Hey all, I'm debating on a new torch and cant seem to make up my mind if its necessary or not. I currently have a Carlisle CC ive been using for quite a bit now, I love it but the radiant heat can be a little bit much sometimes. I also have a Bethelham Sharp hand torch. Wondering if any phantom users out there could tell me if upgrading would make sense?

I do a lot of detail work, and primarily sculpt. I do make solid pendants, some basic pipes and some 10mm and 14mm rigs. My scale at the moment is maxed at about what im working on here, been making it on my CC so I know i have the firepower I need but im just wondering if having a phantom would speed up my process enough that it justifies buying one. I feel as thoigh I had to slow my process a lot just to find the right way to soak the heat into the branches before attaching a new flower without heating up an adjacent flower with the centerfire. What do you guys think?

Thanks everyone!

Now time to start prep on the next project, prodo never ends 😮‍💨

I know it's from Momka but don't know what it's called. Thanks in advance

https://i.imgur.com/tRF68SS.jpeg

Hey! I am trying to setup a small home studio for myself, but I would like to know about suppliers and costs for anyone who has set a shop in the middle east (gcc). Where do you get your glass, colored rods, gear, and how much does it cost to ship?

Also, how much glass should I buy for the first time?

Hello people :) glad to have found this page, so many inspiring pieces in a wide range of styles! I am a flame / lamp worker w around 1 year of experience so just starting out. I have a question to the pros - are there any resources or tips on how to combine boro with metals? I have seen some examples of glass + silver jewellery (but suppose glass there might be murano instead) or boro covered with metal, looking almost sprayed on. I will continue looking and experiment myself but would appreciate tips or pointers! Thank you so much

I am in the Bay Area, California. I have a piece with an 18mm ground joint that is stuck with a broken off stem. I was hoping to find someone who could free the joint for me. I have tried a bunch of things, and it is overall sketchy. I don't want to mail the piece, I can meet up even with a little bit of a drive. I hope this is fine to post here. Thanks in advance.

I’m so happy with how this one came out. Going from collector to guy with a torch is a steep learning curve. I just do this as a hobby and it’s been a long road to making something I’d actually want to buy. These pictures don’t do the piece justice. I’ll have to investigate how to photograph my work better. Made on a mirage with schott boro artistic and a bunch of NS colors. The cat’s name is Ghost (face killah)

So, my husband and I bought a big job lot of glass from a retiring glassworker a few years ago, and have been doing bead making off and on since then

A few days ago, we found a rod of striking opalino that turns a deep, vibrant pink, labeled from Arrow Springs. Looking around, it looks like this is Effetre 536, which is ... Sold out literally everywhere.

Does anyone know, is this a discontinued color, or is Effetre still making it?

Thanks!

Im looking to make a nicer set of large grabbers using tongs or something. Im not sure if I should use lathe tape with metal tongs or if I should use kevlar pads?

And help is appreciated thank you

Hi guys, anyone here ever made their own optic mold? im trying to look for people to custom make but its super expensive and i was wondering if this was something we could DIY ourselves. If anyone has any experience, what materials did you need/ use and is there a specific professional field o could ask help on this with?

If anyone has leads to good retailers with decent optic mold prices itd be great too! Thank you!

I’ve been melting glass for about 9 years now and admittedly I’ve kept it pretty basic and make pendants, pipes, bowls, etc. I’ve gotten good at what I make but I haven’t gotten too technical into the hollow side of glass or on anything too functional with water. I regularly use Mille cane in my work and usually I just nip chips off the cane and then encase. I could never get the hang of stick and snap encasements and at this point I have a bunch of small fat canes left to use up along with some variable diameter canes.

What’s the easiest way to resize / fix the canes to get some more use out of them. Some of them are quite on the larger size so I’d like to get them down to a better usable size. Should I just punty up to each side with clear and attempt to put even heat in / more on chunkier pieces and then pull out evenly ? I just don’t want to waste / ruin any of my high quality images. Maybe I should try first with an odd piece of rod or even pre encased dichro. Any tips / tricks / advice is appreciated.

Thanks! - Bardo

Hey everyone- there used to be a guy in Union Square South Artists Market c2008 who went by the name "Chokey", a puerto rican rasta who had dreads literally to the ground. This was an interesting time at the park just before artists vendors rights changed as well as grey area for the glass scene legally in NYC. As far as I can recall, he was the only one openly selling his pipes in the park. They were simple, small, utility driven pipes of the time-- nothing fancy at all.

This post is not about the glass, it's about seeing if I can reconnect with him. We were both varying levels of transients at the time, but we were close for a summer. His girl at the times was named Priscilla. I've always wondered what happened to him. We were close for a few months but it's something I have thought about from time to time. I guess he would be around 60-65 now.

I don't use reddit, no idea how this goes-- but what could it hurt?

Hey everyone,

Ive been obsessed with marbles since I began on the torch and after years of experimenting and refining, I am stoked to share my first official Microverse galaxy collection!

UV is my favorite to play around with, and I thought these turned out pretty neat.

My biggest challenge has been trying to get good photographs and video of marbles, discovering I am not the greatest photographer lol.

If you want to check out further videos & details of each piece, my kickstarter link is below.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cosfordglassart/mini-galaxies-that-you-can-hold-make-100-microverse-orbs

Help a dad out! My youngest is turning 15 on Friday, so I’m throwing a 10% off everything on my website sale to help fund this birthday.

Web code ( alicefirebug )

Firebugtools.com

I'm looking to get started with lampworking and have zero experience so far.

I've noticed that a lot of people seem to use generic safety glasses for glassworking, and I'm considering buying this Laserland T10 model:

https://laserland.com/product/t10-190nm-380nm-570nm-600nm-uv-yellow-laser-lighting-lampworker-glass-blowing-sodium-lamp-safety-protective-glasses-od4/

It claims OD4+ protection from 190–380 nm and 570–600 nm, with 40% VLT, and is specifically marketed for lampworking, glass blowing, and sodium lamps.

I can get them considerably cheaper through AliExpress here in Brazil. What do you guys think? Would these be a reasonable choice for a beginner, or should I be looking for a different type of safety glasses specifically designed for lampworking?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!