Grinding

Foiling

Cutting

Soldering

Fusing / Slumping

Lamp Construction

Bases

Lead Came

Patina

Glass Selection

Special Glasses

Patterns / Designing

Polishing / Cleaning

Signatures

Studio Design

Mosaic

Kaleidascopes

Resources

STUDIO DESIGN

ON USEFUL GADGETS

Joyce Mattson: Well, maybe not HOUSE beautiful, as the dust is very thick everywhere but in my workroom. It's finally cleaned and organized. I went to WalMart and looked through their housewares and paint departments for things that might make life easier. Found some plastic things that are usually attached to the inside of your undersink door to hold cleansers, etc. and attached some to the back side of the backboard of my workbench. Gets the clutter of patina bottles etc. off my work space but keeps them handy. Then found some long narrow paint trays that have the slots to mount on nails and hung them on the front. That way I can sweep glass chips into them as I cut and empty them later. (I had always envied Walt his hole with the wastebasket underneath.) Hung broom, dust pan and metal square, etc. on nails on the side of the bench. Bought some large stackable plastic boxes with lids and labeled them "Bevels", "Mosaic Supplies", "Kaleidoscope Parts", "Small Projects", etc. and have them under and to the sides of the bench. Small shoebox sized plastic boxes with lids hold an assortment of tools and other supplies. A silverware tray holds my groziers and most used tools. Got the patterns and books in folders by subject in a two drawer file cabinet. Lampshade molds are stacked inside each other upside down, also under the bench. Wooden frames are in the closet. Lamp bases are on the window ledge. Large pieces of glass are in two wooden crates rescued from Bearden's back alley. Medium sized squares are upright in heavy cardboard boxes. Alas, the smaller pieces are still overflowing the cardboard flats on shelves, but at least organized by color. My computer chair swivels from the card table cutting surface to the grinder to the light table to the saw. All flat surfaces are freshly lined with ceiling tile. For one small instant in time last night, it was beautiful. Then I started cutting the leaves for the small rose shade. Sigh. Oh well, change is the only constant, right?