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SuppliersThese are some suppliers of glassblowing equipment I use all the time and would recommend to anyone. |
Northern Heat Protective ProductsQuite a while ago I replace my folded newsprint shaping pad with a Gott Hand Shaping Pad, and have never been happier. The wetted newsprint used to smoke and flake carbonized newsprint all over everything. I had trouble sleeping after a studio session because of the smoke particles in my sinuses. Since converting to the Gott Hand Shaping Pad, those problems disappeared. In addition, the inner cotton pad holds moisture better than paper, providing superior hand protection from the heat.When I build the Tin Shack Studio, I wanted a better interior base for my annealer than dusty old bricks. I installed a hexagonal kiln shelf on clay supports, and topped it with the Gott Kiln Shelf Liner. This graphite sheet not only keeps dust off the bottoms of my work, but also prevents sticking. My furnace is a top-gather electric unit. When charging the furnace with batch, the arm holding the scoop would get rather scorched - until I started wearing a Gott CoolSleeve and Glove. Now I don't even notice the heat. The CoolSleeve is also great forearm protection when working the lip of a large blown vessel. Instead of an assistant with paddles (which can block your view), the CoolSleeve offers comfort and mobility - a perfect combination. Gott products can be purchased from many glassblowing suppliers. The company website is at northernheat |
Mark Lauckner - Furnace DesignsMark Lauckner of Mayne Island Glass is a superior designer of electric furnaces and kilns as well as a fellow glassblower. Mark sells excellent 'how to' videos for the aspiring studio owner. |
ColourFusionSylvie Jensen of ColourFusion is a supplier of glass color (bar, powder and frit) as well as some tools. Sylvie is based in Canada, so her prices are excellent and the selection very good. |
Spruce Pine BatchWhen I first started building my electric furnace for the Tin Shack Studio, all my research suggested cullet was the material of choice for a wire melters. My studio experiences in Alberta were all with batch, however. After talking to many of the local glassblowers, I decided that I wanted to melt Spruce Pine Batch in my furnace. Now, almost 1 year later, I am convinced that was the best design decision I could make.Spruce Pine batch melts quickly, fines out wonderfully, and produces the perhaps the best, crystal-clear glass I've ever worked with. I was smart - I ordered a full skid (40 x 50lb bags) of batch in March 2004, so I have enough for a long time blowing! Check out Spruce Pine Batch Co. yourself. |
| Links: | Home | Catalogue | Construction | Equipment | Operation | Maintenance | Suppliers | the huntrods zone |