laserglass studio

[laserglass]

many of you know me from other internet sites like WC. my name is mark, and i am am a glass-oholic. i am a student of glass and have experimented with just about every type of glass craft. i mainlyblow glass in my small home based offhand studio, but i also have a lampworking studio, and even the start of a plasma sculpture studio. i thought i would post a few photos here at LE. i have 2 torches in my lampwork studio. i have a major/minor burner powered by natural gas and tanked oxygen. i also have a national 3a torch powered by natural gas and an oxygen concentrator. the national torch powers a small3 inch diameter bench top glory hole. i built an annealer out of a large mailbox which sits right next to my lampworking area. i built the ventilation hood as well. to the left of my lampworking studio is my small attempt at a plasma studio. it has a crossfire burner (kind of like a glory hole in the air) and also has a high vacuum pump and vacuum manifold.

[laserglass]

i have operated my offhand studio for many years. i believe it to be one of the smallest, if not the smallest offhand studio. it is limited and lots of offhand techniques could not be done in such a small studi, but i find ways to adapt. i have a crucible kiln that holds 40 pounds of molten clear glass. next to it is a small jen ken used to preheat color. i also constructed a powder booth complete with a HEPA filter to reduce glass dust. my 12 inch glory hole is powered by a natural gas/forced air burner. i constructed my stand up bench using steel pipes. my annealer has a 22x22x13 inch interior volume. i have color glass everywhere.

[laserglass]

1 more

[one-eared pig]

Amazing! I had no idea any glassblowing could be done out of a home. Good to know.

[Wiley]

Very Cool!!8)

[Becky Mason]

SWEEEEET!!!!!!

Mark - Thanks for sharing pics and a description of your studio. Compared to my very girly looking cottage studio, your studio is like a linebacker. You've got such a cool setup with your glory holes and multiple kilns. :koolaid:

I'm also very impressed with all of the things you "created" on your own. I just don't have that kind of skill or knowledge, and I'm sure that because you do have that ability, you've saved yourself thousands of dollars. Sort of like being your own McGuyver.

[IF-Designs]

Im always inspired by the kilns youve built and the crucibles and stuff I think that is so cool. Ive got the how toos bookmarked. I think its just fantastic.

[Heather/Ericaceae]

Looking better than ever, Mark! You're packed to the gills in there! I love that you work off of natural gas... What pressure does your run at? I can't wait to see some plasma work... that stuff is so cool! That's what the vacuum pump and crossfire flame is/will be for, right? I think those are new since I last saw a studio post of yours... Of course, the glassblowing you do already is pretty cool as well! I especially like your gazing balls. Any recent pics of your work? :) -Heather

[BarbC]

Whoa momma!!! What a studio!!!

[Deb Hopeful Journeys]

Thanks Mark, what a setup!

I was lucky enough to be able to stop by Mark's glass studio tonight with my hubby. Holy cow!! Totally amazing!

My hubby wanted to see how someone set up a vent system. Mark seems to have figured everything out. I would love to see Mark in action using his glory hole and using some melted glass!

Thanks Mark for discussing the technical aspect of it all with my hubby and me!!

Hugs,

[laserglass]

What pressure does your run at? I can't wait to see some plasma work... that stuff is so cool! That's what the vacuum pump and crossfire flame is/will be for, right? I think those are new since I last saw a studio post of yours... Of course, the glassblowing you do already is pretty cool as well! I especially like your gazing balls. Any recent pics of your work? :) -Heather

my natural gas is at standard household pressure. i have 2psi on the lampworking studio, and 6 inch of water pressure on the glory hole. yes the vacuum pump and crossfire is for my plasma studio. with that said, i'll be honest, the plasma studio has brought me to my knees. it is a technical challance far greater than i have yet been able to master, especially on my tiny budget for it. it will happen, i am determined. my inside studio has bee shut down since May due to the summer heat. during the summer i have been blowing glass outdoors in my wifes garden. i will post some photos of that as soon as i can find them.

[laserglass]

Thanks Mark, what a setup!

I was lucky enough to be able to stop by Mark's glass studio tonight with my hubby. Holy cow!! Totally amazing!

My hubby wanted to see how someone set up a vent system. Mark seems to have figured everything out. I would love to see Mark in action using his glory hole and using some melted glass!

Thanks Mark for discussing the technical aspect of it all with my hubby and me!!

Hugs,

it was nice meeting you Deb, and your husband too!!! i will be having an open studio sometime in october and you are invited to come. i hope you can make some pretty glass with those blood red shards i gave you. that red glass is what i have been blowing this summer in the garden. they probably are pieces of a garden ball that did not make it. let me know if you or your husband need help making that ventilation system. it is really easy and cheap. there is no use spending hundreds of dollars on a ventilation system. also, i will look for parts for a temperature controler for your little brick kiln. i need to go on a "walk-about", its been too long!!!!!!

[Marie C]

Welcome Mark! We're glad to have you.

What a set-up! Would love to see some pictures of some of your work. Do you have a "real job" or is glass your business?

Join in anytime.

Warmly, Marie C

[laserglass]

Do you have a "real job" or is glass your business? Warmly, Marie C

glass is a hobby, nothing more. in real life, i am a physicist, doing the job of a system engineer.

[laserglass]

Any recent pics of your work? :) -Heather

this is some glass "art" that i have been making this summer. it is all ruby red as that was the color of the glass i was melting. it is highlighted with contrasting colored glass, or with silver.

[Heather/Ericaceae]

Really cool work, Mark!!! I remember you showing some of it before and explaining about the beautiful silver streaks. But the gazing balls I haven't seen before. They're my favorites! (And the star, too...) Thanks for sharing the pictures. :) Good luck with your plasma goals... It does sound difficult (gas, vacuums, electricity, glass blowing, stands...) but you're a stubborn guy so you'll find a way to work it out on a budget in time! I can't wait to see your solutions. Cheers - Heather

[caspertorch]

Wow is RIGHT!

Cool studio and Great Work...
thanks for sharing and inspiring.
~Becky

[laserglass]

i have made a few changes in my lampworking studio. i added sheets of cement wall board (dura-rock) on both sides of my hood, as well as the back so that the work area is surrounded on 5 of the 6 sides leaving only the front open. also, i built a new door and added a pyrometer to my micro-gloryhole which allows it to get to 2000°F now. i have a 2 pound crucible inside for encaseing/gathering, which should be sufficient for small paperweights, marbles, and focal beads. i still plan to add a bit more insulation to it so that i can get to 2200°F with it. the micro-gloryhole is powered by a national 3a torch using natural gas and the oxygen from a 5 lpm concentrator. the output power of the torch is limited by the amount of oxygen from the concentrator, otherwise i could power past 2000°F easily. i definitely am loosing heat out the door area, so that is where i plan to add insulation to improve the performance of the system. my plans are to use the micro-gloryhole during the summer when it is too how to fire up my main studio. i also plan to use my outdoor system, and also make some plasma sculptures during the summer as well.

i have a hot plate on top of the bench which doubles as a pipe warmer and a color pre-heater. i made some steel punties and blowpipes and plan to use the micro-gloryhole kind of like an offhand system, where i dip the punty/blowpipe into the molten glass inside the system. i have my major/minor burner set up as well for adding color and shaping the glass. the entire front surface of this work area is granite tiles which i use as a marver. i also added a steel rod on either side of the legs of the hood as a "pull out bench". this bench can be pulled out as needed, and is used to support the punty/blowpipe when shaping the glass. you roll the punty/blowpipe on these steel rods as you shape the glass, then push the rods back in to get them out of the way. you can see these rods on either side of the legs of the hood.

[Mike H]

Hi Mark,

Thats a cool set up. What is your glory hole made out of and how are you supporting the glass tube (quartz?) on your burner side of the glory?
I'm also curious about your plasma, what do you create with it that
is different than your micro glory hole. Thats great work, keep up the
"Mad Scientist" stuff!

[laserglass]

What is your glory hole made out of and how are you supporting the glass tube (quartz?) on your burner side of the glory?
I'm also curious about your plasma, what do you create with it that
is different than your micro glory hole. Thats great work, keep up the
"Mad Scientist" stuff!


the micro-glory hole has a stainless steel outer shell about 8 inches in diameter. the inside of it is lined with 2 inches of rigidized frax insulation providing about a 4 inch ID. the crucible is also about 4 inchs in diameter and sits centered in the bottom of the internal cavity of the micro-glory hole. i drilled a 1 inch hole in the right hand side of the steel shell and i inserted a 6 inch long piece of 1 inch OD fused silica tubeing through the hole in the steel shell and the associated 2 inches of frax. it is not attached, it just rests there.

as for plasma, you have probably seen plasma globes or plasma sculptures at stores like walmat. they are kind of like a neon sign, but only have a single electrode. your hand becomes the 2nd electrode as the plasma arcs are attracted to any grounded object. basically plasma sculptures are thin walled, hollow balls or other shapes, with an electrode on one end, that are evacuated using a vacuum pump, and then sealed up with some nobel gas inside them such as neon or argon. the micro-gloryhole is a completely independent project from my plasma activities. here is an example

http://imageevent.com/thepacratz/glassblowingtopicspix

[Mike H]

Thats great info. What type of things have you done with your micro glory
and mini crucible? How long do you have to run your micro glory to melt
glass in your crucible. Do you just use cullet in it? I'm curious about how you use these with your torch, I'm planning to do some similar things soon. Where do you get fused silica tubing and does it burn out?
Thanks for the info.

[laserglass]

Thats great info. What type of things have you done with your micro glory and mini crucible? How long do you have to run your micro glory to melt glass in your crucible. Do you just use cullet in it? I'm curious about how you use these with your torch, I'm planning to do some similar things soon. Where do you get fused silica tubing and does it burn out?
Thanks for the info.

this is a new thing for me, and i am still working out the bugs in its design. so i have yet to make anything using it. after i get it functioning normally, i expect that i can get to melting temperature within 1 hour of lighting the burner, but it will take several more hours for the glass to fine out so that there are no seed bubbles. i plan to melt 4C cullet which is a 90 COE glass compatible with bullseye, uroboros 90, and many german colors. i got the fused silica tubing from a scientific glassblower at the chemistry department at the university of minnesota. so far it has not burnt or discolored, but then again i have only fired it up for a few hours total so far. my goal is to have it ready for use this summer.

now i have used my outdoor mini-glory hole for 4 years. it works quite well. my mini-gloryhole is powered by a 100,000 BTU/hour propane powered venturi burner, so it uses only air not oxygen. i melt about 10 pounds of glass in it. it has been real fun blowing glass outdoors when the weather is nice. you can look around and see birds, and flowers, it is really a hoot!!! i usually melt colored 4C glass in it, like cobalt blue or ruby red. i melt these dense colors because it helps to hide the seed bubbles that have not fined out yet. i only let the glass melt for an hour or so before i start blowing, so there is no time for the glass to fine out. i usually make garden balls, floats, fish, starfish, magic wands, eggs, and other misc. stuff using it. i also pull cane to usein my main studio in the fall/winter/spring.

[Mike H]

That sounds really Fun! I am currently trying to figure out a way to make a burner that uses forced air mixed with propane. I have heard that there is alot of info in a book called Glass notes by Henry Halem. I have stated to scavenge parts and would like to be blowing glass by summer.
I think that the use of a torch with a glory and crucible will allow alot of details to be added to the traditional glassblowing methods.
Keep us posted and thanks alot for the info!

[jokersdesign]

sweet

[laserglass]

my mini-gloryhole/melter that i use outside in the summer, is powered by a propane venturi burner i made from parts available at any hardware store. the adjustable propane regulator/hose/orrifice came from an outdoor turkey cooker, you know the kind that starts all kinds of fires when people drop the turkey into thehot oil. the rest of the burner was made from modificed black iron pipe fittings. here are some photos.

[FlameFilly]

That sounds really Fun! I am currently trying to figure out a way to make a burner that uses forced air mixed with propane. I have heard that there is alot of info in a book called Glass notes by Henry Halem. I have stated to scavenge parts and would like to be blowing glass by summer.
I think that the use of a torch with a glory and crucible will allow alot of details to be added to the traditional glassblowing methods.
Keep us posted and thanks alot for the info!

Here's a link to a good resource for building your own equipment and he builds burner heads also....he's been around a long time just like Henry:)

http://www.joppaglass.com/book/Lit_page.html#copy

[Mike H]

Thanks again for all the info , I can't wait to be blowing glass at my own house. I have a new shop to build too, its gonna be a busy year.

[PaulaD]

Mark That is an awesome studio!!

Paula

[laserglass]

some people have asked me to post some more photos of my offhand studio, so i will post a few here.

[Terryd]

That is really cool! Quite a sight. Are you working inside now?

[laserglass]

i recently recorded a video overview of my offhand studio. here is a link

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5701743

[houptdavid]

Thanks for the tour Mark

[NMLinda]

Fabulous what you've done, Mark! Thank you so much for posting pics of your studio and for posting descriptions of what you've done. Your ingenuity is impressive and your artistic exploration no less so.

Linda

[yamaha200]

jealous! would love to have an offhand studio, but can't bear the thought of the gas bill. The micro gloryhole though, that gives me all sorts of "bad" ideas! Could get a stump sucker and crank out several paperweights without having to get a bigger torch!
laura

[laserglass]

jealous! would love to have an offhand studio, but can't bear the thought of the gas bill. The micro gloryhole though, that gives me all sorts of "bad" ideas! Could get a stump sucker and crank out several paperweights without having to get a bigger torch!
laura

my gas bill is only a few dollars more per month. The glory hole is only on a few hours when I blow. It takes less than an hour from cold start to blow temperature.

[yamaha200]

what??? do you only melt enough cullet at once for a single session or how does this work? I've always been told that you had to keep the furnace going continuously cause it was "bad" to let the glass solidify in the crucible - it was never made clear though whether this is because it harms the glass for future use, harms the furnace, or just takes too long to get it all molten again the next time. And that running the furnace 24/7 was expensive. I need to go back and look at the pix again, but are you using a single setup as both glory hole and furnace? The places I've been to always kept their furnace hotter than the glory hole. I need to get into another hobby like I need a hole in the head, but I am REALLY interested...

laura

[yamaha200]

ok, just took a quick look at pix again. So you are using a kiln for the crucible! I had not thought of that. Didn't consider that it would go hot enough. So do you leave that run continuously then?

laura

[laserglass]

what??? do you only melt enough cullet at once for a single session or how does this work? I've always been told that you had to keep the furnace going continuously cause it was "bad" to let the glass solidify in the crucible - it was never made clear though whether this is because it harms the glass for future use, harms the furnace, or just takes too long to get it all molten again the next time. And that running the furnace 24/7 was expensive. I need to go back and look at the pix again, but are you using a single setup as both glory hole and furnace? The places I've been to always kept their furnace hotter than the glory hole. I need to get into another hobby like I need a hole in the head, but I am REALLY interested...

laura

that is correct. having a small crucible kiln allows me to shut it down, while larger furnaces must stay up 24/7. here is my typical activity. i wash my cullet with water and allow it to dry. when i wash it, i remove pipe scale, rocks, cigarette butts, and ugly pieces of glass, as the glass i make is scrap from a factory. after the glass is dry, i put what i plan to melt, into my crucible kiln which is at room temperature. then i start the slow ramp up in temperature, at best, the temperature increases at 200 degrees/hour until it gets to 2150F where i hold it for a minimum of 12 hours at 2150F before i blow glass. if i fill my crucible to the brim, i can get 2 days worth of blowing, but lately i only fill the crucible about 1/2 full and blow for a single session lasting 3 to 4 hours. when i am done, i ramp back down to room temperature and shut the kiln off. i have done this 28 times so far on the current set of elements.

[laserglass]

ok, just took a quick look at pix again. So you are using a kiln for the crucible! I had not thought of that. Didn't consider that it would go hot enough. So do you leave that run continuously then?

laura

not every kiln will work for a crucible kiln. there are several that will work, and several more that can be modified to work.

[yamaha200]

That is awesome. I shall keep this in mind for after I get my lampworking area up and running (and perhaps some of the house remodeling finished...). I may be back to pester you with lots of other questions!

laura

[mewsicmama]

Wow! Lots of happy watching ahead of me. Thanks for taking the time to make these and share them with all of us.