To Our Loyal Customers;
It is with sadness and regret that I must announce the closing of a big part of Odyssey's business. We have been importing our brassware from Taiwan for over 35 years now, and had developed a close relationship with our manufacturer there. However, he has developed serious health issues recently and the business is now under new management. That management has raised prices significantly and set new business terms that we find unworkable.
It has been over a year since we received our last container and we are certainly aware of how disruptive this has been for our customers. After much discussion and negotiation, we have decided that it is not feasible for us to continue to import under the new terms. We considered setting up a new brassware supplier, but that would require a monumental effort and I (Paul Crist) am 74 now and just not up to the task.
Since we have decided to no longer import brassware from Taiwan, it means that we will receive no further shipments of lamp bases and other hardware, including cap/ring/wheel sets, crowns, filigrees, etc. We are painfully aware of how greatly this decision affects you, our customers.
For now, we will continue to offer the goods that we have made here in the U.S.A.- molds. patterns, rims and Tacky Wax, as well as the jewels that are imported from Germany. We have yet to determine whether that will be a viable business without the supporting hardware. Some distributors have expressed interest in picking up the importation, but it will take some time for them to reach a decision. In the meantime, we will go forward with the molds, but in the end our decision will depend on how successful the distributors will be at establishing a new supply relationship.
We still have considerable stock of bases and some hardware on the shelf and this is all available on a first come, first served basis. Call or email Jenny for availability and details.
Again we are deeply saddened that our long relationship with you has to come to this end. I am grateful for your support and loyalty through the years.Thank you.
Paul Crist
The heart of the Odyssey System is our fiberglass mold. It incorporates several novel features found in no other lamp system.
The 360 “full form” design permits assembly of the whole lamp shade at one time, rather than in small sections that must later be joined together. We firmly believe that this is the only sane way to assemble a lamp shade.
Fiberglass is the perfect material for a lamp form—lightweight, dimensionally stable, impervious to acidic fluxes, unaffected by molten solder or even the full heat of a soldering iron, and it can be used over and over again.
Engraved pattern lines allow for fast and accurate placement of glass pieces. They are permanent and cannot be obliterated as with printed lines or paper overlays.
Inset ring and rim ledges insure that your shade will sit level on the base and have a straight lower edge—a problem with any other system.
Odyssey’s exclusive TACKY WAX is a revolution in lamp making. TACKY WAX is a non-drying adhesive that, when melted and painted on the surface of the mold, holds the glass pieces securely in place. Think of it! You can put all of the glass tiles that make up the shade on the mold at one time, without the bother of pins, tape, bridging straps or tack soldering. It also gives you the freedom to cut, fit, foil and solder your lamp shade together in separate complete operations. There is no need to go back and forth, working through small sections one at a time as with other systems. TACKY WAX gives you the flexibility to position, then re-position and even recut any piece you want before joining anything together.
You know your shade’s going to fit together perfectly and look right. Odyssey guarantees it! If you have any trouble, simply call our toll-free 800 number, and we will set you on the right track!
