Glassworking Workspace: Done!

My workspace for glassworking has been set up!

Ever since my trip to the US, I knew that glassworking was something I wanted to do for a very long time. I even went to the UK to take some classes with a local artist. The logical next step was to set up my own place to work at home and that took a lot of work.

From things like acquisition and shipping of the kiln (which weighs around 70 kg), ordering the raw materials in the form of clear glass rods and getting all the tools was not an easy task. Also, adequate ventilation is critical as certain glassworking processes can create toxic fumes. Finding and installing a proper exhaust fan was also very difficult.

Lastly, it’s getting the gasses from the cylinders (I’m using the LPG cylinders available locally and oxygen cylinders) to the torch would appear to be a fairly straightforward task. However, the regulators on sale at every industrial supply store over here seem to be sub par. All the regulators I tested had passing valves. A passing valve is one that cannot completely stop the flow of the fluid across it. In this case, the regulators could not completely stop the flow of oxygen or LPG across them. While this is not a big issue as I had an on/off valve, it is a safety hazard, so I was not willing to take the risk.

So I ordered my regulators from the US. However, since they use a different fitting standard, the regulators did not fit the connections here on the cylinders. The whole issue of fittings is something I want to talk about later because it was a very frustrating experience.

But for now, my torch is running fine, minus the few issues I had when I first started it. I’ve been able to successfully melt the glass rods and make a few marbles out of them.

Here’s a picture of my workspace:

As you can see, I’ve already pulled a few glass rods into little stringers for design. The place still looks very clean because I’ve only just started. But I expect it’s going to look a lot messier after a few more months of use.

I’m very happy with its completion. It’s a perfect place for me to pursue my hobby. And because it is currently playing a big part on my daily routine, I’ve added a new section to my website: glassworking. On that page, I’ll post pictures of my better pieces. However, that page might be a little slow to update as I try and hone my skills.