Hi,
In this issue I want to share some some information I've learned about Advertising Glass; also there's some new information about Bimini glass and Orplid glass, and I've summarised what we know about removing stains from glass (thanks to several people who've contributed to that).  In our Glass on ebay this week I've decided we need to sell some pieces from our former public museum, to make room in my studio for all the glass I keep buying. So there's something from Cambridge Glass, from Fenton, and a small Bohemian vase.  More will follow. I'm also introducing rock-carving glass paperweights by Greg Smith and superb little gardens in glass by Ray Ansin on ebay for the first time. Take a look if you have a minute - the pictures are great.
People have started to send me information they would like included in this newsletter, and where it relates to interesting glass events or training opportunities, I have included it. This has made our sections on Glass Training and on Events in the Near Future more interesting. As always, there are some new books about glass that you may have missed; and a new section which will suggest one or two interesting magazines.

Welcome to all the new readers receiving my Glass Newsletter for the first time, I hope you find it interesting and useful.
If the links don't work in your email copy of this newsletter, you'll find another version with all its links working here: http://www.glassnewsletter.com/030325news.html

1: Advertising Glass: Have you ever looked at one of those flat oblong advertising paperweights when browsing a stall or a shop somewhere, and thought "Hm, not very interesting". Well that was my view until these past few days. I thought all those paperweights and pin trays and ashtrays with adverts and views on the back were just pictures stuck to the back of the glass, and then sealed over with paint or felt or something. Well, not so, not so. Some of the very early ones (from around 1879 to 1920) had a picture done in vitrous paints on a glass shard, which was then encapsulated into the molten glass. And others were reverse painted onto the glass. Some of them are highly prized by collectors and quite valuable compared to the paper-backed ones. So we all should look a little more carefully next time. There's a book called "Advertising Paperweights" by Holiner and Kammerman published 2002 that I found very interesting. Click here to read about it. There's also a new page on the Glass Encyclopedia about Advertising Glass - click here to read it.

2: Bimini and Orplid Glass: if ever there was a glass artist whose work is misunderstood in a major way, it must be Fritz Lampl's Bimini Glass. If you look on ebay, there is sometimes an amazing amount of mis-representation. The problem is not so serious for Lampl's later work in London, where he set up Orplid glass, because he used brass button backs which were clearly marked and there are plenty of pictures of Orplid Glass. If you would like to see genuine examples of Bimini and Orplid glass, then take a look at the new article on the Glass Museum at http://www.glass.co.nz/bimini.htm. Raymond Berger, the author of this article, is the late Fritz Lampl's nephew, and son of Joseph Berger, another of the founders of Bimini Glass. One reason why there is such difficulty identifying Bimini Glass is that Fritz Lampl and Joseph Berger fled Austria just before WWII leaving behind everything but a few possessions. Many items from their studio in Vienna were given to the museum there and Waltraud Neuwirth wrote an excellent book on Bimini when she was a curator at that museum. Her book is hard to find, and written in German,  and contains many examples of non-Bimini glass for comparison (beware if like me you can't read German very well - many of her pictures are named for other artists, not Bimini). We have added a page about Orplid Glass and one about Bimini Glass to the Glass Museum - click here.

3:  OUR GLASS  on ebay:

Peter Raos
- a millifiori Star o' the Sea tidal paperweight  on ebay #2623185411
- a millefiori Monet spring flowers paperweight on ebay #2624689210

Greg Smith - two superb sulphide-type paperweights
- rock painting of prehistoric fish with purple background, on ebay #262318908
- another rock painting of a mythical fish against a black background, on ebay #2624193388

Peter Viesnik
- floral fountain paperweight (cerise and white) on ebay #2624196388
- seascape paperweight  - on ebay #2624204535
- blue and pink floral fountain paperweight on ebay #2624720747

Ray Ansin - absolutely fantastic tiny flower gardens in glass:
- millefiori Spring Garden in glass on ebay#2624301171

Older items from the Glass Museum collection:
- Fenton Gold Crest cro,[ed vase made around 1943 on ebay #2624728444
- Cambridge Glass amber twin keyhole shaped candelabra 647 on ebay #2624741087
- small Bohemian orange glass vase decorated with black enamel and white dots on ebay #2624745511

They are all put up without reserve and so far most of them do not have any bids. If you would like to see a quick summary with pictures, or keep in touch with the new items I am going to add, please go to http://www.myglassauction.com/

4:  Removing Stains on Glass:
Over the years we have all heard advice about removing stains from glass, and no doubt you've tried a few. I bought a purple cloud glass vase this year that had so much brown rust staining inside that it was sold to me as an amber piece. I tried all my usual methods and nothing removed this stain. Paddy Blomfield was having a similar problem in Australia with white scale deposits that he could not remove from two vases. So we tried a whole range of options and in the end we both succeeded. The information had to be collected from all over the place, so Paddy thought it would be helpful if I pulled it together into one little piece. Remember to be careful when trying any of these ideas on your glass. If its a valuable piece, take it to a specialist.  These methods are for trying on pieces that don't justify the expense of paying a professional. And remember to use rubber gloves to protect your hands. Here goes:
Mild staining:
Several techniques work well with some stains, and are worth trying for starters. They include:
- Ingrained dirt especially on flower frogs, can be removed by soaking overnight in Steradent or Efferdent (false teeth cleaners) and then scrubbing with a tiny bottle brush.
- lime scale and other alkali stains can be removed by soaking in dilute hydrochloric acid (from the chemist) if the staining is not too ingrained
- I am told that some stains respond to soaking in industrial strength toilet cleaner -but this can cause more staining, so be very careful. Test it first..
- lime scale may respond to soaking in white vinegar and then scrubbing (I've never tried this so can't say what the results are).
- I've also been told that Silvio, silver polish, removes stains. It didn't work for me but I'll try it again on lighter stains.

Heavy Staining:
- heavy rust stains come off with undiluted CLR swished round for a few minutes then a good scrub with something abrasive like a nylon matt pan scrubber. CLR is very corrosive so protect your skin and don't leave CLR on the glass too long. CLR contains 41.4g per litre of Sulphamic Acid, made by Advil Ltd in Australia. It claims to remove lime scale also, but I didn't test this.
- heavy white staining can be removed with WENOL, a German made all-purpose metal polish, distributed by Reckitt & Colman. This was applied by Paddy's wife with a brush on an electric drill, and took quite a long time to work. But it did work. Be careful not to scratch the glass with the drill.
- I have never tried it, but I have been told that the best way to remove stains is to polish them out with cerium oxide or jewellers' rouge. This removes the surface layer of glass, I believe. It is the method the professionals use, and they can restore even narrow-necked decanters and vases.

There were lots of other remedies that we tried that failed. People often recommend protecting glass from further staining by applying a light coat of silicon polish. If you have any more advice on removing stains from glass, let me know. It might be worth putting an article on the Glass Encyclopedia about it.

5: EXHIBITIONS, CONFERENCES AND GLASS SHOWS:

a: The Glass Fair at the Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham, in England takes place on May 11th.this year. I was there last year and I am timing my trip to Britain to make sure I can go this year. You can read about it at: http://www.glass-time.com/glass/glassfair2003.gif

b: The Custard Glass Collectors Society will be having their 3rd Annual Convention July 16 -19, 2003  in Corning, New York at the  Best Western Lodge on the Green, located at 3171 Canada Road, Painted Post, New York 14870  phone # 607-962-2456. For more information, visit their website at http://www.homestead.com/custardsociety or email Sarah Coulon at custardsociety@aol.com

c: From March 21 to April 20 there is an exhibition called "A Glass Act '03: National Glass Invitational" where over a dozen invited glass artists are showing their work. The venue is FUNCTION + ART, 1046 W. Fulton Market St., Chicago, IL  60607.  Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am -6 pm. 312-243-2780 .Check it out at http://www.functionart.com

d: It is getting near the closing date (April 1st) for reduced-fee registration at The Glass Art Society's 33rd Annual Conference that will take place in Seattle this year. The conference dates are  June 12 - 15, 2003 and details are on their website at  http://www.glassart.org/conferences/seattle/

e: Depression Glass Shows (click here) - a listing of depression glass shows across the USA - really useful.

f: Antique Shows in the UK (click here) - give it plenty of time to load; its a very useful site. http://www.dmgworldmedia.com/antiquefairs/bymonth2002.htm

6:  TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

a. The Pukeberg Design School of Kalmar University in Smaland, Sweden is starting a new course in glass design in September this year.  It is a university level full semester course, where students will learn and practice many aspects of Swedish Glass. Several famous Swedish glass designers and artists will be guest teachers and workshop leaders, amongst them Bertil Vallien, Monica Backström and Jan Erik Ritzman. The course language will be English. Hands-on experience will be provided in many of the Swedish glassworks for experiments and prototyping. The course will also cover the history and development of Swedish Glass.
The course directors are currently inviting applications, and are keen to attract an international student group. The school is non-commercial and I understand that the course is free of charge. You can read about the Kalmar University at  http://www.hik.se/english/index.html   and information about the course is at  http://www.designprogrammet.com

b. Creative New Zealand is calling for applications for an international Craft/Object Art Residency.
A total of $20,000 is being made available to provide support for one or possibly two New Zealand artists to undertake an international residency. Applicants decide the location for their residency and the nature and scope of their project. The closing date for applications is, we understand (but please check) April 30th 2003. More information can be found on the website at http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/

c: The Glass Furnace in Istanbul (an international center aiming to provide glass instruction equal to the best in the world) has an advanced glass-blowing course for international students starting on May 25th 2003 taught by Jack Wax, of US and Japanese fame.  If you would like to know more about it click here.

7: RECENT BOOKS ABOUT GLASS - for your information in case you missed them:

a: Glassmakers of Stourbridge and Dudley 1612-2002- click here. by Jason Ellis, published Jan 2003. An important historical book based on the author's original research which covers each glassworks in this area of England, who built it, who owned it, and the craftsmen who worked there.

b: Collector's Companion to Carnival Glass  by Bill Edwards, Mike Carwile - click here. - published March 2003 by Collector Books.  Something new from these two familiar authors on Carnival Glass.

c: Treasures of Very Rare Depression Glass by Gene Florence - click here - published March 2003 by Collector Books. Again, something new from a very familiar author.

d: Creative Garden Mosaics: Dazzling Projects & Innovative Techniques by Jill Mackay, Terry Krautwurst (Eds) - click here - published March 2003 by Lark Books.

e: The Glass Designs and Prints of Dirk Jacobsz Vellert  by E. Konowitz  - click here - published by Brepols, March 2003. Vellert was a major Dutch stained glass artist from the early 16th century. Amongst his many major works, he designed  windows for King's College Chapel, Cambridge, UK. A comprehensive book covering his work and its importance.

f: Advertising Paperweights: figural, glass, metal by Richard Holiner and Stuart Kammerman, published by Collector Books, 2002. I found this a fascinating introduction to the subject, and the extensive photographs will surely delight any serious collector.

g: Standard Encyclopedia of Pressed Glass 1860-1930, 3rd Edition by Bill Edwards and Mike Carwile - click here - published March 2003. A new edition of this popular book.

h: Antique Pocket Mirrors: Pictorial and Advertising Miniatures by Cynthia Maris Dantzic - click here, published December 2002 by Schiffer Publishing.

i: New Zealand Glass 2nd Edition -click here . Published July 2002; author A. M. Bowey. - people have been asking where they can find out more about the "iris and herringbone" pattern items made by Crown Crystal Glass in Australia. This CD has the full catalogue from Crown Crystal Glass Australia including the iris and herringbone pictures.

8: INTERESTING MAGAZINES
Our books section seems to be well appreciated, so I've decided to add a magazines section. Each month there will be one or two useful/interesting  magazines in this section, that you might like to know more about. Here is the first one:

a: SMITHSONIAN Magazine - the Smithsonian Institute is a great place, and now it has its own magazine with spectacular photo essays and in-depth articles highlighting current Smithsonian exhibitions. Click here to read more about it.

I do hope there was something interesting for you this week.
Very best wishes
Angela

Useful links:
The Glass Museum at http://www.glass.co.nz/
The Glass Encyclopedia is at http://www.glassencyclopedia.com/
The Glass Links Page is at http://www.glass.co.nz/links.htm
The Glass Message Board is at http://www.glassmessages.com/
My glass at auction http://www.myglassauction.com/
To join this list: http://www.netnz.com/email/joinlist.html

And if you would like to leave, just drop me an email and tell me please.
--
From: Angela Bowey
http://www.glassnewsletter.com/ - archive of my Glass Newsletters