A Tool System for Molten Glass Artists
I hope you will enjoy your time at the 2007 ISGB Gathering this year. Since you are reading this leaflet you have noticed that there is something at this Gathering that has not been seen before. The Perfect Tool System is sized for lampwork artists that will work similarly to furnace glass workers tools, but in a much smaller way.
Never let it be said that graphite is not the perfect material for molten glass. Marble makers and furnace workers have been using it for many years. It’s a versatile material that will lend itself to many uses when it comes to molten glass, even when making beads. After all, glass beads are just small versions of artist made glass pieces that can be enjoyed on a more portable level. Glass beads are one way of expressing color and feeling, in a size that can be enjoyed by a much wider audience, with more public appreciation.
With graphite as your main style of tool… you never have to worry about dunking them in water to cool them or if they will warp or stick to your hand made glass pieces. Molds do not take the place of hand sculpting, they simply help to better center critical parts on a piece that will have further embellishments. Molds can make ones life a bit easier when making masses of beads in the same shapes repeatedly, or to make the same family of beads in different colors with many possible embellishments. Taking a look at the tribal mask mold for example, it does not need to be filled to use it in a satisfying manner. They also can be over filled to allow a more creative style.
When “The Perfect Tools” were designed, the main thought was that a bit of time was saved and a better proportion achieved. Like many of the presses that are available, they simply assist you in creating a shape to start with; they do not create the finished piece for you. It’s up to you to embellish and decorate the shape until it is pleasing to you. Often molds can help in more then one way if your imagination will lend itself. You can use the cat mold to make a walrus, bear, penguin or possibly a Goddess! Your imagination is the only limit with these tools.
Since this Gathering is for fun, and some business, I will leave you with one last thing to peruse. You don’t want to miss reading this as these gals are just two of the many top notch bead makers in the country who have commented on “The Perfect Tool” tool system and the “Comfort Grip Marver”.
Debbie “Tink” Martin had this to say about the tools on June 26th in a news letter from the Black Swamp.
YOU GOTTA TRY RUTH'S PERFECT TOOLS!
Our friend Ruth (KetchikanSculptor on LE) has designed more than just a set of tools. It's a complete tooling system for flameworkers called The Perfect Tool! Conceived of and designed by Ruth and created by Weaver Industries, this system makes SO MUCH SENSE that it's one of those headsmacking moments: AKA "Why didn't I think of that???" It IS perfect!
I've never seen higher quality graphite in ANY tools out there. And the system is so modular, intuitive and ergonomic that you'll love it! And the prices are SO reasonable! Here is the link that Ruth has in her signature at LE to get you to where the goodies are. I also invite you to visit Ruth's website, Hillside Gardens Art Studio and her Cafe Press store devoted to The Perfect Tool.
Way to go, Ruth! This is a sure fire winner and gets four thumbs up from us!
Kim Neely of “Bluff Road Art Glass” had this to say on her web site, April 3rd 2007.
Before I forget, I've been wanting to mention some new graphite tools that Ruth of Hillside Gardens Art Studio designed for Weaver Industries...in case you haven't heard about these, they are fantastic! I've got pretty much the whole line here, and as I've been working my way through them, I've been really impressed with the quality of the tools and the ingenuity of the design. The main tool is a graphite base that attaches to the barrel of your torch; this has a depression in it that accepts various attachments so you can easily change them out during a torch session, and there are dozens of different attachments... marvers, bead shapers, frit trays, presses — just about anything you can think of that would make your life easier at the torch, Ruth has designed a tool for it. There's also a comfort-grip handheld marver, and a variety of optic molds which are great because they're fairly short and don't require the huge gather of glass that the larger optic molds take...they're just perfect for making small amounts of striped or floral cane on the fly. All of the tools are made from really good quality graphite, as well...the fine-grain stuff that polishes up like marble. Overall, I'm really impressed with the thought that went into these. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the tools, too. Anyway, you really want to check these out; they're excellent tools and would be a valuable addition to any studio.
We do hope that you will give “The Perfect Tool” or “Comfort Grip Marver” a try in your studio. We feel that it will increase your skill level as well as production of your beautiful glass creations.