c/glassblowers

Rant: I just found out how much color bar actually costs per pound and my jaw dropped

I was ordering some new color from a supplier in Seattle and saw the price for a pound of silver amber striking bar was over $400. I always knew it was pricey, but seeing that number for a single pound of raw material really hit me. That's more than I spend on a full tank of propane for my glory hole for a month of work. It makes me way more careful about how much I melt off the rod now, and I cringe thinking about the times I've dropped a hot bit on the floor. Has anyone else had a moment like this that changed how you handle your materials?

Bought a $200 used glory hole that was rusted shut inside

Spent a whole weekend trying to clean it out before giving up... anyone know a good place to find a decent used one that isn't a total scam?

That time my whole batch of cobalt blue tubing went bad overnight

Honestly, it was a Tuesday in my old studio in Asheville, and I came in to find every single rod of my special order had a weird haze inside it. I'd saved up for three months to buy that batch, about $300 worth. The supplier said it must have been a bad annealing cycle at the factory, but that didn't help me finish the commission I was working on. Has anyone else had a whole case of color just turn on them like that?

Finally pulled off a clean 12-inch gather after months of fighting it in my home studio.

Three years ago I could barely manage a six-inch bubble without it getting wonky, but last week I finally got the heat base and rotation just right on my Carlisle torch and the whole thing just flowed onto the pipe like it was nothing.

Showerthought: I was heating my punty rod wrong for like six months

I kept having my pieces crack off at the punty when I was working on small goblets. My teacher in the Tacoma studio finally watched me and said, 'You're putting that rod in the flame like it's a marshmallow.' Turns out I was only heating the very tip for maybe 10 seconds, not the whole first inch for a full 30 count. That extra heat soak made all the difference. Has anyone else had a simple timing thing mess up their transfers?

Just realized how much a kiln's ramp rate can change a piece's final color

I was reading an old forum thread from 2018 about striking colors and saw a guy from Boise mention he holds at 1050 degrees for 45 minutes instead of the usual 20. Tried it on a batch of amber purple last week and the depth was way different, almost like a whole new color. Anyone else have a specific temp or hold time that gave you a surprise result?

Spent $300 on a used annealing kiln that had a hidden crack in the floor, basically turned into a very expensive paperweight.

I thought those cheap graphite reamers from the online auction site were a total waste of money.

I bought a set for like $15 last year because I was tired of burning through my good one on simple punty marks. The first one snapped in half on the third use, so I tossed the rest in a drawer. Last week, my main reamer was across the shop and I grabbed one of the cheap ones in a pinch. I've used it for five sessions now on small stuff and it's held up fine, it just needed a lighter touch. Has anyone else found a cheap tool that actually works okay once you figure out its limits?

A random chat with a museum curator totally flipped how I see color in glass

I was at the local art museum last month, just killing time, and got talking to the curator in the glass section. I was looking at this old vase, kinda grumbling about how the blue was a bit muddy, and she just said, 'That's not a flaw, that's the story. The cobalt they could get in 1890 wasn't pure. That haze is the struggle.' It hit different because I'm always chasing perfect, clear color in my own work, you know? I spend so much on clean batch and get mad at any cloudiness. But she made me think maybe those 'imperfections' from the materials or the process are what give a piece its own fingerprint. Now I'm looking at my own color tests totally differently. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you stopped fighting a material's character and started working with it?

Had to choose between a custom color order or my last chunk of cobalt blue

A client wanted a deep purple vase but I was down to my final 200 grams of cobalt frit. I could either mix a new batch with cheaper amethyst powder or use the good stuff. I went with the cobalt, thinking it would give a richer tone. The piece came out almost black under studio lights, and the client asked if it was supposed to be a 'midnight' vase. I spent 45 minutes explaining color saturation in different light. Anyone have a reliable purple recipe that doesn't eat up your premium blues?

Showerthought: I used to think a glory hole was just for big pieces

I was watching a video from the Corning Museum of Glass where a gaffer was making tiny perfume bottles, and she said she still uses a small glory hole to keep the neck warm while she shapes the stopper. I always saved mine for big gathers, but now I see it's just another heat source for any part that's cooling too fast. Anyone else have a tool they only use for one thing that could do more?

Vent: I used to think a cheap torch was fine for starting out, but a friend's old Nortel changed my mind

For the first year in my garage studio, I ran a basic, no-name torch I got online for about 200 bucks. I figured heat was heat, and the fancy brands were just for pros with money to burn. Then, about three months back, my buddy let me use his old Nortel Red Rocket while mine was getting fixed. The difference wasn't just a little bit. The flame on his was so much steadier and quieter, and I could actually see the color of the glass better in the flame. It felt like I had more control, and I didn't fight the torch to get a clean gather. I'm now saving up for a better one, but it's a big chunk of change. Has anyone else had a tool that seemed like a luxury until you tried it, and was the upgrade worth the cost for you?

Warning: My talk with an old timer at the Portland studio changed how I see color bars

I was at the Portland studio last week and got chatting with a guy named Carl who's been blowing glass since the 70s. He told me he never uses more than three colors in a single piece anymore, saying 'More than that and the eye just gets lost... it's noise, not music.' I've been trying to pack five or six colors into my work for years, thinking it looked complex and skilled. Has anyone else tried limiting their palette and found it actually improved their work?

Serious question, does perfect glass really matter?

My latest piece has visible seeds and it's getting rave reviews. I think character beats perfection every time.

Watching color shift is all the temperature control you need

I gave up on gauges and my work improved. It's that simple.

A tiny adjustment to my torch angle improved my bubble control.

Holding the flame a bit higher let me shape the glass more evenly.

My torch and I have come a long way together

Early on, I was basically fighting my torch every time. Now, we're on good terms, mostly. Finished a project today without any flame drama. It's nice to see some progress after all these years. Who knew not burning myself would be a win?

Rant: The new hire keeps cracking my blowpipes

It's happened three times this week. I'm about to lose my mind over the wasted time and glass.