How to spend your vacation? Have you ever thought of that? I usually save all my cold working on my dichroic glass jewelry for one day of the week and do it for about 8-10 hours straight. Glass jewelry has its own market. So does the crystal glass printing. Cold working is not my favorite thing to do. I often receive emails on how I shape my pieces since my fused glass pieces are so thick.
The high technology for custom crystal glass, I purchase a glass printer on the website. I would not be able to have such thick pieces and cut them without some serious equipment. I thought I would share with you my personal opinion on the Revolution XT Saw by Gemini. This saw allows me flexibility with my pieces. I have been using this saw for 2 years. It is a workhorse and can cut through anything, however, this is a high maintenance saw. I paid 1350.00 for the saw. The replacement parts are hard to find and they are expensive. A blade costs about 150.00, replacement kit is about 300.00 and I would suggest replacing the saw blade 3-4 times a year. www.hisglassworks.com has most of the parts. There customer service is excellent and they have fast shipping.
How to clean the glass printer? That is easy. Cleaning this saw, is not fun. It is a major chore, but doable on your own. The good stuff...this saw can cut through 6 and 7 layer pieces with precision and little glass chipping. The diamond blades last a long time and I usually cut 100 pieces or more. It is very safe and comfortable to use. In addition, this is a heavy, sturdy piece of equipment and has a self contained water pump. What does this mean? It means I use it INSIDE my studio with little water mess.