Book review: Coldworking Glass without Machines

[Beckah]

This is written from a fuser's point-of-view but I think lots of the information would be interesting to lampworkers who like etching beads. The author, Paul Tarlow, spends lots of time talking about abrasives that work on glass and grit theory. It's a thin book with large print but I found the book very useful since it pulled together lots of the bits and pieces I've seen about coldworking into one place. Anyway I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in fusing and for any lampworker who is interested in coldworking their beads to change the surface quality.

I got it direct from the author http://fusedglass.org/ I wasn't impressed with their shipping. It's also available from Brad Walker's site http://www.warmglass.org/servlet/StoreFront I ordered Brad's updated book and The Joy of Coldworking on separate occasions and both times the books shipped very quickly. So I'd recommend the Warmglass site if you're interested in ordering the book.

BTW The Joy of Coldworking is also excellent but it is about using various machines to change the glass after it has emerged from the kiln. Even one of the machines is an expensive investment. But if you've ever wondered about saws, laps, sandblasters, etc, this book details it all. The Tarlow book is about using various grit slurries and diamond handpads to create changes in the glass surfaces.

[Eileen]

That sounds interesting Beckah, thanks for the review. I can't justify it yet, but will add it to my list of things to think about for the future.

[MaryBeth]

Thanks for the review! I had wondered about this book.

[rainygrrl]

Me too. Thanks!

[Beckah]

Originally Posted by Eileen

That sounds interesting Beckah, thanks for the review. I can't justify it yet, but will add it to my list of things to think about for the future.

When I get things together to try out some of the techniques, I'll let you know and you can come up for a play date. Of course it'll have to be in a month or two since it's still way too hot to be in the garage! But there has been a smidgen of change in the heat. I actually managed to putter out there for a whole 5 minutes yesterday morning before I needed A/C.

Originally Posted by MaryBeth

Thanks for the review! I had wondered about this book.

Originally Posted by rainygrrl

Me too. Thanks!

You're welcome. It's tough to know if a book is worth spending the money for or not. I'm glad I did and see it being a permanent part of my glass library. Someone who's very experienced with fusing coldwork might find the book too basic but, for me, I thought it synthesized information I already knew but did not yet have in a coherent framework. It is also basic enough that someone without any glass coldworking experience would learn a lot. The author has a very analytic mind that breaks things down into separate, easy-to-understand steps.

[Yvon]

Thanks for the review.

Sometimes with all the different things that can be done with glass, it becomes "equipment overload. . . expensive", so this is good to know.

Yvonne