THE MAGICIAN AND HIS GLASS EGG TIMERS

I received an email through my Glass Creations website enquiring whether I can make an egg timer. Of course, I can. I mean it’s just a straight tube with a constriction in the middle. The potential customer who became real after he rung and discussed specifications. The tube was to be 30mm diameter and 71mm long. Apparently, he had an egg timer already but was no good as sand or salt run through too quick. Could I make one with a 30 second time to run and another with a 90 second run time. Obviously, the key part of design as with all egg timers is the bore of the constriction.

I made 3 samples and duly posted them off to the customer. A few days later a phone call from him let me know that the glass I sent was no good as it was made too well and too strong. I was told that my customer was a magician, and the egg timers were to be an integral part of his act and the finale involved the breaking of an egg timer. Weird was my first reaction and what type of magician breaks glass? Well, I could say the type of magician that makes my money and time disappear.

I was then sent a sample which lo and behold measured 70mm in length and not the 71mm that I was told. Hmmmm I was getting annoyed and looked for a way out. The customer wanted egg timers made from a glass I did not have so he ordered glass tubes from another company. He arranged for these tubes to be delivered to me and I was to make egg timers from these tubes. The tubes arrived with broken ends which increased the time I had to spend in correcting a problem not of my making. Replacements were not forthcoming even though I told my customer he needed to resolve this error.

I was asked to test the timers using sand or salt to ensure they worked accurately for a 30 second and a 90 second measured time span. I refused as I had no spare time and as, yet we had not agreed a budget. I stated that I felt I am worth £50 per hour, and he agreed to pay for two hours plus postage. I have to date spent more time, a lot more time than two hours. Some may feel that £50 per hour is a lot but when I take my car to the garage for repair or service, they charge me £52 per hour. I am more valuable than a car mechanic!!!!!

Then the deadline. Initially no mention of timescale but apparently the magician had a special event booked for 9th January and the earliest I could finish the work was the 4th. By speeding certain processes up such as grinding the ends of the glass and fire polishing (using a flame to heat the sharp edges smooth) without annealing which was risky as the glass could have shattered at any time. I did anneal which meant there would be less stress (but maybe too strong to break?) and as the glass was heated to 565 degrees C the grinding powder dried into all the timers. Taking a lot of time and using pipe cleaners to clean the glass a fair result was determined.

The job is not over yet as the fat lady has yet to sing and I have yet to raise my invoice so watch this space!