So it doesn't sing as well as Soft Kitty from Big Bang Theory, but the kiln is here and working and not damaged and I love it.  I'm still in the learning curve, getting used to how the new kiln heats and how to program it, but thankfully it's pretty easy.  So what happened?  Olympic shipped my first kiln, and the freight company, Southeastern Freight Lines (SEFL) practically murdered it ...

If this were a small purchase, I wouldn't have cared.  It probably would have been fine with the gouge in the side, but the base was bent so badly it had to be replaced.  The folks at Olympic were FANTASTIC.  I couldn't have asked for better service from them.  SEFL, however, was a different story.  Had it not been for Olympic, I would have had to pay for 2 kilns plus over $1000 in shipping costs.  SEFL is staffed by, in my experience, mostly incompetent people.  No one ever called me to notify me that a driver was coming to pick up the damaged kiln.  No one ever called me to notify me the new kiln would be delivered.  They denied my claim for damage, and then proceeded to bill me over $700 to pick up the damaged kiln (which Olympic took care of).  In one transaction, I got to see both extremes in company quality and customer service.  From the shining stars, to the dregs of society.  SEFL has been added to the list of companies I will NEVER do business with again.  On the other hand, I'm an Olympic customer for life.

So I've been happily catching up on my bottle backlog.  Almost all of my bottle molds fit in here at the same time.  I can actually fit more in than are pictured below, but that was my first firing.  Everything turned out great!

So with all this space, I'm getting new ideas.  I'm thinking bigger!  I can't wait to get all my ideas baking so I can share them with you.

So it's been a rough several weeks dealing with the claim process for my damaged kiln.  It was delivered to me and it wasn't until we attempted to set it up that the really bad damage became apparent.  It was unusable.  The base was so terribly bent, it couldn't sit properly on the floor.  There was also a huge gouge in the side of the kiln.  I was a very sad glass girl.  I opened a claim with the freight company on my end and promptly got in touch with Dave at Anything In Stained Glass (where I purchased my kiln), and he promptly got in touch with Olympic (kiln manufacturer).  Olympic also opened a claim with the freight company on their end and immediately started building me a new kiln.  The manufacturing usually takes about 3 weeks depending on other existing orders, but through their awesomeness, they fast-tracked it and they were able to ship my new kiln and base yesterday!

But what about the damaged kiln?  The freight company denied my claim because they thought I was claiming too much.  I only claimed the cost of the kiln and the shipping.  I guess Olympic is having more success with them because last Friday a truck showed up to pick up my damaged kiln.  Great, right?  No.  No one called me to tell me they were coming, so the kiln wasn't ready for pickup.  The driver was nice and said they'd be back next week and I stressed to him that if no one calls me, the kiln won't be ready and I can't guarantee anyone will be here to receive him.  Fast forward through the weekend, and now it's Monday.  I took initiative and called the freight company on Monday because they've proven to be completely incompetent in several areas, and yes indeed ... they were coming to get the kiln that day.  Their dispatch didn't call me.  Again.  Thankfully because I have a functioning brain, a wonderful boyfriend, and a generous brother, we were able to get the kiln packed up and strapped to the pallet before the driver arrived to pick it up.  I told the driver when he arrived that no one called to let me know he was coming.  He was astonished that dispatch hadn't called me.  He said he told them several times that they had to call me - I believe him.  I'm starting to think that the driver (same guy each time so far) and the girl who answers the phone at their main office are the only two competent people working for this company.

So what happens next?  My kiln is about to hit their hub in Fredericksburg, VA.  From there, it'll come to me.  I'm assuming this will happen today because it should be in Fredericksburg within the hour and I haven't received a call from the freight company.  Not getting a call from them seems more of an indicator that they'll be there than they won't.  I can't wait to get this baby set up and show you all.  Hopefully this time they will have managed to not destroy expensive equipment again.  We'll see!

Stay tuned for the resolution.  I'll be sharing the freight company's name, showing all the gory photos of the damaged kiln, and sharing photos of the new one and just how much it can hold!

I'm trying a new product as soon as it's delivered to the studio.  It's called Dichro Slide.  If you're not familiar with Dichroic Glass, it looks like this:

That's just a small sampling of pieces of Dichroic Glass, but it's brilliantly colored and gives a serious WOW factor to any finished product.  A lot of glass artists use it to make jewelry and as accents on larger pieces.  It is a sheet of glass (about 1/8" thick) with a Dichroic coating on it.  So what is this Dichro Slide stuff and why's it innovative?  It's because it's the Dichroic coating without the glass!  The inventors figured out how to put the Dichroic coating on paper which you can then transfer to the glass of your choice ... much like those temporary tattoos we got as kids from the little vending machines at grocery stores at the entrance.  Because it's on paper, you can use hole punches, scissors, decorative scissors, and craft knives to cut it into any shape you want.  It's also nearly completely flat (instead of being part of the 1/8" thick glass), which means you can add layersBeing unrestrained by a medium is both exciting and terrifying to me.  If I'm only limited by my imagination ... only I can limit the awesomeness of my projects.  What if my muse goes on holiday and doesn't tell me?  That's why it's scary, but not so much so to run away and never try or keep trying.  :-)  I can't wait to get my hands on this stuff!  I already have a couple projects lined up on my desk, just waiting for the goods to arrive.  Since it's coming from the other side of the country, I don't expect to see it before this time next week.

Except not so much sugar plums dancing over my head, but a ginormous kiln.  I've been dreaming of a serious production kiln for probably the better part of a year.  It's a big decision on many levels, and with me being such a tool and tech geek I have to be sure that I'm drooling for practical reasons rather than the "Holy cow I want that because it's COOL!" reasons.  I have to consider the space requirements, the cost of the kiln and kiln accessories, and the cost of having an electrician run wiring for the kiln.  Then there's the whole set of growing pains of "getting to know" a new piece of equipment.  But when it comes down to comparing the kiln I have now versus the kiln I want ... it's really a no brainer.  My current kiln is wonderful, but it's small.  The shelf is a 13 inch circle, which means I'm limited to that size or smaller for all the things I make.  It's also only about 6 inches deep which limits me to making things no taller than my signature candle holders.  I also enjoy making wine bottle dishes, but magnums don't fit in my little kiln.  I'd also love to make serving platters and vases, but again, far to big of my kiln.  So I went to Anything In Stained Glass in Frederick, MD and proceeded to drool over the enormity of the Olympic 3014 GFE Glass Kiln.  By my calculations, I should be able to fit about 10 750ml bottles in this kiln at once.  This kiln will also give me the ability to help out my fellow local glass artists by providing them another resource for firing their glass work.

Isn't it a thing of beauty?  The oval (versus round or square) shape heats the space more evenly which gives more consistent results.  Heating elements on both the top and sides makes it more energy efficient because all of the heating elements don't have to be on all the time.  And back to the size thing ... It's deeper than my current kiln is wide!  I can make some glorious vases in this thing!  It even has a lift assist for the lid so you don't need to be the Hulk to lift it.

This beautiful piece of equipment is going to revolutionize the way I work with warm glass.  I'll be able to drastically expand my product offering, and I can't wait to start experimenting with my bigger space.  But I will need to be patient a little more.  I'll likely receive it in February - Olympic has to build it first.  I'm OK with that.  It gives me time to get the wiring done and do some housekeeping to clear out space for the beast of a kiln.  Come Springtime, you can expect to see some new things coming from the studio.  I also happen to know that my customers and friends are wildly intelligent and creative people too, so if you have any suggestions on things I should make, send them my way!  I'm always happy to receive a creative challenge from folks because it allows me to expand my artistic horizons.