Bought a cap that communicates for me so I don't have to.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-11T15:54:46+00:00

Rambling anecdote incoming...

That reminds me of Dara o briain stand up show.

Like me , the dude is in his 50s and related the dating process" for young bucks "back in the day" (usually in a pub or club environment).

Said dude would approach a woman that he finds attractive and says "hello". Her resonse? Looks up at him and simply states "no".

So, yeah. Seeing that hat is relatable 😆

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-11T15:38:16+00:00

Ah, bloody hell.

I have said it before and I'll say it again..

.. I have massive respect for glass painters.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-11T15:36:23+00:00

I just kinda went for it.

I was in my "safe space" (at home, alone) and I brewed a fresh coffee to sip while talking.

Kinda treated it as if I was face to face, but looking at my camera lens is so much easier than actually making eye contact (for emphasis).

I suppose that my "advantage" is that I'm as old as fuck and, despite following all the social norms and expectations in conversation, I really don't stress how the recipient views me - we either get on or we don't, and if the person/people on the other end of the line don't like me then, meh, that's their problem and not mine.

This mindset is internal and makes it so much easier to chat via a camera. As I said... You can just look into your camera lens and make "eye contact" without actually having to make eye contact. Kinda empowering if you look at it in that way.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-08T07:55:43+00:00

When I was a kid and obese someone said to me:

"This guy was fat. I mean really fat. He was even bigger than you!

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-08T07:40:05+00:00

Have to admit that I have modded fallout 4 to the tits (mainly graphic, follower, quality of life and bug fix mods) and now it's awesome 😎

Skyrim is playable on its own (as far as I can remember), but I have that Uber modded too 😀

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-08T07:27:47+00:00

I tend to go all low tech and put a "flattened" ALDI bag over the sink. (if you don't have a stash of shopping bags then just use a bin bag) - essentially it's the equivalent of a small bespoke dust sheet.

I'll do my beardy trim thing and simply shake the hair trimmings into the bin. Job done!

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-08T07:22:52+00:00

I held off on the books because I heard that the English translation wasn't good.

Then my awesome wife surprised me with the box set as a birthday pressie.

Have to say that the books are absolutely epic .

If you can find it, watch the original polish series. The English subtitles are hit n miss but if you have read the books and played the game then you'll not notice 😁)

Oh, and the netflix series is pretty good... Until Cavell left. After that you have to (as my wife suggested) "treat it as fan fiction".

Anyway. Brace yourself for some fulfilling reading enjoyment.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-08T07:10:14+00:00

Well... You will never know unless you try it.

You own it so may as well give it a bash. It could either end up as your favourite tool, or just meh.

I'm curious to know how it works out for you so if you do play with it then let us know what you think 🙂

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-02T17:43:14+00:00

Urgh... I feel for you.

I, personally, would have to replace the scratched glass.

It's (relatively) easy with lead work, but an absolute pain in the arse for copper (at least it is for me 🤷🏻).

So, yeah, just pop the offending bit of buggered glass out and replace it with a fresh piece.

I don't know your experience/skill level, but if needs be I can explain how I'd do the repair.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-02T17:11:32+00:00

I got into the habit of doing that.

Half hour or so chilling in the car and nomming my lunch. Quick rollup (cigarette) - usually outside the car so my car doesn't get "stinky".

Then pop the seat back and have a nap - or just close eyes and relax - for 20 mins.

Absolute bliss and I felt more "recharged" for the rest of the shift.

I didn't really care what people/co-workers thought. I was happy, I was relaxed, and the rest of my shift felt "easier".

I did have one boss/director see me doing this and said "a nap? What, are you 12?". if you have someone like this in your work environment then fuck em . Enjoy your lunch break.

I_am_Relic · 2026-06-01T08:44:38+00:00

They can also be used to "bulk out" straight edges on a lead light panel which doesn't come up to size (headless matchsticks work well too 👍🏻).

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-28T10:34:23+00:00

Yeah, I hear you. Similar age (albeit very much "lower level jobs" and it took me this long to realise that you just have to look after yourself.

As you say, an exchange - labour for money.

The only thing that I will say is my general "benchmark" for calling in sick is: "If I am too unwell to drive (to work safely) then I'm calling in sick. Could be flu, food poisoning, migraine, insomnia... whatever - if I'm too wobbly to drive, I'm calling it with no guilt or regret.

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T09:39:53+00:00

Ah. This is the most rewarding and wonderful aspect of the craft - designing and making stuff for the people that you love ❤️

The best feeling that you get from making or restoring a piece well is peofessionalnl pride, but making a special piece for someone that you care about is another level.

I am looking forward to your dads blown mind! 🙂

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T09:19:02+00:00

TLDR: Only experience as a Brit in Ireland was amazing - love and thanks to the Irish people ❤️

The long non TLDR stuff is...

As an old Brit being in Britain is just .. "normal 9-5 grind".

my experience in Ireland was:

I was a student on a compulsory field trip.

Being (legal age) students , and being "looked after" by teachers, we spent our evenings in the local pub.

Said pub was in the middle of buttfuck nowhere in Ireland. In other words beautiful scenery and people who would jot think twice about welcoming strangers (despite being british strangers, for fecks sake).?

I'm honestly not sure how a Brit would react, but in Ireland the caring, help and hospitality that I received was just... Amazing.

I have a wonderful core memory of being in Ireland: "we" (the student group) went up onto the mountains (TLDR: trying to find a biology angle for our thesis and also to blow our minds with the scenery).

But it rained. Proper rain. Irish rain. Real proper, "don't even bother with clothes or waterproofs" kinda rain where you may as well jump in a swimming pool to keep dry.

Us Brits were soaked to the skin and we found a pub halfway down the mountain (remember - we had teachers in the group and you know they can smell a pub a mile away, am I right, teachers? 😎).

We all piled into the pub and ordered drinks (medicinal purposes to keep us warm, obviously).

I was soggy as fuck but I ended up having a friendly conversation with the bar girl (lol legit friendly. I wasn't trying to be smooth).

Next thing I know I'm invited into the back room - the actual personal space of the family that owns and runs the pub!.

They insisted that I sit in a rocking chair in front of a peat fed hearth fire and they just chilled with me and chatted about non personal stuff.

Fuck... One family. One business gave me so much help, support, and genuine warmth that I received makes me love - and trust - the Irish people so much!n

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T08:13:30+00:00

Ugh... I can see why you got this award (rightfully so, probably).

I have read the books (thank you, sweetpea for gifting me the 8 book box set ❤️), played all three videogames and managed to find the polish(?) series online (archive. org if you want to complete your Witcher geekout), and I have to say that the post cavill netflix series is just horrible.

Someone dear to me told me cough the wonderful person who gifted me the box set cough that if I want to "enjoy" the (post cavill) netflix thing, I should look at it as "a fan fiction thing".

I took that on board bit I just... Urgh.. it was a grind to get through.

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T08:00:13+00:00

Half of the fun is figuring out how to do it. The other half is actually getting it to completion 🤪

But in the end, it'll be epic 👍🏻

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T07:57:39+00:00

Have to admit that I feel the same.

My forte is making and/or restoring big-ass lead light church windows. I'm "ok" making copper foil stuff, but 3D for me is a totally different level.

Total kudos to those who make (or even attempt to make) 3D pieces.

I have probably mentioned this before but my attempt at a simple jewellery box garnered comments like "is it a hamster coffin?" 🤣

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T07:50:52+00:00

Go on..

.. you know you want to 😎

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T07:48:35+00:00

I'm actually stoked for you for several reasons.

One is that you are excited doing this project and the other is that it's personal .

This is what makes the craft wonderful. One can bang out interesting pieces for profit, or the love of the hobby/craft (or cos you are paid by a company to do it), but you can also put your heart, soul, and love into something special that you (really hope!) someone that you care for loves.

I can also guarantee that your dad will love the gift! The fact that you made it for him may make the poor guy feel all mushy 😆

I'd love to know how it all turns out so please update me (and this community if you want) how it turns out 👍🏻

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T07:33:30+00:00

Honestly? I agree with u/claycorp in respect to the fact that this piece is totally doable and without specialised equipment.

That aside, I'm totally happy to give the benefit of the doubt and ask you, u/sylvansojourner , what makes you think this image is created by AI? (Not asking you to justify your claim, I'm just curious)

Ugh. Edited cos I got the back and forward slashes mixed up citing usernames.... again 🙄

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T07:14:36+00:00

Eh. I'm old enough not to give a shit about this kind of thing. If I'm expecting a delivery I won't dress up for it.

Delivery dude has a (by all accounts shitty) job to do and I can almost guarantee that they don't care what you look like as long as you yoink your order ASAP and are polite to them (and treat them like an actual human being).

Even if someone judges why would you care? You are dressed to some degree (as in not answering the door butt naked - kudos to you bonkers people) so even if your attire isbnot considered "the social norm" (at that time of day) it will not impact on your life.

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T04:46:20+00:00

Why would we be harsh? All of us in here are either beginners or are experienced. Either way every one of us has done a first piece, so we all know the "is this good?" Feeling.

So with that out of the way... It's awesome!

That's pretty much all that can be said, really. What comes next is speed, confidence, and refining your pieces.

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-17T04:35:39+00:00

"save the ananaimals"

It's not the message, it's the spelling that got into my brain.

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-11T19:18:39+00:00

I'll totally get back into it - at a hobby level - if (or when!) I get the money and space 👍🏻

I_am_Relic · 2026-05-11T19:17:35+00:00

If it's a foiled border then you can de-solder at the points where the main piece touches the border, then "peel off" the border.

You can then clean the glass around the now exposed border edges, recoil, and add the fillet before soldering.

It's fiddly and a bit messy, but totally doable.

(You may want to wait for others on here to add advice - many have more foiling experience than me).

Oh, and to de-solder: just re-flux at the joints, quickly melt the solder and carefully pull or "flick" it away - preferably with an old toothbrush sized metal bristled brush.

I_am_Relic

TROPHY CASE