Houston, we have lift off!

It’s here, it’s installed, it’s shiny. Fire Work Glass Studio is beginning to look a lot like the real (albeit tiny) deal.

For the uninitiated we have a Furnace (where the glass is melted and kept at a moderate 1150 degrees C), the Marver, a stainless steel table where molten glass is shaped, a Reheating Chamber (saucily known as the Glory Hole!) which comes in at 1400 degrees C, where glass is reheated while it’s being worked; a pipe warmer, does exactly what it says on the tin, a bank of Annealers/Kilns where the finished pieces are kept warm and cooled down slowly; and a whole heap of tools, from pipes, to paddles and moulds, shears and tweezers as well as the humble folded newspaper. And not forgetting the all-important Gaffers Work Bench, where he will leisurely sit and play with fire and make beautiful things.

Now that all this lovely equipment is ready to be fired up– the next big question is, what will we make?