Every couple of months we get this question. Here's our latest reply:
While some books are very good about telling you how to blow glass, and while you probably could eventually learn the craft by reading and experimenting on your own, you'll shorten the learning curve considerably (and save LOTS of money) by taking a class from someone who's been blowing glass for quite a while.
If you're good at scrounging used materials and already have metal-working tools (welder, drill press, grinders, etc.) you could probably build the basic furnace shown in Frank Kulasiewicz book "GLASSBLOWING" and put together a basic set of tools for a couple thousand dollars or so. Then the real costs begin...
We have friends who have small pot furnaces that cost $1000 a month in gas just to keep them running. And you also have the cost of buying glass batch or cullet so you can have something to blow.
Until you have at least some glassblowing skills, it's probably a better use of your money to take a class and then rent blowing time from an established glassblowing studio. Maybe you can find a hotshop that will let you clean pipes, or wash cullet in exchange for letting you watch and learn. They might even be willing to trade lessons or blowing time for your labors.
We do recommend Kulasiewicz's book (as well as Ed Schmid's BEGINNING GLASSBLOWING), but think you should seriously consider taking a class... Or at least talking to a working glassblower about what is really involved in building and maintaining your own furnace.
Good luck!
John R. Cumbow (jjjroy)
www.FledglingStudio.com
Out-of-print and hard-to-find books and
information for glass artists and collectors
Friday, January 12, 2007
Monday, September 04, 2006
Do you want to learn How to Blow Glass?
Where can I go to learn How to Blow Glass?
We get asked that question a lot. And we try to answer each inquiry individually. But in order to provide you with more information, and to save us some time, here's our answer:
So you want to learn how to blow glass...
First off, do you want to do the kind of glassblowing where you use a blowpipe and dip molten glass out of a furnace?
Or do you want to blow glass using a gas-fired torch to create artwork out of glass rods and glass tubing?
Both types of glasswork are often called glassblowing, but they're very different as far as the materials, tools, and techniques involved.
Typically, 'furnace' glass blowing is known as 'off-hand' glass blowing. It takes a lot of equipment (and money) to blow glass that way. But, of course, you don't have to go out and buy an entire hot shop just to learn how to do it.
Glass blowing with a torch and glass tubing is often called 'Lampwork', or 'Scientific glassblowing'. It costs considerably less to set up and run a lampwork studio, but, again, you don't have to rush out and buy everything just to learn the craft.
These days, there are lots of places the aspiring glassblower can go to learn the necessary skills.
The first stop should be your local Yellow Pages.
Yep, the phone book.
Look under 'glassblowing' or 'art glass' or just 'glass'. You may find a local glassblower who is willing to teach you the art. Or, if you live in or near a larger city, you might find a public facility where they teach glass blowing classes.
If there are Arts and Crafts fairs near you, go there and look for glassblowers displaying their glass creations. If they don't offer classes themselves, they can probably recommend someone who does.
Likewise, look for art galleries that show blown glass. Ask them if they can refer you to one of their glass artists for more information about learning the art.
Many larger cities around the U.S (and the World) have public glass blowing (and teaching) facilities, including Seattle, WA; Eugene, Or; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; New Orleans, LA; New York City; Philadelphia, PA; and, no doubt, at least a dozen other places around the country.
And, if you're across the water, there are a number of glass blowing schools located around the world, including Japan, Scotland, and Turkey to name a few.
At www.FledglingStudio.com, you'll find several of these learning facilities (and a few more of the big names like Pilchuck, Penland, and the Studio at Corning) on our Glass Links page, along with links to their websites. There's also a link to the Glass Art Society (GAS). Their members include glass artists, suppliers, galleries, teachers, and glass schools. They can probably refer you to someone not too far away.
And don't forget to search the WEB to find even more opportunities to learn glass blowing.
That's how you found us, isn't it?
The final option for learning how to blow glass is to teach yourself. While we don't really recommend this route, it may be the cheapest (and undoubtedly the slowest) way to figure it all out.
Start out by getting some books on glassblowing (check your library first), and then go from there. You really need to read about it before you jump in and try it anyway, so you won't lose a thing by spending some money on a few good books.
You'll find our favorite glass blowing books listed in our Glass Library. Go to the Glassblowing shelf for furnace blowing books. And go to the Lampworking shelf for torch blowing books.
Have fun! And Good Luck!
John R. Cumbow
www.FledglingStudio.com
Out-of-print and hard-to-find books and
information for glass artists and collectors
p.s. If you haven't picked up a copy of our "Starving Artist's Guide to Glass Blowing", you might want to get one soon. People keep telling us that we're selling it way too cheap (it's only $9.97), and we just may decide to raise the price soon. Check it out.
We get asked that question a lot. And we try to answer each inquiry individually. But in order to provide you with more information, and to save us some time, here's our answer:
So you want to learn how to blow glass...
First off, do you want to do the kind of glassblowing where you use a blowpipe and dip molten glass out of a furnace?
Or do you want to blow glass using a gas-fired torch to create artwork out of glass rods and glass tubing?
Both types of glasswork are often called glassblowing, but they're very different as far as the materials, tools, and techniques involved.
Typically, 'furnace' glass blowing is known as 'off-hand' glass blowing. It takes a lot of equipment (and money) to blow glass that way. But, of course, you don't have to go out and buy an entire hot shop just to learn how to do it.
Glass blowing with a torch and glass tubing is often called 'Lampwork', or 'Scientific glassblowing'. It costs considerably less to set up and run a lampwork studio, but, again, you don't have to rush out and buy everything just to learn the craft.
These days, there are lots of places the aspiring glassblower can go to learn the necessary skills.
The first stop should be your local Yellow Pages.
Yep, the phone book.
Look under 'glassblowing' or 'art glass' or just 'glass'. You may find a local glassblower who is willing to teach you the art. Or, if you live in or near a larger city, you might find a public facility where they teach glass blowing classes.
If there are Arts and Crafts fairs near you, go there and look for glassblowers displaying their glass creations. If they don't offer classes themselves, they can probably recommend someone who does.
Likewise, look for art galleries that show blown glass. Ask them if they can refer you to one of their glass artists for more information about learning the art.
Many larger cities around the U.S (and the World) have public glass blowing (and teaching) facilities, including Seattle, WA; Eugene, Or; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; New Orleans, LA; New York City; Philadelphia, PA; and, no doubt, at least a dozen other places around the country.
And, if you're across the water, there are a number of glass blowing schools located around the world, including Japan, Scotland, and Turkey to name a few.
At www.FledglingStudio.com, you'll find several of these learning facilities (and a few more of the big names like Pilchuck, Penland, and the Studio at Corning) on our Glass Links page, along with links to their websites. There's also a link to the Glass Art Society (GAS). Their members include glass artists, suppliers, galleries, teachers, and glass schools. They can probably refer you to someone not too far away.
And don't forget to search the WEB to find even more opportunities to learn glass blowing.
That's how you found us, isn't it?
The final option for learning how to blow glass is to teach yourself. While we don't really recommend this route, it may be the cheapest (and undoubtedly the slowest) way to figure it all out.
Start out by getting some books on glassblowing (check your library first), and then go from there. You really need to read about it before you jump in and try it anyway, so you won't lose a thing by spending some money on a few good books.
You'll find our favorite glass blowing books listed in our Glass Library. Go to the Glassblowing shelf for furnace blowing books. And go to the Lampworking shelf for torch blowing books.
Have fun! And Good Luck!
John R. Cumbow
www.FledglingStudio.com
Out-of-print and hard-to-find books and
information for glass artists and collectors
p.s. If you haven't picked up a copy of our "Starving Artist's Guide to Glass Blowing", you might want to get one soon. People keep telling us that we're selling it way too cheap (it's only $9.97), and we just may decide to raise the price soon. Check it out.
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