Storage: Glass ID tips
July 27, 2012 by Cynthia
I am NOT one of those people who breezes into Bullseye saying, “I’d like two sheets of 1125-30, a jar of 1823-08 and four 1101-0576es.” Nope. To me those things will always be 3mm orange sheet glass, Burnt Scarlet Striker powder and clear glass rods. Nor can I distinguish it on sight except in REALLY obvious cases.
Which is fine…as long as I don’t cut off the part with the label. The first time I discovered that the supposedly French vanilla sheet I’d fired into a large strip bowl was actually lavender-grey (left), I stopped relying on my visual memory and started labeling the bloody glass the minute I got home from the glass store. It’s a great habit to get into and fairly easy if you keep it up.
First, even if the glass has the original labels, I write the color name on the glass in great big Sharpie marker. That way the corner I’m most likely to grab has a big, clear label on it (as above).
I also label my scrap religiously; I love colors like Marigold and Gold Purple, and it’s amazing how much they look like non-striking colors when you’re flipping through the scrap bin.
I frequently work with experimental glasses (one of the advantages of living near Bullseye) that aren’t in the catalog, and sometimes even the Bullseye folks can’t remember exactly what the glass looks after firing. For those, I cut off a small corner of the sheet and stick it in any available space for the next full-fuse firing. Then I tape the piece to the sheet for instant color identification.
I used to write the color name directly on the glass rod with a Sharpie, but there’s not much writing space there and it tends to wear off on your hand. Now I keep a roll of masking tape on hand, and slap about an inch onto the rod, tape it together, and write the ID on my home-made tag.
It helps; since I got religious about labeling I’ve never had a surprise tweed bowl.
Disclaimer: I doubt I invented any of this; some is pretty obvious and the rest probably originated in Mesopotamia or something. If you know of a better way, please, please share!
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me too. know the colors by name and not by number. Now, 18 years later, I’m trying to learn the numbers as well. I forget why.
As I take glass from the crate I write the color names. Since the invoice is in hand I also add the price I paid per pound. Has been useful at times.
I love that idea, Faye. Figuring out what the glass actually cost is one of my weak points when pricing.