Excerpt from Article in

Ed Hoy's International - Premier Focus

Our Premier Focus not only features a newer company, but it also features a specialty company. Glasshopper Studio recently celebrated their Grand Opening in a new store located in St. Louis, MO. Leslie Leipziger started her business in 1998 to respond to the area needs for a teaching program and product source for warm and hot glass enthusiasts.

Glasshopper Studio is a unique shop in the St. Louis Metro area. The front of the shop is comprised of a retail gallery area that features fused glass plates and artwork made by Leslie and other contributing artists, handmade glass beads, crystal, turquoise, stone, Bali, Thai, pewter, mother of pearl, abalone, soapstone, semi-precious gemstones, beads. As you move further into the store, there is an art studio with a fused glass preparation area, eight glass bead preparation booths (fully vented to the exterior) and cabinets holding glass products sold in the studio.

Several different types of classes are offered in the studio area:

• Fusing glass plates and designing glass art by cutting glass and melting it in a kiln for the desired shape
  
• Glass bead making in a torch flame
  
• Crafting fine silver jewelry by a new process developed in Japan called Art Clay Silver
  
• Wire bending classes to finish pieces to use as jewelry
  
• Jewelry making using peyote stitch and very small beads
  
• Making beaded jewelry on a loom
  
• Making beaded jewelry using a "netting" process
  
• Various other jewelry and wirebending classes.

The store/studio carries a wide selection of glass sheet, glass rods, silver supplies and beading supplies to accomplish these art forms. In addition, a wide selection of other sundries and books are carried to support the types of art and materials demonstrated in the studio. The studio also offers "open studio time" to artists and students who wish to use the equipment that the shop has to offer while making their pieces. Open seven days a week, the atmosphere in the store is very friendly and relaxed- a great environment to learn and exchange experiences with other enthusiasts. They also occasionally rent the studio out for fusing and bead making parties that are supervised by an artist.

Quite simply, Leslie and Glasshopper Studio have tapped into a growing market - the enthusiasm for free-form glassworking!

© 2001-2003 Ed Hoy's International

---

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

BIRTHSTONES

January --- Garnet
February -- Amethyst
March ----- Aquamarine
April ----- Diamond or Cubic Zirconia
May ------- Emerald
June ------ Pearl or Moonstone
July ------ Ruby
August ---- Peridot
September - Sapphire
October --- Rose Opal or Tourmaline
November -- Golden Topaz or Smoky Quartz
December -- Turquoise or Lapis Lazuli

---

LAMPWORKING AND GLASS FUSING HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES

Glass working has some inherent risk of injury to the artist. The following information is intended to increase your enjoyment of lampworking and fusing, while adding to your awareness and helping you reduce your exposure to potential hazards.

1. Eye Protection
Eye protection is very important in lampworking and fusing, for two reasons. First of all, glass can sometimes shatter when placed directly in the flame and when being cut and you must protect your eyes from flying glass fragments. You must also protect your eyes from potentially damaging Ultraviolet and Infrared rays, which are emitted when you melt glass in a flame. The standard eye protection for lampworkers has been "didymium" glasses, which have the additional feature of filtering out the sidetracting yellow glare given off molten glass. Please protect your eyes!

2. Respiratory Hazards
Melting glass in a flame produces a number of gasses and vapors which can affect your health. This is the reason that we ventilate each work area with a double fan system.
An additional respiratory hazard is posed by dust particles you might encounter in your studio. These include: powdered "bead release" compounds, dust stirred up when you work with vermiculite, and loose particles of refractory materials such as brick or ceramic-fiber insulation inside your kiln. Take care not to inhale these irritating and potentially harmful dust particles. Wear a respirator, if necessary, to reduce your exposure. Beware of hazardous dusts that can be stirred up when you are cleaning your station. Wet down any questionable areas or spills with a spray bottle before wiping with a wet rag, to reduce the chances of inhaling particles.

3. Cuts and Burns
These can be avoided with common sense and care. The most common minor burns occur when someone picks up the end of a hot glass rod or tube, forgetting that it is hot. A simple system, such as always laying the hot end of a rod away from you, can help you remember which end to grab. Another common burn happens when the flameworker reaches around the flame of the torch to grab a tool or a piece of glass. Arrange your work area so that you never have to reach in front of your torch to get anything. Choose your work clothes carefully, avoiding synthetic fibers, long loose sleeves, shirts with open pockets or pants with folded cuffs.

Burns can be treated with aloe vera sap, lavender sav or oil, cold cider vinegar, or a variety of home remedies. Treat your injuries with respect; serious cuts or burns may require professional medical attention.

4. Tanks and Torch
Potential hazards also exist any time you work with compressed gasses. Carefully follow all the studio instructions concerning turning gasses on and off. Do not overly tighten when turning off the gasses, this may strip the mechanism on the torch.

5. Other Hazards
These can include muscle strains or other injuries from repetitive movements (such as making alot of of beads). Take frequent breaks and pay attention to your body's signals to minimize these types of injuries. Check for accurate height of table to chair for comfortable work. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are other possible hazards to watch out for. Drink plenty of water, especially if you are working in a large flame. You may also consider applying a sunscreen to protect it from the radiation given off by the flame.

---

PRECIOUS METAL CLAY INFORMATION
An Introduction to the Material, Tools and Techniques of Working with Precious Metal Clay

What is PMC?

Precious Metal Clay represents a dramatic development in the handling of precious metals. PMC consists of microscopic particles of silver or gold suspended in an organic binder to create a pliable material with a consistency similar to modeling clay. PMC can be worked with the fingers and simple inexpensive tools to create a vast range of forms and surfaces that would be unattainable or laborious with traditional techniques.

When heated to a high temperature, the binder burns away and the metal particles fuse to form solid metal that can be sanded, soldered, colored and polished like conventional material. This article describes some of the techniques devised for PMC and will guide you through your first firing experience.

History

Precious Metal Clay was developed by scientists working at the Mitsubishi Materials Special Products division in Sanda, Japan. After years of experimentation the first patents were awarded in the early 1990s with many additional materials joining the family of products. The principle ingredient of PMC is gold or silver, reduced to tiny flakes smaller than 20 microns in size. As a point of reference, it would take as many as 25 of these particles clumped together to equal a grain of salt.

The other ingredients in PMC are water and an organic (naturally occuring) binder. After firing, the water and binder have completely burned away so what remains can be hallmarked as .999 silver or gold. Dried out or unwanted objects can be refined just like conventional precious metal.

How Does It Work?

Under the proper conditions, crystals of metal fuse together in the same way that droplets of water run together to make larger puddles on the window pane. In the case of metals, oxides (tarnish) that form naturally on most metals prevent this from happening. The solution here is to use precious or noble metals in their pure state. These do not readily oxidize so even at the high temperatures needed to induce fusion they remain free of coatings. This explains why there is not a brass or sterling version of PMC - short of firing in a vacuum it won't work.

Form

Using very simple tools and your own very talented fingers, PMC is rolled, pressed, squeezed, layered and molded into a desired shape. Parts can be added, removed and refined as you go, making this a spontaneous and liberating process.

Fire

After it has dried, the PMC object is taken to a specific heat (as described later). This drives off whatever moisture remains, then burns the binder. This goes off as a harmless smoke. At this point the PMC is a fragile porous metallic husk. At higher temperatures the particles melt into one another to form a solid dense metal. Depending on the type of PMC, this can take from 10 minutes to two hours.

Finish

After firing, the object can be handled like any other gold or silver item. It can be soldered, burnished, buffed, tumbled, plated, etc. to achieve whatever finish you want.

Three Kinds of PMC

The Original! This version has the best working properties and remains moist a bit longer than the others. It shrinks 28%, so textures and details are enhanced after firing. Objects made on original PMC remain slightly porous even after proper firing. This means they are lighter than the same size object made of wrought silver, but also means strength is reduced.

This version, called "PMC Plus" is made of a differently shaped metal particle and contains less binder. The shrinkage rate is 12-15%. PMC+ offers three distinct firing options, two of them at lower temperatures than the original. Objects made of PMC+ can go from clay to metal in as little as 10 minutes. This material is about 10% more expensive than original PMC because of increased material costs.

PMC3, the third member of the family, is as dense as PMC+, fires as fast, but does all this at remarkably low temperatures. Three distinct firing options provide a range that makes this especially useful for co-firing glass, findsings and some stones.

Available in Several Forms

Lump

The most popular form because from here you can make sheet, wire, paste and volumetric forms.

Slip

This material is specially formulated to allow it to be pressed through a nozzle. If you have ever decorated a cake you can master PMC Slip. Sold loaded into a disposable syringe.

Paste

A thick slurry that is used to fill joints, adhere parts and create luscious frosting-like surfaces.

Paper

Mitsubishi developed this for the Japanese art of origami, but American artists have found this thin leathery sheet useful for weaving, braiding and to create drapery effects.

Sheet

Thick version of the paper, excellent for rings, backing plates, medallions and more.

Kilns

Small electric kilns are ideal and can also be used for glass, ceramics and burn out. A programmable unit allows you to set the ramp (heating up time), the holding temperature and the length of time the kiln will hold the desired temperature. Large ceramic kilns are not recommended because they usually have too much flucuation in heat from one area to another.

Torches

It is possible to fire PMC+ and PMC3 with any torch customarily used for jewelry work. Set the work on a soldering block in a dimly lit space and heat until the PMC glows red. Hold at a clear red for the prescribed time. A butane torch with a special nozzle reduces the risk of overheating.

Combining with Other Materials

Whole books can be written about the wealth of opportunities that exist to combine silver or gold PMC with glass, polymer, paper, leather, fabric, shells, found objects, enamels, wood &ldots; well, you get the idea.

Health & Safety Issues

Totally Non-Toxic

Precious Metal Clay has been certified by an independent testing facility to be safe in every phase of its use and to confirm to ASTM D4236. Issues of safety arise not from PMC, but in the normal use of the high temperature furnaces used in the sintering process. These kilns should be positioned on a stable surface, away from combustible materials. Never leaeve a kiln unattended and take special care if animals or young children are in the area. As always, when working around heat, wear appropriate clothing, avoiding clothes made of synthetic fabrics. There is little reason to stare into a kiln but if you need to do this, proteactive lenses should be worn.

Storage and Shelf Life

You'll notice that Precious Metal Clay is packed in an air-tight foil pouch to preserve its freshness. Use this pack or a good quality plastic wrap (or both) to keep the clay moist. It is good practice to take out only what you can use in a few minutes and to add a few drops of water to the lump at the end of each work session.

All three versions of PMC can be rehydrated if they dry out, though it is difficult to achieve the homogenous consistency of fresh PMC. To restore dried material, poke the lump with holes or dice it into small pieces. Add water by kneading, then set the PMC aside to allow the water to penetrate. Allow at least a day, more if the clay was very dry. With the sample wrapped in plastic, knead repeatedly to force the water into the dense metal structure. If you accidentally add too much water, spread the PMC on a piece of plastic, glass or waxed paper and allow it to dry to a usable consistency.
(© Rio Grande)