Welcome to My Studios

Home on the Road--II

	Since the web page first went up, we have changed the "studio" about 5 times. Here are some of the highlights. This is the latest ventilation system, all have been good, but this allows a bit more work surface, and gives some light, too. (You know never to turn your back on the flame, right?!? What a bad example! :-))
	Notice the bent wire mandrel on top of the industrial hotplate, to keep the rods from rolling off; the round mustard jar filled with frit; the 90 degree elbow attached with sheet metal screws to the bottom of the range hood; and the tall, thin, olive jar of bead release, so that mandrels can be dipped deeply.
	The counter space does double duty, as do the halogen lights from my show's display. A cut-up 2 gallon water container is recycled to diffuse light from the lights. Snips are cut into the plastic to hold the Vermeil cable in place for the image to be captured.
	So....this is the image of the image I took while I was taking an image of the image. Got that? :-) I use both an Olympus D-450 and a Nikon Cool Pix 995, and Paint Shop Pro, to tidy them up.

Home on the Road

	When we went fulltiming in our Carri-lite 5th Wheel, Butchie figured out how to fit the studio inside. First, the sofa came out, then the computer desk and the 40"x40" "studio" went in. The open window was covered with heavy cardboard and the cardboard is covered on both sides with white Contact Paper (to be weather resistant). The "Blue Blower" (a squirel-cage fan), vents directly outside, so fumes are immediately sucked out of the living space. The plywood work surface is covered with an economical, heavy duty, primed, stainless-steel flashing. Purchased on a roll at the building supply store, Butch cut it with a skill saw using a metal cut-off blade, then filed the edges smooth.
	These are my essential tools. The padded armrests were purchased from Ryson Products (1-800-935-5548) for around $50.00. I covered them with thick wool fabric, which is burn resistant. (If it does burn, the scorched fibers just brush away, usually without leaving either a discoloration or a hole.) The tool box kiln, with an absolutely essential controller, is one of Don McKinney's (1 623 934-9903). The oxygen/propane torch is a Lynx is from Torch Technology.
	Under the table is hidden the Oxybox, an industrial oxygen generator from AirSep. It was quite expensive, but worth every penny, and Armand (1 800 235-6185) is a pleasure to deal with. Butch fabricated the pressurized holding tanks for the Oxybox out of two 7-foot lengths of 4" PVC with end caps, tapping the ends with 1/4" pipe threads, and mounted them underneath the 5th wheel. They are out of the way, providing a constant, reliable, source of oxygen for the torch, weighing less than half the weight of the original pressure tank. (So the trailer can carry more glass!) Since the Oxybox needs to have a consistent air supply to cool its motor, an additional fan is located near it. An antique piano stool rests on top of thick, fire-resistant wool carpet, and two fire extinguishers are within easy reach.
	Over on the right, on a small folding table, not visible in the image, inexpensive plastic tackle boxes store and transport stringers and flower canes, sorted by color, flower type, or glass type. To protect the glass rods from rubbing together as the trailer rolls down the road, they are rubber banded tightly together in bundles, by color. Rectangles of fleece fabric are banded around the end of each bundle, so the glass rods do not scratch one another.

The Home Studio

	This used to be my daughter's room, then it was my quilting studio, now the space is devoted to glass. It has a new, safe floor, the fire extinguisher is close at hand, and the veltilation system is ready to go. As you can see, the view is spectacular. Now if I could only get those sunset colors in my glass....
	In the studio at home, I have surplus ceramic tiles on my work surface, a hot plate with a steel plate on it to preheat my glass rods. At the left is my Minor Bench Burner, an oxygen/propane torch. The tanks are safely outside. I have a pad for my elbow, a brick to rest and steady my right hand, and a jar of water to cool my metal tools when they get hot. No time to bake, so I rest my glass rods on loaf pans.
	On the left, ready to take the hot, finished beads, is the annealing kiln made by Don McKinney's. My glasses are ready to wear to protect my eyes. Rows of stainless steel mandrels are ready to go. And in back is the Cadilac of all ventilation systems. Butchie made it for me, out of an abandoned squirrel cage fan and a recycled clothes dryer motor.
	Once Butch found out that the fumes from the torch didn't just smell bad, but could kill my brain cells, he went right to work on the Cadilac. In a matter of days it was finished and installed. If the front door to the house is not tightly closed, this monster can suck it open down a flight of stairs and around two corners!
	These racks hold different colors of Italian Moretti/Effetre Glass. The same type of racks also hold the cookie sheets (3 for $3 at Walmart) with my collections of stringers. Stringers are the narrow strings of glass that are used to make fine details. A peaceful Diane Phalen print graces the room.
	This is the inspiration of some of my beads, the view looking north to Canada, from the studio's balcony. If only I could make beads this beautiful...

Torch Tips and Hot Hints for the Glass Beadmaker

Keep a notebook by your bed to write down ideas from your dreams that you remember after you awaken. Your subconscious is always working. Help it along.

Check the efficiency of your ventilation system! When you are all set up, but before you melt ANY glass, set fire to the end of a wooden popcicle stick. Then, blow it out, and watch where the smoke goes. If you cannot smell smoke, and you see the system suck it out of your living area, you're safe. If not, rethink your set up.

If you use a range hood for your ventilation system, consider attaching a 5 or 6 inch 90 degree elbow to the back of the hood. Aim your torch for the opening, and increase the efficiency of your system.

Have your work space in a "v" shape so that both of your elbows can be on the table.

Have padding under each elbow so that the nerves in them are protected. Quilter's cotton batting is pretty flame safe, and can be tossed out when it gets ratty.

Have two tweezers, one on the left side, and one on the right side, of your torch, so you won't have to reach across the flame.

Have two water containers, one on the left side, and one on the right side, of your torch, so you won't have to reach across the flame to cool your tools or drop in hot scraps of glass.

Have a clock in your work space. Time each bead's making to give yourself an idea of the time expended.

Use an electrical power bar to turn all of your electrical equipment on and off at the same time, so you won't forget and leave something on (but NOT the kiln)!

Put your frit in canning jar lids. The small lip helps hold it in, but is not so deep as to get in the way of your mandrel. Put them on a tile, so that you can get your fingers underneath easily.

Store and use your frit in round mustard jars. If you wind your bead on the end of the mandrel, you can easily roll the bead in the frit while it's still in the jar. It's the right shape, you can see what's happening, and the gormet mustard is very good, too.

A great way to keep your mandrels from bumping one another as they dry, is to hammer (with a block of wood underneath) 1/8" holes into the lid of a metal tin. A grid about 3/4 of an inch apart works very well. Fill the tin with salt or sand, then securely tape it closed. The salt allows you to put any sized mandrel (up to 1/8") in the hole and they will stay upright. (Plus you get to eat the chocolate that comes in the tin.)

A wonderful Moretti purple recipe: 1 part cobalt transparent, 4 parts dark purple transparent. Melt and mix. Case over white. Gorgeous! And just the shade of today's popular purple.