Glass blowing kit
December 15, 2008 7:45 PM Subscribe
Where can I buy a glass blowing kit in either Boston or Toronto? I am looking for something that would allow a beginner to get started right away. Has to be a brick-and-mortar store; this is a short-notice gift, and online orders would take too long to arrive.
Best answer: Contact Fantasy in Glass in Toronto (416-252-6868 / 1-800-841-5758) fig@fantasyinglass.com). I don't think they sell glass-blowing equipment. They specialize in stained glass, glass-fusing and I think they might have things for beadwork. However, I bet they would know where you might get glass-blowing equipment. They're very friendly and helpful.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:16 PM on December 15, 2008
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:16 PM on December 15, 2008
Oh, and in Boston (ok in Rockland MA), you might contact Whittemore-Durgin. Again, stained glass/fusing/beads, but they might know where to get blowing equipment. It's a funny sort of place with a lot of character, but the people there would also know what they're talking about.
Both places (Fantasy in glass and Whittemore-Durgin) would have annealing kilns in stock, including small ones. At Fantasy in Glass you can rent small (very small) kilns for quite cheap ($5/day as of a couple of years ago, if I recall correctly.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:20 PM on December 15, 2008
Both places (Fantasy in glass and Whittemore-Durgin) would have annealing kilns in stock, including small ones. At Fantasy in Glass you can rent small (very small) kilns for quite cheap ($5/day as of a couple of years ago, if I recall correctly.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:20 PM on December 15, 2008
Response by poster: Glass *blowing* kit? I doubt such a thing exists.
Google disagrees. I'm not looking for a pro setup here, just something for a beginner to play around with.
posted by Krrrlson at 8:34 PM on December 15, 2008
Google disagrees. I'm not looking for a pro setup here, just something for a beginner to play around with.
posted by Krrrlson at 8:34 PM on December 15, 2008
I could be doing something wrong, but Google didn't turn up anything for me that looked like a quick, beginner oriented plaything. My experience with working with glass tells me that its unlikely to be something that can arrive at home in a box like a home beer brewing kit. But hey - I'd be happy to be proven wrong... it'd be cool to blow glass in my kitchen on the weekends if I can.
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:49 PM on December 15, 2008
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:49 PM on December 15, 2008
Best answer: I think there's a terminology issue here. The glassbowing kits I'm seeing as Google results are what I would term lampworking kits. When I think glassblowing, I think of the large dedicated furnaces that Sublimity describes above. Those are not something beginners can set up. This is why you never meet a beginning glassblower who has her own studio, unless she inherited it. Those furnaces cost a LOT to keep hot, and you've got to be either independently wealthy or an extremely successful glassblower to make that happen.
Frankly, I think a one-day workshop would be a cooler gift, unless your gift recipient is really into making beads or other tiny things. If you're married to the idea of specialized equipment, try this site for Boston or this site for Toronto. Blowing glass in a real glass studio is one of the most fun things I've ever done, though, and I think the workshop is an excellent idea. Maybe you could get a gift certificate for a workshop, and also a blowpipe so your gift recipient doesn't have to use one from the studio?
posted by crinklebat at 8:52 PM on December 15, 2008
Frankly, I think a one-day workshop would be a cooler gift, unless your gift recipient is really into making beads or other tiny things. If you're married to the idea of specialized equipment, try this site for Boston or this site for Toronto. Blowing glass in a real glass studio is one of the most fun things I've ever done, though, and I think the workshop is an excellent idea. Maybe you could get a gift certificate for a workshop, and also a blowpipe so your gift recipient doesn't have to use one from the studio?
posted by crinklebat at 8:52 PM on December 15, 2008
Just did this with my four year old, (making an ornament) and it was really a spectacular thing to do!
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 9:11 PM on December 15, 2008
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 9:11 PM on December 15, 2008
The results I get for "glass blowing kit" on google discuss "kits". But, I don't see any results that imply that you can buy an actual pre-packaged kit. It's more like the sort of "kit" that I have for flying RC helicopters--a zillion little doohickeys that I bought individually, and that all go in one bag. It's my "RC kit", even though I bought nothing labeled that. I know people with a "fishing kit" that they've been building for fifty years.
Furthermore, this kit does not allow somebody to blow glass at home. You're still lacking the heat source. Nothing you could keep in your house could possibly provide the consistent, even, and high temperature necessary. The only person I know with his own glassblowing studio a) is the heir to a major auto-parts company, and b) keeps the furnace in an outbuilding on his property.
If you're working with an acetylene torch instead of a furnace (as some "glass blowing kits" on google state), this is not glassblowing. I guess that it'slampwork, as crinklebat says--I have no idea, though, as I'd never heard of this before today.
So, I'd say you should get your recipient a blowpipe (since who wants to share a mouthpiece?), and a membership at a local glass studio where he could go to work.
posted by Netzapper at 9:57 PM on December 15, 2008
Furthermore, this kit does not allow somebody to blow glass at home. You're still lacking the heat source. Nothing you could keep in your house could possibly provide the consistent, even, and high temperature necessary. The only person I know with his own glassblowing studio a) is the heir to a major auto-parts company, and b) keeps the furnace in an outbuilding on his property.
If you're working with an acetylene torch instead of a furnace (as some "glass blowing kits" on google state), this is not glassblowing. I guess that it'slampwork, as crinklebat says--I have no idea, though, as I'd never heard of this before today.
So, I'd say you should get your recipient a blowpipe (since who wants to share a mouthpiece?), and a membership at a local glass studio where he could go to work.
posted by Netzapper at 9:57 PM on December 15, 2008
I don't know of any DIY glass blowing kits, but I can personally recommend Diablo Glass School in Boston. They offer a wide range of glass classes, including glass blowing. I took my girlfriend to a fused glass class (not really blowing glass, more like melting flat pieces of glass together). She thought it was a great gift, and the staff were all very friendly, but I guess I can't comment on the actual glass blowing experience...
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 11:49 PM on December 15, 2008
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 11:49 PM on December 15, 2008
The other reason you don't want a home glass blowing kit is there are some dangers. Proper technique, fire protection and ventilation mitigate your risks. You really want to have someone teach this is a safe, established studio.
posted by 26.2 at 12:02 AM on December 16, 2008
posted by 26.2 at 12:02 AM on December 16, 2008
Best answer: Google tells you that there are things out there that people are calling glass blowing kits for beginners, but what google isn´t telling you is that what is more properly termed lampworking is frequently referred to as ¨glassblowing¨ by people who don´t know any better, or by people who want to sell their lampworking kits on ebay and choose to use a popular search term in the title.
Lampworking is the process of shaping glass in an open flame, and a beginner can make small items such a beads without too much trouble. A beginner kit will generally have a torch that attaches to a propane or mapp gas bottle, which will make things go much more slowly than with a nicer torch, and will probably lack an annealing kiln. Lampworking is a fairly accesible way to get started in working with hot glass.
You can probably find a beginner bead making kit if you call around to stained glass supply shops in the area. Be sure to include proper protective eyewear, for protection against harmful wavelengths of light as well as flying glass shards. You might need to buy some small gas cylinders at a hardware store to go with the kit.
posted by yohko at 5:05 PM on December 16, 2008
Lampworking is the process of shaping glass in an open flame, and a beginner can make small items such a beads without too much trouble. A beginner kit will generally have a torch that attaches to a propane or mapp gas bottle, which will make things go much more slowly than with a nicer torch, and will probably lack an annealing kiln. Lampworking is a fairly accesible way to get started in working with hot glass.
You can probably find a beginner bead making kit if you call around to stained glass supply shops in the area. Be sure to include proper protective eyewear, for protection against harmful wavelengths of light as well as flying glass shards. You might need to buy some small gas cylinders at a hardware store to go with the kit.
posted by yohko at 5:05 PM on December 16, 2008
Lampworking kits for sale online from Arrow Springs, this is the sort of thing I´m talking about. If the OP or anyone else decides to order a gift from them, I´d recommend calling rather than trying to figure out what bits you need off their web page, as these are not quite ¨all in one´ kits.
blaneyphoto, you could do this in your kitchen if you have a vent fan that exhausts outdoors, but you will get little bits of glass all over the place.
posted by yohko at 5:16 PM on December 16, 2008
blaneyphoto, you could do this in your kitchen if you have a vent fan that exhausts outdoors, but you will get little bits of glass all over the place.
posted by yohko at 5:16 PM on December 16, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
Probably a better bet would be to see if there's a studio near your gift recipient that offers one-day workshops or blow-your-own-Christmas-ornament experience. Viscosity glass in Seattle (http://www.viscosityglass.com/) does this sort of thing and I'll bet shops in other places do too.
posted by Sublimity at 8:15 PM on December 15, 2008 [1 favorite]