done with first class

[John Richer]

now im hooked, took me so long to get the first class, now it looks like ive got to build some equipment, have already talked with tom ash for a burner, can anybody point me in the right direction of wireing made simple, that seems to be my only fault, guess i should have listened to my dad more, I need to build a small furnace and annealer, constuction isnt going to be dificult, just the wiring concepts, any help is much appreciated

[Jordan Kube]

Easy there..... Take a few more classes, get to know the equipment. Hang out at someone's shop for a little while. That stuff isn't going to do you any good if you don't know how to use it.

[Hugh Jenkins]

John, Truly, truly, truly, listen. Do not build your own equipment yet. Unless you are unemployed and financially endowed, you will spend a ton of money, not have enough time, and only have yourself to learn from. Take more classes or work in a community shop where there is good interchange. Chico has plenty of glass activity.

The archives here have lots of information. Do a search rather than ask for blanket information. Read a book on electric basics. Get Henry's "Glass Notes". Prove you are an independent learner.

[David Patchen]

This serves as your official warning.

Save yourself a ton of time and money and find a local studio to either *do anything* to assist and/or rent time. It will likely take you a year of blowing glass before you can make something someone might buy.

Get both of Ed Schmid's books. You have no idea how little you know until you read them.

There's lots of fun to be had in glass, but be very careful lest you lose your shirt and the contents of your wallet.

[John Richer]

thanks for your input, your right chico does have alot of glass but no open venues, the nearest rental is 4 hrs from me.Ive been hanging out in a couple studios here but just observing. I haul cars from the bay area to miami, so my off time is not exactly known to far in advance.lokks like i can spend some time reading thanks

[Brian Gingras]

even at 4 hrs away, take more classes!!!!

Then, get into one of those local shops, help in exchange for learning more...I do this with one person here. He assists 4 hours a week, he get a couple hours to work on his own work now when we are slow, or he becomes integral into production during busier times...it's a great symbiotic relationship.

Your not going to do yourself any favors by jumping into building things with so little experience, not to mention the cost to operate everything, let's not even go down the road of building and installing it all legally.

[Allan Gott]

There's shops in Florida too man. Find some rental time for your layover.

As suggested above, our addiction can be a great way to make a small fortune.....out of a big one.

[Glenn Randle]

All that is good advice.

I would also point out that building & running a very small setup can be done on a small budget. Many folks here prove that a furnace can be operated for about $1 per lb of furnace capacity per month, or slightly more. I've heard the electric furnace folks say a 300 lb furnace costs around $300-$350 per mo, and the 100 lb furnaces are running a bit over $100 per mo. Of course it depends on the kilowatt price. Plus there's additional cost for firing up the glory & ovens, etc.

Another point is (unless severly glass-addicted) you can run the studio for a while, and then turn it off for a while.

As has been pointed out though, you'll definitely need more skills than you can possibly learn from one short class. So even if you choose to construct a studio, you will not be satisfied with your skill level and the "beginner crap" that you will be making for very long. Then you'll be forced to go "somewhere" to learn anyway....

The good thing about getting the skills first is you'll save a ton of work, money, & grief if you happen to discover that you don't "really" like glassblowing as much as you "thought" you did. The romance & thrill only lasts as long as it's "fun". When it becomes a "job" the fun may soon vanish.

When folks I meet say "It must be great doing something you enjoy for a job." I remind them that sex is wonderful too, until it becomes a "job". That really puts things into perspective.


Don't become discouraged about what we are saying. Just be sure your eyes are open about pressures of building & running a hot shop.

peace,
Glenn

[Steve Stadelman]

Steve and Terri O'Day said it best to me years ago when they compared having a studio to having dairy cattle.

I have several customers in Chico and I know of one that I am pretty sure rents out time, I will contact him discreetly on your behaf.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Originally posted by Steve Stadelman
Steve and Terri O'Day said it best to me years ago when they compared having a studio to having dairy cattle.



I am slowly working on this one... In all the time I knew steve and Terri in Santa Fe, I never saw either one milk anything. So, I'm working on this one... Maybe it has to do with teaching at the Collegiate level.

On the tools. The trouble with making your own stuff right away is that your needs are going to totally change as you develop. I suggest that you work on developing a notion of where you want to go in glass. Becoming slave labor in a studio is a good in. Watching is seriously underrated.

[Brian Gingras]

Originally posted by Pete VanderLaan
Watching is seriously underrated.

three things I say repeatedly in a class:

"keep turning"
"heat that up"
"watch what he/she is doing and learn from it"

who was it that always said "learn with the eyes"?

[Kenny Pieper]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Glenn Randle
[B]All that is good advice.

Many folks here prove that a furnace can be operated for about $1 per lb of furnace capacity per month, or slightly more.


Wow when I think about this it seems that by the time I figure how much clear I go through (around #1000 per month) and the color I melt (around #160 per month) I am running about twice that. But this also includes running the gloryhole, garage, and torches. I have a good propane price too. Around $150 per gal.

I have often wondered what I would find if I kept track of the weight of glass I melted in a year and weighed the glass going out the door where the % would be. I know that the buckets going to the dump each week are pretty heavy.

[Jordan Kube]

I bet it would be somewhere around ten percent. Depending on what you're making that week of course.

[Steve Stadelman]

John, I have one for sure rental 20 minutes from Chico and another probable for you, send me an e-mail.

[Allan Gott]

Originally posted by Steve Stadelman
Steve and Terri O'Day said it best to me years ago when they compared having a studio to having dairy cattle.

I'll take a stab at it.

"If you want milk you still have to shovel shit"

[Hugh Jenkins]

It's more like "You gotta feed 'em, and you gotta milk 'em, whether you feel like it or not." Been there. It is actually easier to ignore a glass furnace.

[Randy Kaltenbach]

John Richer, as you do your reading, consider picking up Ed Schmid's "The Glassworker's Bathroom Reader". On pages 40-43 you'll find the 122+ steps to build a hot shop. A good read when your mind can't take anymore details about how much pressure your gas lines must carry, etc. :D

[Pete VanderLaan]

Originally posted by Allan Gott
I'll take a stab at it.

"If you want milk you still have to shovel shit"
***************

I like that. I have always thought that it was more like having a perpetual two year old.

[Paul Thompson]

Originally posted by Kenny Pieper {snipsnip}

I have often wondered what I would find if I kept track of the weight of glass I melted in a year and weighed the glass going out the door where the % would be. I know that the buckets going to the dump each week are pretty heavy. {snipsnip}Hire an book-keeper from the CMOG shop. Rumor has it they account for everything to the molecule.

[Barb Sanderson]

Originally posted by Pete VanderLaan
***************

having a perpetual two year old.

like having a parrot in your household!

Barb