c/glassblowers

I was taught to always keep the glory hole at 2200 degrees, but a workshop in Flagstaff showed me that's wrong.

For years, I worked with that high heat, thinking it gave me more control. Then I saw a demo by a guy named Carl who kept his at 2050. My pieces stopped cracking at the punty mark. Has anyone else found a lower temp works better for certain colors?

Bought a cheap 'heat shield' glove online and it melted in five minutes

I saw this thing on a website for like $15, and it looked like a good deal for handling hot punties. Tried it on a simple gather from the furnace, and the whole palm area just turned to goo. Had to drop the piece and start over. Has anyone found a decent pair that won't fall apart without costing a fortune?

Showerthought: The glass in my local library's windows is older than the building itself

I was reading an old town history book and found out the stained glass panels in our library were salvaged from a church that burned down in 1923. The library wasn't built until 1955, so the glass sat in storage for over thirty years. Has anyone else run into a piece with a hidden history like that?

I heard a gallery owner say 'the market is flooded with generic marbles'

It made me realize I need to focus more on unique color combos and forms, maybe it's just me but has anyone else shifted their focus lately?

A veteran blower told me my punty was too thick and it clicked

I was working on a set of small tumblers at the studio, trying to get the stems nice and even. An older guy who's been blowing for like 30 years watched me for a minute and then just said, 'Kid, your punty is a log. You're fighting the heat.' I was using a punty that was almost as thick as my thumb! He explained that a thinner punty, maybe pencil-width, holds less heat mass so it cools the piece less when you attach it. This lets you work the piece hotter and longer at the glory hole without shocking it. I switched to pulling my punties way thinner the next day, and wow, what a difference. My stems got way smoother because I wasn't rushing to finish before the piece cooled down. Has anyone else had a simple tool tweak make their work flow so much better?

The whole 'cold seal' versus 'hot seal' debate for attaching punties has me thinking

For my first five years in the studio, I was taught to heat the punty tip red hot and then press it onto the piece. My old mentor in Portland swore by it, saying it gave a stronger bond. But about two years ago, I watched a demo where the artist just warmed the punty and the piece to a dull orange and gently tacked them together. I tried it on a series of small perfume bottles and the difference was huge. The cold seal method left way less stress marks and the piece popped off cleaner every single time. I still go hot for big heavy stuff over 10 pounds, but for 90% of my work now, I'm team cold seal. It just feels more controlled. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed fewer cracks at the seal point?

Cleaned out the shop and counted over 200 broken blowpipes

I was clearing space and stacked all the bent or cracked ones in a corner, and the pile just kept growing. It hit me that each one probably represents a piece I messed up or a technique I was trying to learn, going back about fifteen years. What's your usual count before you finally scrap a pipe?

Shoutout to the Corning Museum for their online archive, I had no idea they had over 50,000 glass objects cataloged.

I was looking for historical color formulas and stumbled on it, the sheer volume of pieces is wild. Has anyone else found a specific resource there that really helped their work?

Back in the day, we were taught to always pre-heat the glory hole for a solid 15 minutes before starting a piece.

I was rushing a simple tumbler order in my old Seattle studio and tried going in after just 5 minutes, which actually gave me a much more even, slower heat for the initial reheat and stopped that annoying chill-shiver cracking I used to get.

Watching a demo at the Corning Museum totally flipped my view on using color

I was at the Corning Museum last month for their live glassblowing demo, and the artist was working with a simple cobalt blue rod. He kept the furnace at 2150 degrees, which I always thought was too hot for color work because it can burn out. But he explained that with cobalt, the higher heat actually makes the blue richer if you move fast and keep the piece turning. He pulled a vase shape in maybe three minutes total, and the color was this deep, even blue I've never gotten in my own shop. I've been keeping my furnace at 2050 for years thinking I was being careful, but it was just making my colors muddy. Now I've been trying his method on my own pieces, and it's a night and day difference. Has anyone else had a specific temp tip for a certain color that went against what you usually do?

Serious question, I was at a demo in Asheville and saw someone use a wet newspaper pad to shape a bowl.

They just dipped folded newspaper in a bucket of water and used it like a wooden block. I tried it back home and it actually gave me a smoother curve on my last piece. Do you think this is a good habit to get into or will it mess with the glass over time?

Had to choose between a $3000 glory hole upgrade or a new annealer for my shop in Tacoma. Went with the glory hole and now I'm second guessing it.

I was working on a small vase in my garage and the punty rod snapped clean off

It was around 2 PM yesterday, and I was trying to shape the neck when I heard a sharp crack. The whole piece dropped and started rolling toward the edge of my marver. I just grabbed it with my jacks before it hit the floor, but it was still way too hot to hold onto the glass itself. I had to quickly reheat the base and attach a new punty, which took about ten minutes of careful heating to not crack it. Has anyone else had a punty fail like that, and what brand do you trust now?

Three years ago in my garage studio, I tried to make a tiny glass cactus for a friend and ended up with a green blob that looked exactly like a pickle.

PSA: I just found out glassblowing was a Roman party trick

I was reading this old book about ancient tech at the library, and it said the Romans used to make glass game pieces for a board game called 'Ludus Latrunculorum'. They'd blow tiny, detailed pieces as a show of skill at banquets. I always pictured it as a serious craft, not something you'd do to impress your friends over wine. Has anyone tried making replicas of historical stuff like that?

Tried using a cheap 9mm graphite paddle from the hardware store versus a proper marver from a glass shop.

The hardware store paddle left black marks and grit in the glass, but the real marver gives a clean, smooth surface every time, so what's your go-to for shaping off-hand?

Warning: I found a weird way to stop my punty from sticking to the piece.

I was working on a small vase last week and my punty kept sticking so hard it was cracking the neck when I tried to break it off. I remembered my old teacher in Toledo saying to try a tiny bit of saliva on the punty tip before you attach it (sounds gross, I know). I tried it and the piece popped right off clean after the final reheat. Has anyone else used this trick, or is there a better way to get a clean break?

Vent: Saw a glassblower at the state fair charging $15 for a basic marble and calling it 'art glass'

I was at the Ohio State Fair last weekend and watched a guy at a booth making what looked like a simple, clear marble with a tiny bit of color. He was selling it for fifteen bucks and telling people it was 'fine art glass'. It felt a bit off to me, like it was just a quick souvenir. What do you think makes something 'art glass' versus just a basic piece?

Question about annealing thick boro marbles

I always thought a 12-hour cycle in my Paragon was enough, but a cracked piece from last week proved me wrong. Has anyone else found they need longer for pieces over two inches?

My old graphite paddle vs. the new steel one I got in Seattle

I used the graphite one for years, but the steel paddle's heat retention for shaping is a total game changer. Anyone have a strong preference for one over the other?

Hot take: I see a lot of folks rushing the initial gather on a new furnace run

I've watched a few people at the studio this month try to get a gather in under 30 seconds from a fresh pot of color. The glass is way too hot and soupy, so it doesn't stick right to the pipe and you get a weak, uneven base. I learned this the hard way after three failed attempts at a simple tumbler. You need to let that new batch settle for a good minute, maybe two, before you even think about dipping in. It makes the whole piece more stable from the start. Has anyone else found a specific wait time that works best for their setup?

Had to choose between a cheap oxygen concentrator or renting a tank for a big piece

Went with the rental for a 10-day project and it held pressure perfectly, while my buddy's concentrator crapped out halfway. Anyone have a reliable concentrator brand they'd actually trust for a major pull?

Had to pick between a new glory hole or a better annealing oven

My old annealing oven from 2015 finally gave out last week, and my backup glory hole is on its last legs. I had about $4,500 saved for shop upgrades and had to choose which one to fix first. I went with the new oven because I had a big batch of goblets that needed to be finished for an order. It was the right call for the deadline, but now my work is slower without a reliable second heat source. Has anyone else had to make a tough call like this with their gear budget?

The whole 'hot glass looks cold' thing is a safety trap I see new helpers fall for

I watched a guy at the studio grab a piece off the marver because it looked black and cool. It was over 400 degrees and left a bad burn. Some say you should just watch the color change, others swear by the back of your hand test from six inches away. Which method do you actually trust in a busy shop to stop that split-second mistake?

Vent: My studio's propane bill hit $800 last month and I'm rethinking everything

I've been running a small hot shop for 3 years, and I just assumed the cost was what it was. Seeing that specific number on the bill made me realize how inefficient my old glory hole setup probably is. What's the biggest single change you've made to cut your fuel costs?