Glass blowing has been and is a job not like any other. It was started way back in the 3500 BC in Mesopotamia, china and Egypt. In the countries, they became famous in glass making and glassware. An innovator in the great Mesopotamia realized the air could be blown into molten glass to form a balloon of different shape according to the air blown. This has been perfected since to a mass production of blown glass. Since 1920s, in the United States, many machines adding up to 200 came up. 
But this has not shunned down individuals who have the skills and courage to face the red hot molten glass for hand blowing. The art has been made to a day today job through manipulation of the liquid glass. For those who have been doing it find it very easy and enjoyable part of a living. With more information at the flow of the molten glass, the shape that is intended is attained through inflating the dome. Some of these are made into headie glass as well.
There are very simple steps of attaining a perfect and state of the art work from a simple glass. In the first instance, you collect the molten glass around a metallic pine. This is done on one end while the other end is held by the hand. From the collected glass, it’s laid on a steel table called a marvel. The marvel helps the glass blower to make roll the molten glass into a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical form is then capped after air has been blown into it. This ensures that the air inside is heated by the heat from the molten glass thus expanding. From this point, the glass can be shaped in to the needed shape or size. This all together depends on the main intention of the glass blower. Flow of the air and the molted glass define the desired shape. These are both manipulated to fit the end results.
After attaining the right shape, a neck is made using tweezers and the bottom flattened. The bottle is then placed somewhere where it cool slowly for a better finish. The job becomes complete after it has cooled and well displayed for the end users to rate their work. It is an art that has been valued by those who make collections and jewels. It has grown from traditional smelting to modern production of state of the art glass.

I have never been one who is able to just simply throw things out.  That might explain the very fact as to why I have taken over half of my husbands workshop to store all sorts of odds and ends and old furniture pieces.  I just cannot help it.  My husband is not the only person who likes to restore things and give them new life.  I am the same way.  The old can always become new again with a little hard work and a lot of imagination.  At least that is how I like to think about things.  So with all of my things clogging up the hubby’s space it is time for me to get to work on some of my restoration projects.

I have some great dining chairs that I am going to distress or antique to give a look that they have been used, but still look good.  I think they will look perfect with the new farmhouse dining table that I am going to be picking up next week!

The video below is one that I used for reference a while ago on antiquing an old bookcase, and I found it to be incredibly useful.

The holidays are a favorite time of year around my home.  My wife gets excited with all the decorations, foods, and parties.  I start picking out new tools or gadgets that I want for gifts, and the kids all come home to visit.  We are the house to come to during the Christmas season because there is always something baking and always fun to be had.  Unfortunately there is a downfall to being the go-to home in the neighborhood and family.  You see, all this traffic in and out and the decor can create quite a big mess and can even cause some damage to things like flooring and furniture.  So, if you are like us and always have people in and out or if you are just hosting one party, follow these tips to keep your home in good shape this year.

Whether you are hosting a party with hors d’oeuvres or a dinner party at the dining room table, be certain to protect your table with a table cloth.  For foods that are hot, put down hot plates or pot holders under the serve ware to avoid discoloring a wood table.  Chair cushions can also help keep regular wear and tear from affecting your chairs.

Asking guests to remove their shoes is a little silly unless they are close family.  So make sure that you keep your carpet and hardwoods protected from feet.  Buying floor runners and shields is the best way to make sure that your floors are being protected.

When rearranging furniture for parties or to decorate, keep you floors in mind.  Two years ago my wife drug a piece of furniture that had a small pebble under one of the legs.  Needless to say there was quite a gash in the hardwoods.  If it must be slid, make sure that you put felt under the legs prior to moving it.

Hopefully these reminders are helpful tips for you to keep your home in order even with all of the hustle and bustle.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Unfortunately, I am being forced to take a little break from the things I love tinkering with the most, cars and boats.  My wife is having a fit about the condition of our hardwood floors in the house, so I suppose it is time to get the floors restored instead of restoring and messing around with the things in my garage.  It was assumed that because I restore all sorts of gadgets and things that I should be able to easily take on this project, but I’m not so sure.  I have taken to YouTube to find out how I can fix the floors instead of create a bigger issue, and hopefully the videos I have found will help me out.

If you are actually about to start a project like this, or if you have tackled this type of thing before, please give me any pointers and tips that you think I will find useful.  I’m pretty nervous about this new venture if you could not already tell.

The video below has some great tips and information on how to sand down and refinish hardwood floors to restores them.

 

If you are looking for a preventative route to take with your hardwoods, check out this video that shows how to keep your floors in the best condition.

n 1972 came the final model in the Volvo 1800 sports car line — the 1800ES.  It was a coupé station wagon featuring an all-glass tailgate. All glass tailgates are sometimes described as a shooting-brake. This last design in the series was chosen after two prototypes had been made by designers Sergio Coggiola and Pietro Frua.

Frua produced an exotic and beautiful prototype he called Raketen, which means “rocket” in English.  The original Raketen currently now rests in the Volvo Museum.  Car museums often have high security to prevent thefts, such as adt security.

Each of the two Italian prototypes was thought to be too futuristic as designed, but Frua’s design finally won out and made it to market after some tweaks.  It is now a classic car, and here today we would like to share a video of a complete restoration of a Volvo 1800ES:

More and more people are taking an interest in where the things that they purchase are coming from.  In order to help economies here in the United States, a lot of consumers want to purchase items that are specifically made in America.  This holds especially true for large purchases of things like cars.  American made and built cars have always been a topic of pride.  Think about American muscle cars like the Mustang and Camero, and don’t you get an overwhelming feeling of pride and patriotism.  Maybe it is not that dramatic, but I think you get the picture.

Do you know if your car was made in the United States?  I think you might be surprised to find out that even so-called “American made” cars are not 100% made in this country.  So, if you are in the market for a new ride and you want to buy American made, you will need to do your homework.  You might find that the car that was the most made in America is actually made by a foreign manufacturer.  Does that surprise you?  Take a look at the infographic below to find out which cars are put together where.

I have a couple of customers who have been very interested in getting vehicle tracking devices in their automobiles for various reasons.  No matter who you are, vehicle tracking might actually be a good idea to have in your car.  There are a few makes and models that incorporate On Star which offers vehicle tracking, and a lot of people find it to be most useful for many situations.  Vehicle tracking is great for people who travel and might have to leave their cars in airport parking for long periods of time, parents with teens just starting to drive, and business owners who have a fleet of vehicles for employees to drive with honesty.  All of those reasons and more are why many people are choosing to install vehicle tracking systems in vehicles.  If you are interested in learning how to install the device yourself, then youare at the right place.

Instead of writing all of the instructions down for you, which might be a little more difficult to follow, I found a useful video for you to watch.  It shows an install of a particular brand of tracking system, but I have found that the install itself is pretty general.  Leave a comment if you have any questions for me.

Cars are one of my passions.  I love restoring old cars to their original glory, and I love to learn about new cars as well.  There is just so much out there that I want to learn more about and understand.  One of those things right now are electric cars.  Because of the whole green movement and people trying to do better for the environment, I have found that electric cars are increasingly popular.  Now the most common cars that are created for typical consumers are actually not totally electric, but hybrid.  The technology in hybrid vehicles could not have been possible without all of the amazing innovations that have been made in the electric car field over the years.  You can even notice on sites like http://www.legalherbsdirect.com that all types of companies are choosing to go green.

For a closer look at just how far they’ve come in creating electric cars, look at the below infographic.  Some points of interest of the infographic include:

• The price of gasoline since 1861
• The first electric car built in the US was in Jamaica Plain, MA.
• The 1970s promoted more interest in electric cars due to the Arab Oil Embargo
• Electric cars are more costly to purchase and maintain

Find out more in the timeline below.  You will probably be as amazed as I was in all of the information.

Often a lot of the articles on this site are directed toward restoration and installation projects and things of that nature.  Fortunately though we are finding that a lot of our women readers want to learn some things too, so we turned to our favorite writer who just so happens to be a woman, Shay, for this brilliant piece on Carlashes…

Ladies, at some point in our lives we come to the realization that we need to make a change, or three.  Now that isn’t to say that we want to do anything drastic, but maybe we’ll add some highlights in our hair or rearrange the bedroom.  You know those little changes that can make a huge difference, right?  Well, what about for your car.  If you are like me, then you are not the type to get a new ride every year or so.  Sometimes that can be boring, but I have found somehting that is so adorable and can give you that little change you might be looking for.  It’s a little thing called Carlashes.  I’m sure you’ve guessed it, eyelashes for your car’s headlights!  So cute!

They are really easy to install too.  It is recommended that you install them onto a cleaned and smooth surface like the top of the headlight which you might have to open the hood to have access to.

Along with the lashes, there is even rhinestone liner that can give you more bling if you wish.  These things really are cute, and they also make great gifts for your girlfriends!  Have fun with your car, and get some Carlashes!

Part II

As promised, this is the second part to getting your boat hooked up with a new stereo system so you can have incredible boat audio.  In the previous article I gave you some pointers for choosing the best stereo for your needs and your boat’s needs, and now we can get to the real fun part, the speakers.  Like I said, this was my first boat stereo install, and I did not realize how much thought had to go into something like this, but there is a lot of thought.  So, let’s get right into so you can find yourself the best speakers.

Again, size matters.  This holds especially true if you are replacing some old speakers that already have a cutout.  You will need to be sure that the speakers you choose will easily fit into the already there cutout.  This is not a bad problem to have, as it makes the selection process much easier.  If you are starting from scratch, then consider the size of speaker you want and find places to flush mount them.  Generally, the larger the speaker, the better the sound.  So, the bigger the space you can find to mount them, the better.  I have heard that some boats do not have the space to include flush mount speakers, and that’s fine.  Look for box speakers if that is the case.  They are already enclosed.

Pick your quality.  When you are choosing the quality of sound that your speaker will emit, then you need to look for those that can put off a wide range of sounds.  The more options of treble and bass, the better sounding it will be.  Basically you will find that there are four different kinds of speakers, in order from lowest quality to highest –

• Dual Cone — These output the sound through only one actual source.  However there are two different cones, a small and large one. The large cone emits mid to low range sounds, and the small is for high.  You will notice that the dual cone speaker is less expensive.
• Coaxial — You might also know these as two way or three way speakers.  Basically, these speakers are a speaker wrapped around another.
• Component — This set up is, in fact, more than one speaker.  All of the frequencies are output by different speakers, and you get some good boat audio emitted from these.
• Subwoofer — Most people don’t need a subwoofer.  This is solely because a subwoofer just puts out bass frequencies.  You can get good bass sound from typical coaxial speakers, but if you are looking for some serious pounding from your boat audio, then a subwoofer is a good option for you.

Make sure the power is enough.  When you are choosing your boat audio speakers, the power is the last thing you need to consider.  Make sure you know the peak wattage which shows you how much power the speaker can actually manage at one given point.  The next measurement you need to know is the RMS wattage.  That will let you know how much the speaker will be able to manage over a period of time.

Good luck finding the ultimate stereo and speakers for your boat audio, and if you have any questions, I’d like to think I’m a pro at this stuff now.  So, ask away!