My Studio

I've had a lot of questions recently about my studio and how I have set up both my glass rack and how I work.  

These are shots of the my studio space.  I have a corner of the basement with a window.  I have painted the walls a soft, very pale gray which is a lot nicer then the dark gray cement walls I started with and not as glaring as white would be.

This is when the studio is clean........

Now for real life!  This is what it actually looks like when I'm working and haven't had time to straighten up for several days.

I built a 2x4 and plywood table that is a full sheet of plywood (8ft x 4ft).  On top of that I tiled the front half for heat protection and painted the back a soft blue which is a nice background while I am at the torch (notice that my nice soft blue background is totally covered with a big box of glass that still needs to be put into the glass rack).  I sit on a small typing chair with no arms, for me they just got in the way.  I couldn't get the chair close enough to the table to be comfortable at the torch.

Behind the torch, against the wall is my ever expanding glass rack.  I built this in 2001.  I used PVC downspouts cut into 13" lengths for the cubbies.  On the left is the boro glass and on the right is the Moretti glass.  The bottom shelves are for expansion.  I've already added some new cubbies this year for some of the wonderful new colors that are now available.  If you decide to build a rack that is as big as mine.....be sure it will go through the door and down the stairs.  Believe me, I didn't and had to completely take it apart to get it into the basement.  Basically building it twice!

Here's a close-up of my working area.    Currently I have three torches.  The torch I use the most is the Lynx from Glass Torch Technology. 

For safety, to the right of my torch is a little can of water which is used to discard hot glass and also cool tools if they get too hot and start sticking to my beads.  Also great to stick your finger in if you happen to burn yourself by accident.  Protective eyewear is very important.  You can see my glasses on the left side of the torch.  New this year is the overhead vent.  More on that after this next picture.

I have several sets of mandrels in the silver cans behind the torch.  I use mainly 1/16" mandrels but also have 3/32" and a bunch of other really tiny sizes.  The ones I use all the time are on my work bench, the rest I keep on the shelves above my glass.

To the right is the AF-99 kiln from Arrow Springs and my Minor torch made by Nortel which I use for private classes.  I also have a third torch, a Major by Nortel which I purchased for boro and larger projects.  To be honest, it sits on the shelf and hasn't been hooked up for over a year now.  Just too big a torch for the way I work.  The Lynx is able to do everything including boro in my size of beads.  Maybe if I wish to play with perfume bottles or larger vessels I will try the Major again sometime.

My opaque glass is kept in a flower vase where I can grab it quickly.  My transparent glass is usually spread out over the tiles in the center of the table.  This is where I really like the white tile surface.  I can see all of the shades of each color because of the white underneath them.  Some of them have such a subtle difference if I had them in a vase it would be difficult to find the right one.

Ok, let me give you my little serious discussion about an overhead venting system......

This is a necessity for all glass workers.  This one measures about 2 1/2 by 4 feet and is rated at 600 cf of air movement.  It is vented to the outside through the window by a 10 inch tube with louvers on the window to keep the elements outside when I'm not working. 

I can't stress enough about safety in your studio.  Glass is made of many different chemicals.  A lot of them are quite safe but there are some that give off nasty metals in the flame such as the Copper Green and Dark Turquoise from Moretti.  Moving from glass to the frits, pixie dust and powdered glass you get into particulates along with airborne chemicals.  This stuff can get into your lungs and really cause problems later in life including silicosis and reduced breathing abilities.  Finally if you work with fuming don't even think about it unless you have a great overhead vent.  An open window and fan just won't do!!!  I don't even recommend a normal kitchen hood if you are fuming it just doesn't move enough air to protect you.  Fuming can actually poison you.  The lungs can pick up microscopic bits of the metals which are absorbed into your bloodstream.  This can cause lifelong problems.  Think about all the children who have lead poisoning by accident.  You really don't want to do this to your body, now do you?

If you are interested in a vent like mine you can order it from Glasscraft.  I had an electrician come in and mount two fluorescent light fixtures up inside the hood for good overhead lighting.  He also put two switches on the wall, one for the light and one to run the fan.  This way if I'm not working at the torch I don't need to have the fan on too.  I then had a window guy come and mount a Lexan panel in the window and cut a 10" hole and mount the exhaust tubing from the hood to the window and louvers on the outside. 

Finally, this is my latest creation.  I couldn't stand it when I had layers of stringers all over my table surface.  I was constantly putting my elbows on them and then they would flip to the floor where I would have to scrounge for them while trying to keep my bead warm and not get burned in the process.  I could never find what I needed either.  I would put one down and it would get lost in the mess.  This also gets the glass corralled so that I can easily sweep the work surface free of bits of glass that always seem to be flying.  I can pick this whole thing up and quickly clean up.

I created this nifty PVC rack with different sizes of tubing.  Now, I have every color within arms reach, not all over the place.  Each is filed by color and if I need a dark ivory or green or blue stringer I can get it quickly.  When I start each day I decide what colors I will be using and then pull them out of my rack.  It's really easy to tell if I have the color I need or if I need to pull a new stringer.

I guess this completes the virtual tour of my studio.  Please feel free to email and ask any questions.  I'm more then happy to help you out.