Sea Turtles are Hatching

Sea turtles will soon be hatching on Florida's southwest coast, and in my Akron, Ohio studio. Every summer from about May 1 to August 31,  thousands of sea turtles hatch on Florida's gulf coast. Soon after, they make their way out to sea to hang out in mats of drifting algae called sargassum sea weed for a couple of years, then they are on their way to the Atlantic. Once they reach the Atlantic Ocean,  they leave the nest so to speak,  and forge ahead into adulthood.  I guess only about one in a thousand sea turtles mature to adulthood.

Hopefully, my stained glass sea turtles will have a better survival rate, especially since they are much easier to take care of than the real thing. So I thought I would take this opportunity to share some survival techniques to apply to stained glass you may already own, and items you purchase at glass by leona.  Follow these simple steps and your art glass will remain beautiful for years:

Never use corrosive cleaners on your glass pieces.  Window cleaners will corrode the lead or solder that surround the glass.  The best cleaners are wax glass polishers such as car wax.  My favorite is Clarity Stained Glass Finishing Compound, although any glass wax will do.  The other very important fact to remember is to lay your piece flat on a solid surface to rub on the wax.  The seams of the glass pieces are more fragile than the glass itself, and laying them flat will assure that you don't bend or compromise the seams in any way. They will have a much better survival rate. Use cotton swabs to get into corners, or even a toothpick if necessary.  And lastly, take TIME to polish the pieces lovingly.  They will have a much better survival rate.

And if you have any questions regarding care of your pieces, feel free to e-mail me at glassbyleona@gmail.com