have received their replacement irons from Weller at no cost to them or us and are still pleased with the sweet soldering "action" that they provide. We have grown comfortable with the lightweight, smooth, feel of the Hakko's as well as their resiliency, so we keep ordering them. Irons also recommended are the Esico series of stained glass irons and tips, the Hakko 556SE, and the Weller 60, 80, and 100. The advantage of the 100, additionally, is that it does not require a rheostat (iron tip temperature controller) to use. It is, however, very costly and thus, very costly to keep as overhead for us. We are always willing, however, to order hig-quality irons (and tips) that you are comfortable with from our network of stained glass tool supply wholesalers and at competitive prices.
But if you're shopping for tools yourself, don't be fooled by low prices on stained glass equipment. Large stained glass tools and supply sellers are in a volume-driven business and each tool manufacturing outfit has their own defined "standards" by which they make their equipment. We have seen enough to know what works and what doesn't (in the long run). It's really a question of cost vs. benefit. We don't want to waste time with low-quality equipment so it just doesn't make economical sense to us.
We attempt to find the very best value for our stained glass artists and our students, so we use the very best glass cutters (scorers) available, like the Toyo TC600 PistolGrip and the TC21 Supercutter, and they retail at our shop (and Helios next door) for around $35.00. These are great because your score is better controlled and the brass ball (oil reservoir screw) at it's end is also used to "tap" the score line for a more controlled glass separation. There are cheaper, less expensive versions of virtually every tool in stained glass, but we buy the best in the tools that matter to us the most (grinder heads, grinders, cutters, measuring tools, copper foils, metals, etc.). Wholesalers are in the business of selling at volume, our business is to provide you with a burgeoning love of stained glass and the wonderful things that your new-found skills and time can produce.
What are the differences in each student pack?
The copper foil pack is the same as the leading pack except for a few items which aren’t necessary in either technique. Leading requires lead came, a fid (lead separating/putty removal tool that rhymes with "KID"), 50/50 solder, whiting, glazing putty, and lead cutters. Copper foiling needs none of these but DOES require MORE solder use than leading does and the slightly more expensive 60/40 or 63/37 solders are widely used for copper foil work. Also, a foil burnisher and copper foil tape (again, use quality materials here) are used. The soldering equipment for both techniques is the same as are the layout guides and pins (for securing your work to a table or board), which are necessary to complete projects quickly and "in square".
How long will my student pack of tools last me?
There are items that you will use up more rapidly than others, but will have enough to complete your project in the 12 hours allotted to beginner students. The main purpose of the student pack is to provide beginners with a solid set of tools to complete many more projects in the future. Copper foiling will use up your solder and your foil. Future projects in this realm will require an outlay for solder and foils. Leading will use up lead, so be aware of the lengths of each of your "inside" lines and compensate with 6' lengths of lead. Items such as grinders will not be added to a student pack because if we did, your cost would increase by over $150, and we do not believe in giving you a possibly inferior tool that may only last a year or two or a couple of days past the warranty date (we might have these in our "grinder graveyard" if we haven't already tossed them to make space available). GlasStar makes the best glass grinder for our production use, plain and simple. 7 years of student classes and commission work cannot lie about that. And by the way, GlasStar has had a 5-year warranty on their grinders for as along as we can remember and their support staff is truly top-notch. Sure the other grinders you may see available are enticingly cheap, but they also are made with low quality materials that makes them inexpensive. With that said, IF you don't take care of (maintain) ANY tool correctly (like leaving it in the attic or garage in TEXAS!), it will fail you in the future (when you probably need it most). Go to the manufacturer's website and search for their "How to care for your ..." and you will soon know which maker cares for the artist or cares about just selling you a tool. Good questions to ask during class would be how to care for your tools (if she doesn’t mention it during her discourse). I can't be sure of what every tool is made of, but, as an example, the cutter heads should be made of carbide steel and the cutter itself may have a light, lamp oil inside a propylene or brass reservoir. Grinder heads have fused, diamond bits fastened to a perfectly-milled steel drum, as does the diamond ring saw (minus the drum, and add a steel ring). GlasStar grinders utilize motors that last longer than any other manufacturer of grinders (that we are aware of). But again, we have NO CLUE what sorts of materials motors are made from - We are not mechanical engineers. We just know the tools we use work for us, and if it doesn't work as advertised or to our satisfaction, we do our best to find something else that does.
If something has worked for you longer than you can remember buying it, please let us know, too. That kind of information is priceless to us and our glass community.
David & Linda Oliveira
Artisan Stained Glass
'Therapy With Sharp Edges'
I'm a Beginner to this whole Stained Glass thing. How much should I budget for investing in a complete set of tools for my first class?
Linda has been teaching beginning classes for a long time now and has found the set of tools that balance cost and use best.
If you are considering the ASG deal for complete Student Packs, I'd budget up to $220 for one of the collections outlined in the tool lists above (at the 15% discount off retail cost), as we probably won't make anyone use FanOut (Japan) lead cutters (heretofore known as lead dykes) any longer (we have a few available still, though), which are, by far the best, most durable cutters for lead cutting anywhere, probably due to the special metal alloy used to create the cutter head. Plus, in our opinion they're a dream to cut lead with and we use them exclusively. Unfortunately, they cost us a whole lot to carry them, though, (very low markup) like anything made by Silberschnidt (Made in Germany), Toyo (Japan), Fan Out or GlasStar (USA). We used to use Weller (USA) soldering irons until the Weller 100 was recalled in 2009 for a minor manufacturing flaw, when we switched to the Hakko 456. The Weller flaw has been corrected since then and many of our students have received their replacement irons from Weller at no cost to them or us and are still pleased with the sweet soldering "action" that they provide. We have grown comfortable with the lightweight, smooth, feel of the Hakko's as well as their resiliency, so we keep ordering them. Irons also recommended are the Esico series of stained glass irons and tips, the Hakko 556SE, and the Weller 60, 80, and 100. The advantage of the 100, additionally, is that it does not require a rheostat (iron tip temperature controller) to use. It is, however, very costly and thus, very costly to keep as overhead for us. We are always willing, however, to order hig-quality irons (and tips) that you are comfortable with from our network of stained glass tool supply wholesalers and at competitive prices.
But if you're shopping for tools yourself, don't be fooled by low prices on stained glass equipment. Large stained glass tools and supply sellers are in a volume-driven business and each tool manufacturing outfit has their own defined "standards" by which they make their equipment. We have seen enough to know what works and what doesn't (in the long run). It's really a question of cost vs. benefit. We don't want to waste time with low-quality equipment so it just doesn't make economical sense to us.
We attempt to find the very best value for our stained glass artists and our students, so we use the very best glass cutters (scorers) available, like the Toyo TC600 PistolGrip and the TC21 Supercutter, and they retail at our shop (and Helios next door) for around $35.00. These are great because your score is better controlled and the brass ball (oil reservoir screw) at it's end is also used to "tap" the score line for a more controlled glass separation. There are cheaper, less expensive versions of virtually every tool in stained glass, but we buy the best in the tools that matter to us the most (grinder heads, grinders, cutters, measuring tools, copper foils, metals, etc.). Wholesalers are in the business of selling at volume, our business is to provide you with a burgeoning love of stained glass and the wonderful things that your new-found skills and time can produce.
What are the differences in each student pack?
The copper foil pack is the same as the leading pack except for a few items which aren’t necessary in either technique. Leading requires lead came, a fid (lead separating/putty removal tool that rhymes with "KID"), 50/50 solder, whiting, glazing putty, and lead cutters. Copper foiling needs none of these but DOES require MORE solder use than leading does and the slightly more expensive 60/40 or 63/37 solders are widely used for copper foil work. Also, a foil burnisher and copper foil tape (again, use quality materials here) are used. The soldering equipment for both techniques is the same as are the layout guides and pins (for securing your work to a table or board), which are necessary to complete projects quickly and "in square".
How long will my student pack of tools last me?
There are items that you will use up more rapidly than others, but will have enough to complete your project in the 12 hours allotted to beginner students. The main purpose of the student pack is to provide beginners with a solid set of tools to complete many more projects in the future. Copper foiling will use up your solder and your foil. Future projects in this realm will require an outlay for solder and foils. Leading will use up lead, so be aware of the lengths of each of your "inside" lines and compensate with 6' lengths of lead. Items such as grinders will not be added to a student pack because if we did, your cost would increase by over $150, and we do not believe in giving you a possibly inferior tool that may only last a year or two or a couple of days past the warranty date (we might have these in our "grinder graveyard" if we haven't already tossed them to make space available). GlasStar makes the best glass grinder for our production use, plain and simple. 7 years of student classes and commission work cannot lie about that. And by the way, GlasStar has had a 5-year warranty on their grinders for as along as we can remember and their support staff is truly top-notch. Sure the other grinders you may see available are enticingly cheap, but they also are made with low quality materials that makes them inexpensive. With that said, IF you don't take care of (maintain) ANY tool correctly (like leaving it in the attic or garage in TEXAS!), it will fail you in the future (when you probably need it most). Go to the manufacturer's website and search for their "How to care for your ..." and you will soon know which maker cares for the artist or cares about just selling you a tool. Good questions to ask during class would be how to care for your tools (if she doesn’t mention it during her discourse). I can't be sure of what every tool is made of, but, as an example, the cutter heads should be made of carbide steel and the cutter itself may have a light, lamp oil inside a propylene or brass reservoir. Grinder heads have fused, diamond bits fastened to a perfectly-milled steel drum, as does the diamond ring saw (minus the drum, and add a steel ring). GlasStar grinders utilize motors that last longer than any other manufacturer of grinders (that we are aware of). But again, we have NO CLUE what sorts of materials motors are made from - We are not mechanical engineers. We just know the tools we use work for us, and if it doesn't work as advertised or to our satisfaction, we do our best to find something else that does.
If something has worked for you longer than you can remember buying it, please let us know, too. That kind of information is priceless to us and our glass community.
David & Linda Oliveira
Artisan Stained Glass
'Therapy With Sharp Edges'
Photo Log
CHOOSE FROM OUR INCREDIBLE SELECTION OF ART GLASS FOR YOUR IN-CLASS PROJECT
SOME STUDIOUS DUDES IN THE CLASSROOM (STUDIO) FOR BEGINNERS COPPER FOILING |
A FEW EXAMPLES OF BEGINNING AND INTERMEDIATE COPPER FOILING PROJECTS   |
CHOOSE FROM OUR INCREDIBLE SELECTION OF ART GLASS FOR YOUR IN-CLASS PROJECT