Get Off To A Great Start Blowing Glass With Our Beginner’s Guide

Blowing glass can be a rewarding pastime or even a lucrative home-businesses. Our beginner’s guide will tell you which supplies you’re going to need.

19:46 18 November 2020

Blowing Glass At Home – A Beginner’s Guide

 

Now that many of us are actively trying to suss out creative ways to create an income stream that can be generated from working from home, making things by hand – the world of the artisan – is living a resurgence. And to those not quite into the conventional, blowing glass can be a great alternative for those looking to start a home-based business.

 

Important to know about the setting up of a glass-blowing studio at home is that even the most basic of glassblowing or lampworking setups have the potential of turning quite costly – especially when building a home-studio from scratch. We have for this reason created a basic list of the tools you will need to get you started blowing glass effectively and safely from home.

 

Glass Rods

 

Having the right glass for any project will require of you to invest in several glass rods of a variety of sizes and colours. Keeping in mind that the quality of the material always determines the quality of the finished product, our best advice regarding glass rods would be to buy only high-quality and preferably hand-made glass rods.

 

Glass rods are typically available to be purchased in bundles. Most bundles and products available online contain an assortment of colours and sizes (in thickness as well as length).

 

Mandrels For Making Beads

 

A glassblower offering to the market a decent variety of products will hardly be able to get away from having to make glass beads at some stage or another. For this reason, mandrels are an indispensable part of any glass blower’s home-studio.

 

Hot glass is wrapped around mandrels for the formation of holes when making thread-able beads. Mandrels too, can be purchased online, and come in a variety of different sizes.

 

Bead Release

 

Staying on the topic of beads and mandrels – bead release is the liquid used to dip mandrels into so as to prevent beads from sticking. As such, beadmaking bead release agents allow you to re-use mandrels instead of having to discard them after every string of beads made.

 

Marving Plates

 

Usually fashioned out of a type of metal such as a high-quality graphite, marving plates are used to help smooth out shapes and create an even finishing. While still in the process of cooling down, glass is rolled across the surface of the marving plate for the purpose of smoothing down lumps and bumps and protrusions.

 

Picks And Rakes

 

The glassworker will make use of a rake when needing a metal rod with a bent end, and a pick for creating patterns and shapes requiring a straight tip. Both are used to manipulate hot glass for creating different types of swirls, patterns, shapes, and special effects.

 

The Lampworking Torch

 

A high-quality lampworking torch fueled by propane/oxygen is probably the most important tool in any home-based glassblowing setup. The lampworking torch is used to melt glass outside of the furnace. This tool can get as hot as the games at an online casino Sri Lanka, so caution is advised.

 

The Fiber Cooling Blanket

 

Fiber blankets are used to cool finished beads and other smaller shapes and projects. Most ceramic fiber blankets can withstand temperatures up to 2,300°F. They can either be used as independent cooling surfaces or as additional insulation when added to kilns and furnaces.