Al Heilman's "How-to" Art Blog

An article about Al Heilman and his Art

September 03, 2018

A very nice article published on Voyage Houston , September 2018.

A simple jig for cutting a larger hole in the bottom of a clay pot used for fusing/casting glass

August 23, 2018 1 Comment

I use a simple jig to keep the diamond drill centered when enlarging a hole in the bottom of a clay pot used for casting glass or for pulling larger Murrini glass.

Fused glass rectangular tray using laser water slide decals

Making of rectangular fused glass trays from invitations using laser waterslide decals.

June 18, 2018 5 Comments

When I received the invitation to a summer wedding I was intrigued by the special invitation(s). One was to a wedding in India , and the another to the subsequent American wedding. I decided to make a couple of rectangular glass trays for the newlyweds to celebrate their life events. The first step was to scan the invitation into my computer and see what I could do to make this work.

Art - A Paradigm Shift and Graduation

June 07, 2018

ART - The Oxford dictionary's definition of Art is: a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.When I decided to become an artist I never imagined the many new directions, challenges, and finally, joy I would experience. Yes, there was a big learning curve; which included lear [...]

A surprise flight, and a note on studio safety.

May 24, 2018 4 Comments

Yesterday my wife and I celebrated a wedding anniversary.... with an unexpected surprise flight and a rocky landing. I was working with glass powders in my studio very early in the morning. I was letting my wife sleep in so the lights were dim in the bedroom.I always put a respirator mask on when working with glass powders. I wanted to record what I was doing with a picture. My cell phone/camera was in the kitchen, so I left my respirator face mask on and was "onl [...]

Cold Working a Murrini Vessel

May 03, 2018

Cold working glass is an art that can be learned and finishes your work. I will walk you thru my process. I am sure there are many other ways to do this on a wet belt sander or by hand but I prefer a wet lap. After a learning curve it is my go to method. My wet flat lap is a 12 inch variable speed unit from covington engineering. I had them make the stand higher as I am so tall. Flat laps are a big ticket item but worth it for me as I use it on most of my work. The s [...]

My Passions and Art, plus A Studio Tour

May 02, 2018

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The Making of a Murrini drop ring vessel start to coldworking

May 01, 2018

Here is the process I used to make this Drop ring Vessel Side ASide BSo this is how I made this vessel.I started by pulling Murrini from a Caldera Kiln on a stand. (See my blog about making this stand and pulling Murrini)I collect this info on the back of the sheet to try and keep track of the process.al_firing_schedule_sheet1.pdfFile Size:112 kbFile Type:pdfDownload FileI use this log sheet to record how I stacked the glass and what temp it fired. You can download it a [...]

A Murrini Course in Houston on May 5th and 6th, FAMILY ADDITIONS, & Graduation...

March 30, 2018

I appreciate your support of my Blogs and work. I have been asked to teach a course based on my blogs. I will be doing the lectures and Cyndi Seeberger will provide help with the facility. Thanks for the invite Cyndi!!! This should be a fun weekend to connect with friends old and new.I will be expanding on the content of my I wish I knew blogs. I hope you can make time to fit this into your schedule. hfc_-___advance__murrine_cane_and_the_vitrigraph_kiln_- [...]

Cleaning the Murrine fusing vessel and the Caldera Kiln

February 09, 2018

When we finish pulling murrine we need to know how to clean the kiln and the murrine fusing vessel. Here is a youtube video about my process of pulling murrine and how to clean up the kiln and fusing vessel. Links to all the tools and equipment I use are included. Hepa Vacuum I use to clean up glass dust and fiber paper residual.Fein 9-20-28 TURBO II SET Turbo SetWelding blankets kevlar works to 1200 and black carbon blanket protects to 1800 degrees. Perfect&nbs [...]

Cleaning a Wet Tile Saw (Dewalt) after cutting Glass.

February 06, 2018

My dad taught me a long time ago to clean up after I made a mess in our shop. If you keep your tools clean they last a long time and save you money on repair bills. If you learn how to take your saw apart and how to clean it, it will work when you need it. Please leave us some feedback. If you have and idea for future blogs and videos let me know and I will research the topic it may turn up in a new blog. Enjoy and have some fun in your studio! [...]

Cutting Larger Murrini Glass (greater than 10 mm) on A (Dewalt) wet tile Saw

February 06, 2018

This you tube video describes the process I use to cut larger pieces of murrine into parallel pieces. I then use these pieces to fuse a blank that I use for making drop ring Murrine Vessels. A list of tools and supplies are in this blog.There are several great wet tile saws for glass. I like the Dewalt wet tile saw for several reasons. The first is it is very precise, Second it is easy to clean, Third it has plenty of power, Fourth it has a nice stand and it i [...]