It was not a glamorous week in the studios of Paradise Custom Glass.  I'll spare you the photo I took on Tuesday night after my welding class where I poked myself in the eye with a piece of steel and then, not 5 minutes later, set the leg of my jeans on fire.  There were no permanent injuries and I learned an important lesson about always wearing protective eye wear.  The rest of the week consisted of the very important but some what tedious and extremely messy process of "puttying" or cementing the mermaid window I've been working on.  The photo above shows me pushing putty under the zinc came where the glass is slotted into the channel.  The putty is abut the consistency of playdough but has a stickier feel and petroleum smell.  It does not like to wash off skin either so I've been sporting it under my nails for days.  Once the putty sets, the extra has to be scraped off with a fid and then left to dry with a white, powdery product called whiting sprinkled on top.  Although it looks like a mess right now, next week when I give it the final cleaning it will be strong and beautiful.  The process to get there isn't always pretty but it will be worth it.