tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50669757766609240122024-03-13T07:52:33.301-07:00Purple Orchid CraftsPurple Orchid Craftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17639571367967626212noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5066975776660924012.post-27801029100324059752013-03-06T06:24:00.000-08:002013-03-06T06:24:26.039-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
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<strong><u>World Of Steampunk</u></strong><br />
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Even before we started Purple Orchid crafts i was interested in the world
of Steampunk. Over the last few years it seems to have become more and more
into the light and much more accepted than it used to be. Many people have not
heard of Steampunk yet it has been around for such a long time ( the amount of films that you watch and see hints of it ) . Many look at you gone out when you try and explain
about it and what it is, so for thoses who dont know here a bits of blurb that explains a bit more <o:p></o:p><br />
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<em><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically
features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized
Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are
often set in an alternate history of the 19th century's British Victorian era
or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which
steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly
employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic
technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might
have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on
fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include
fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules
Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, and China
Mieville. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style
presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog
computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage and Ada
Lovelace's Analytical Engine.<br />
<br />
Steampunk may also, though not necessarily, incorporate additional elements
from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or
other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre. The term
steampunk's first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively
refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950s or 1960s.</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"<o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
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<o:p> <span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So does that make it any more clear............ hmmmmm maybe .... maybe not. The way we see it is incorporating steam, cogs, the Victorian times, heavy engineering with that of today’s technology. if you Google Steampunk, look at the images tab you will soon find yourself looking at the art, fashion and inventiveness of what people create </span></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4tVmZ9NOvO914ZIu0496xnW0fNu4wr3TJeyapg92R3BrlX5bE3fPEUoIVRcnGRdUM5HDfzQC5saSF7WXI10a_-NOqo-7O6N_-KSghYKcjjugxZvZm03c7MK_A-CRh9KMbtt-vAPjzvQ/s1600/200365_10150151960556635_1320586_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4tVmZ9NOvO914ZIu0496xnW0fNu4wr3TJeyapg92R3BrlX5bE3fPEUoIVRcnGRdUM5HDfzQC5saSF7WXI10a_-NOqo-7O6N_-KSghYKcjjugxZvZm03c7MK_A-CRh9KMbtt-vAPjzvQ/s320/200365_10150151960556635_1320586_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the first items that we created in the style of steampunk were cog pendants, clock parts, and resin ( top pictures and to the left ) . Before we moved into the world of glass, resin jewellery items were great fun to make , trapping items of interest in resin and seeing what we could make with it. We found lots of people enjoyed taking an interest in them and talking about the items we had made. <o:p></o:p></span></o:p><br />
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So where did we go from there, well since starting playing with glass i have been meaning to do something steampunk wise and finally managed to get around to doing it. We have created a set of coaster with steampunk images fused into the top, they came out much better than we were hoping for, take a look and see what you think. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YH00RUduzLtTOBrQoJMCLKbCIpiwhKmSA_I8PxRDJLJHuxmkGvlMbr_5WFn2KnFuEQWzmKXESgEWVT3IFyvM3O2ka3wP750kSiC7TNDVK8B9wcui2H91AoH7jM51-mMy_UytfsUfpS8/s1600/69611_424683774289210_1975050484_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YH00RUduzLtTOBrQoJMCLKbCIpiwhKmSA_I8PxRDJLJHuxmkGvlMbr_5WFn2KnFuEQWzmKXESgEWVT3IFyvM3O2ka3wP750kSiC7TNDVK8B9wcui2H91AoH7jM51-mMy_UytfsUfpS8/s400/69611_424683774289210_1975050484_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Where do we go from here, only our imagination can tell you. i have many more ideas to create glass steampunk items as well as using other materials as well, keep an eye out on our facbook page and blog to see what elese we create </div>
Purple Orchid Craftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17639571367967626212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5066975776660924012.post-9779706569710211332013-03-04T07:03:00.001-08:002013-03-06T03:24:47.108-08:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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A Cheaper Glass Cutting Surface</h2>
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A Cheaper Glass Cutting Surface.....</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">One of the
many problems you come across when cutting glass is what surface to use. Im sure
like many of you we started out by using a large carpet tile to cut our glass
on. The problem was this if your cutting a lot of glass you soon find that the
carpet tile would get lots of shards of glass on ( memories of little shards in
the end of your fingers , not fun by any means )<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Looking around there are grids you can purchase, an example of
this would be the Morton Mini Surface ( there are others this is just an
example ) , if you Google it you will find plenty of places selling them,
prices range around £30 – 50 depending on the size you look at ( mini or maxi
surface )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">For a cutting surface that’s more than im willing to pay
especially when you need twice the area as in our case as there is two of
us creating things out of glass. So what is the alternate ( or at least one of
them ). One of my many hobbies in the past was keeping a marine tank with sea
horses, as part of the tank we use something called Eggcrate. This material
builds up the scenery for the coral. Its looks more or less the same as the
Morton cutting surface. The only difference is that it does not have a solid
back like the Morton surface ( collects the glass shards ) but in my opinion
this is a bonus, the glass shards fall through the surface onto the table top
away from your hands, when you are finished you pick up the surface and simply
wipe the shards away into the bin. No cuts, no small shards of glass in your
fingers for days, the world becomes a happier place.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKBQAzbi6RY7BcbaBFAGi9opvmxmjgEwDj7CQoz1jxCKGxV_eO8L_d8YDTh5bw9BLZSjGXW7D6DfRL79JBOoMWMnTG6FMy5bTA8EIBtzBR1fWyxik2uoLgvV-XnCxldZP95zZc5YEQpY/s1600/2013-01-13+14.15.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKBQAzbi6RY7BcbaBFAGi9opvmxmjgEwDj7CQoz1jxCKGxV_eO8L_d8YDTh5bw9BLZSjGXW7D6DfRL79JBOoMWMnTG6FMy5bTA8EIBtzBR1fWyxik2uoLgvV-XnCxldZP95zZc5YEQpY/s320/2013-01-13+14.15.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What it looks like when it arrives at your door </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">It does take a little bit of work to create the surface as the way
they are supplied to you they normally have a piece of plastic that goes around
the outside of the grid that’s sharp or just needs tidying up. ( see below
pictures for what i mean by this ) . We use the pliers and the knifes to
carefully remove a block of squares around the outside of the grid and to tidy
any sticking out bits .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBME7Y6mp5UoWlLRASS06_RDQ1-wQKcysXBpb5L4sjpf18D315XSTJaH_gqLDyrX5sCPU4nfvBRUj5-KWWKVQsK2uSk1MS7NuZ1fkmqWnCKaC1KPvhzBTYjfGxomFvRouV2fW8_n2aPU/s1600/sides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBME7Y6mp5UoWlLRASS06_RDQ1-wQKcysXBpb5L4sjpf18D315XSTJaH_gqLDyrX5sCPU4nfvBRUj5-KWWKVQsK2uSk1MS7NuZ1fkmqWnCKaC1KPvhzBTYjfGxomFvRouV2fW8_n2aPU/s320/sides.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl3wFYBFfev3jOx8neaUal_iprxKbKfoUZpPKhIP679zzk0jJ9lMpeftUO5Hpv-q-nWra2DEzdZQ-x5arPx2K-Jb7kdT89d03XA1cKY8TuYFPRnDwyhdlPeYbLK8mQQWu4AlrUZLCMwk/s1600/sides2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl3wFYBFfev3jOx8neaUal_iprxKbKfoUZpPKhIP679zzk0jJ9lMpeftUO5Hpv-q-nWra2DEzdZQ-x5arPx2K-Jb7kdT89d03XA1cKY8TuYFPRnDwyhdlPeYbLK8mQQWu4AlrUZLCMwk/s320/sides2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">To stop the surface from moving around on your table you can use
Anti Non Slip Multi Purpose Mat, this is used in cars on the dashboard to stop
things slipping around every where, its not very expensive £2.00 from ebay.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwSoaY-yzDs3_O7QFXLla6hhvBcX8gnIZiLsCujUwDYoVnn2dX-MmVHpd5WGVPUG5_yhsHw_Bg3Bvxyi47XF3-WtHKyQZiUdW6QIENMVTWxoT2ZDn1MdmvFssnjdA3ch-C677R6E5k10/s1600/mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwSoaY-yzDs3_O7QFXLla6hhvBcX8gnIZiLsCujUwDYoVnn2dX-MmVHpd5WGVPUG5_yhsHw_Bg3Bvxyi47XF3-WtHKyQZiUdW6QIENMVTWxoT2ZDn1MdmvFssnjdA3ch-C677R6E5k10/s1600/mat.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"> I
did think about gluing this to the eggcrate at one point but decided against it
because the glass would get stuck and would be a pain to clean out. Two
long strips down both sides work well, but you can have them top and bottom as
well. As soon as you lean on the glass to cut it the surface does not move</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"><u><span style="color: red;">Make sure you have eye protection, bits of plastic fly in
different directions<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Things you will need to make your cutting surface:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Pliers</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Knife</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Scissors</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Eye protection<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Marine EggCrate 60cm by 60cm about £10 from ebay</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Anti Non Slip Multi Purpose Mat Dashboard about £2.00 ebay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">im in the process of making some attachments for the surface , but i will post more details about them at a different time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">i hope you find this helpful and will take away a little bit of
pain from glass work </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">find us on facebook and like our page ;-) also get in touch and let us know your thoughts</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">if you use the info here then please put a link back to us here on face book . </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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Purple Orchid Craftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17639571367967626212noreply@blogger.com0