Mouse Clone

ASMW – Outlaw Nation

2010-02-02T16:41:03Z

How about some Reggae for this Wednesday. I have been looking for music to help me get in a rhythm when blowing glass. So I came across Outlaw Nation today. I enjoy some good beats that are steady.

So I do not want to keep talking about music and everything. You want to listen to some music. After all, why would you even bother reading this post.

Brought to you by: #ASMW Uber Tracker

Look at the Pipes

2010-01-28T17:17:53Z

As you might already know I have not been active on the torch this week. I think that I’m going to fire it back up tonight, providing that the wind doesn’t pick back up. there really is nothing like a 1400+ degree flame nipping at your fingers and arms. Burn hair just smells bad.

As promised to you yesterday. Here are the images of the pipes that I have made so far. They are only made out of clear. I am not really working with color right now, but I’m sure it will not be 2 much longer before I am. I just need to get back out there on the torch.

So let me explain a little bit. The first image is the finished product of both, as well as the second image. Just different images so that maybe you will get a feel for what they really look like. The third image is what the short one looked like before I tried to open up the mouth piece on the pipe. I suck at the tearing tech right now.

Please let me know what you think. Also here is a song for ASMW.

Brought to you by: #ASMW Uber Tracker

It has been a week today

2010-01-27T16:08:33Z

I’m a week into my 32 year. Yep, that is right, I turned 31.

I’m not really big on birthdays, as I know that some people are. My wife is big on them. She tells me it should be an exciting day, it was the day that you were born. I just look at it as another day.

This year I did get something that I never thought that I would get though. The wife got me a PS3. I was shocked and excited about it. I have been playing it almost non-stop. This is both good and bad, as blowing glass has taken a back seat for a little while. I just wanted to get some of the gaming on the console out of my system, and I’m impressed.

I’m going to give a small update with some images of my glass blowing. I have made 2 pipes, which I have given to a friend. I was happy with the result and the friend was really happy to have my first 2 pieces. So look for that tomorrow.

I’m going to work on some Post

2010-01-26T16:17:49Z

Well I have not been very active here, and I’m sure that people are happy about that, so i’m going to disappoint and not be sorry about it. I have had many things going on from glass blowing to a birthday, and other things.

I was linked a funny video today though. this lady is always a hoot to watch on YouTube. so I thought that I would share it here as well.

A full Saturday

2010-01-12T17:54:37Z

I know that it is Tuesday and I should have wrote something on Sunday, but it is my blog. So there!

Saturday was a full day for me. I got out of bed around 8 am. This is really not the norm for me. I like to sleep in, but I needed to get to class. The class was at FlameTree Glass in Rosewell. I had a blast to say the least. The class was $175 and if there is anything that I took away from the class it was how to do a tube pull.

There were many other things that we learned in the class. How to blow a bubble, that was used for a Christmas ornament. How to make a perfume bottle. How to make a cup. I wasn’t able to really make anything. Why? I like to have things done right, and I just really wanted a round bubble. Every time I got close, it would go all wonky on me. So I really didn’t get around to making anything. I did walk away with a perfume bottle that Lance shaped up really quickly. He was showing me how to do it again. I think that I will get some torch time in tonight and I will try and make something.

I had to leave early from the glass class and head back to the house. It was time to put on a coat and tie for the corporate kickoff party. They like to kick off the new year with awards from the previous year. It is cool and all. the best part it the free wine and food.

Afterwards me and the wife headed to the 5 Spot in Little five Points. We were placed on the ‘A’ list by a friend and got us in to the club at no cost. I got to meet the manager of 42 degrees. We also got to hear a friend from 42 degrees spin Techno/drum bass beats. There was an artist by that stage that was painting to the music. It was a cool way to tone down the evening.

Afterwards we went over to Wolfie’s house and chilled. Played some Trials HD on the XBox and just hung out. The wife passed out and I crashed later on that night. It was a good time.

Etsy – Artist Arrik

2010-01-06T15:34:36Z

I subscribe to the Etsy newsletter. I look at what they send me on a daily basis, except maybe the weekends and then I check it out on Mondays. There are many great things that are made on Etsy by many different people. I enjoy looking and “window shopping” at times.

In a recent news letter Arrik was featured and had a collectors chest on there. It looked really cool with a glass top to display your collections. It had many different types of configurations, that any collector would be happy.

Looking around in Arrik’s Etsy Shop today I found a very interesting image. The image made me think of the wood working that my dad does and at the same time what a wonderful way to present the art form of photography and woodworking.

Image is copyright of Arrik

Arrik has done a wonderful job of capturing the beauty of the human form and woodworking. I thought that the image was so cool that I would share it with my readers, all 3 of you.

So what are your thoughts on art and the image above?

First time at the torch

2009-12-28T15:53:55Z

My first time at a real torch. As I don’t have mine fully setup and going yet, I was really happy to hear that FlameTree Glass in Rosewell, GA was having an open torch day. I had gone up the Saturday before and bought my regulators and stuff. Lance said that he would show me how to do some fuming really quick. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to learn, so I went up.

I want to show you all what I had made, with the help of Lance of course. I was in a learning process. I do think that I got the fuming down, and this afternoon I’m picking up the last items I need for the torch. So I am really hoping to get some bench time in tonight. I have to figure out what I’m going to do about the wind though. I do not want the torch to come back and bite me. I don’t want to be burned.

I still have one more at FlameTree that went into the kiln. I’m don’t really know what it will look like, but these are my first pieces with assistance. The one in the kiln I did all on my own and will get an image up as soon as possible. I might even get more images up soon if I get in some torch time tonight.

Condo Emptied Out by a Foreclosure Company

2009-12-23T15:26:52Z

On one of the forums that I frequent, a post was made about a lady that had everything in her home tossed out by mistake. The foreclosure company re-keyed the wrong house, posted a letter on her door and let her know it was a mistake. Then they tossed everything out of the house in the trash. News Story: CNN

How would you feel if you came home to an empty house? It wasn’t just a well and good mistake. The foreclosure company offered her $5000 for restitution. I enclosed my email to team@brenkus.com below.

First let me stat that your company only offering $5000 to replace items that you toss out of her home by mistake is just messed up. If anything you should be adding another 00 and making the offer $500000. You tossed out things that can never be replaced again. Miss keying the doors is one thing, but then tossing the wrong home is completely another. Personally I hope that she takes you all to court and gets a lot more out of you.

The other thing is that why would you toss all of these items in the trash. Why? You could store them for a period of time, give them to Goodwill or another charity. It is just plain wasteful on your part as a company and as humans. I’m sure that there is a family that could have used the stuff that you all just tossed in the trash.

I hope that I never do business with your company. I think that I’m going to spread a little more love this ladies way and not so much yours. More and more people should hear about how your company is treating this. Maybe the next time your business screws up, you will fix it properly. Maybe you will be out of business and their will not be a next time.

Mark Pipkin

Personally I hope that the company fails because of this. they are not even thinking about the persons life that they disrupted and are just assholes. What are your thoughts?

Really close to melting glass

2009-12-21T16:35:08Z

I currently have everything that I need, with the exception of oxygen, to melt and blow glass. This weekend I went to FlameTree Glass and picked up some tube, silver, regulators, hose, and flashback arrestors.

If the wife is feeling up to it, I’m going to see if she will pick up a tank of oxygen from AirGas. You see I work all day and AirGas closes at 4:30pm. this means that my job, 7:30am to 5:30pm, doesn’t leave me any time to get gas for the glass. This task will have to be entrusted to my wife. it shouldn’t be an issue at all. I’m just hoping that they will load it into the van for her.

I might wait until after Christmas, but I’m really not sure. I would like to have it all ready to go, one of the problems that I’m going to have is heat. As I’m working outside, I’m sure to freeze a little. I will be ok if I can just cut the wind from hitting me. I might see what I can do about moving everything into the garage, but I’m not sure how the other residents of the house will feel about that. If that is to happen though, I will need another month or so to get setup, so I will more than likely work outside for now.

FlameTree is also having an Open Torch on Dec 23rd. I’m taking a half day off from work to go and hang out with other glass melters. This will be people that make beads, sculptures and maybe even some pipe makers. Also, Lance will give me a brief demo of fuming glass. So it is an exciting time. I’m on the brink of a new adventure, like it hasn’t been an adventure already.

Fever Broke

2009-12-18T14:59:24Z

I have been sick the past couple of days. Yep, I still went to work. There is something about being an hourly employee that makes you go to work no matter what. Even when I was a salary employee I still went to work even though I was sick. I just don’t call out sick unless I just can’t get out of the bed.

So my fever broke this morning about 5am. I woke up covered in sweat. I thought that I would just get up and get something to drink. When I got back to bed, I was freezing cold. My shirt was covered in sweat and had gotten cold from the air in the house, which made me cold in return. To the point I was shivering.

When I got out of the bed this morning for work, I felt great. I have been taking 2 or 3 multi-vitamins a day. It is really paying off now that the fever is gone. I have a ton of energy. In a good mood and everything. I think that I will continue with the multi-vitamins and see if I can keep a good energy level. If I do, I will have to find a better way of getting the vitamins in me.

I thought that I was going to wait out my cold until this weekend. I didn’t think that I would be able to break the fever during the week. I am glad I was able to do so. I think going to be at 9 pm helped out a great deal. I still have my sinuses draining a tad, and a slight cough that is normally the signs of getting over being sick. I’m just happy I can breath though my nose again.

Mouse Clone

ASMW – Outlaw Nation

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