Borosilicate Glass Art 101
So you’d like to make a living as a borosilicate glass artist? Well before you sell your first heady piece we have a lot to cover. First you will need a glass shop to work in. This means a studio space that is well ventilated enough to suck away the toxic chemicals you will expel as you work. You will also need access to a lot of propane and oxygen and the ability to run lines to your station. Here you’ll need a torch, water bowl, and a bunch of tools depending on what you end up making. Your torch will cost at least $500 and that would be on the cheaper side. Tools easily add up to that as well. You also need a kiln made especially for borosilicate. This kiln is another expense and super important. You should get your own if you can because shop mates can be rather particular about the kiln even being opened. Your kilns main purpose is to anneal the glass, meaning all the atoms are brought to the same temp and it hardens. A/T or annealing temperature varies based on the piece but most kilns are 1050*. The kiln is also important for making the most of color that strikes or changes having soaked in even heat. There are various cycles and temperatures for each situation. Kilns will have hotter and cooler spots as everyone must learn.
Now let’s get you some raw boro to work with. It comes in colorful rods and tubes as well as clear. Borosilicate glass is also known as COE 33. This stands for coefficient of expansion and it’s 33. That means it is a pretty hard and durable substance. When it comes to things like encased opals, they must also be COE 33. Anything that is not even other types of glass will not melt into or tolerate boro. There is another softer glass sold that is sold at the same retailers is COE 104. It is much softer and melts much more easily. It is used for beads and much less durable. I don’t know much about it do not waste your money on this as it is not compatible with your boro and your torch will melt it onto the table. If you want something comparable to incase use synthetic opals. These man made opals are best because real opal is not COE 33 so it cannot be used with boro. These opals are another expensive thing you’ll have to learn how to incase in boro to use.
It is best not to go cheap at any point in this process as cheap can be hazardous. Buy American made glass even raw. Simax is the best clear in my opinion and the choice of most artists. Color comes from a variety of companies such as Northstar, Trautman Art Glass, Glass Alchemy and Boro Stix. Stick to brands and colors you know as mom and pop color can have Chinese materials mixed in any retailer will tell you and be honest what’s American. Chinese colors have their place at the highest level but not until you really understand flame chemistry. The glass is lower quality and more likely to crack on you. Worst of all it gives off more harmful chemicals. You must also be willing to be near a powerful 2000* flame and make sure not to burn yourself. You will burn yourself. Glass does not ever look as hot as it is as all flame workers have learned. If the actual flame gets you it can be weeks of healing and don’t forget to tie back any hair! Safety is key and you need someone who knows what they’re doing to help you with all of this.
Now you’re set up and your mentor can help you turn on your torch. There are several kinds and they are all delicate and expensive. They need to be turned on correctly for your safety as well as the wellness of your torch. You’ll need a lighter as well but only to light the torch then put it away. If left on your bench aka workspace it can explode and cause harm. Once the flame is lit the real work begins physically and mentally. You will need to purchase raw glass and start with clear. Working with color will be the first thing you want to do but this will be a waste. Colors need different amounts of oxygen and propane (aka flame chemistry) to melt properly and not boil or develop an ugly film. You will waste hundreds of dollars and many days on this learning curve before even trying to combine color or draw with it.
The next phase is all about how much work you are willing to put in to develop fundamental skills and learn. You’ll have to strengthen your forearms to the point of being able to spin rods and tubes for hours. Your shop mate will help you and hopefully you will take classes so this learning period only lasts about 2 years. After that depending on how fast you naturally pick it up and how hard you work, it’s 3 to 6 years of developing your skills and scraping by. The timing depends on natural talent and access to information but most of all practice. More classes, and constant repetition will eventually help you come up with your own style. This is the make or break time in your glassblowing career. You’re a skilled lamp worker having blown glass for You will either make inexpensive orders for head shops forever or join an elite studio like all the artists on my page. If you make it big you will collaborate with other known artists and finally sell your work for a fair price.
The few who make it into elite studios and are known worldwide are featured here on my site. There are others but I like to post and sell what I would personally buy. As with all art the beauty and value is in the eye of the collector. As the artists I feature are hands down the best in the world, it can get expensive. They are all masters with years of experience and a ton of natural talent as well as a recognizable style. It has taken them years of learning and perfecting their work to be where they are today. There have been many late nights and early mornings, many times they weren’t paid fairly. There have been times when they were finishing up a piece and the whole thing cracked. Glass takes mental and physical strength as well as an obsession with making it work out perfectly.
Watching a master artist work, I always marvel at how easy they make it look. In reality it’s heavy, hot, and temperamental. One tenth centimeter can mean the piece is ruined and will explode or crack in the flame. If it cools too fast, crack. If the color isn’t in the right flame, crack and boil. When you buy American made borosilicate glass you are buying years of commitment. The artist not only refused to give up but worked for perfection until it was just right. It is a piece of everything they have to give and that is why I personally find it so meaningful. I have extreme respect for every artist that doesn’t give up and reaches the highest level of this complex and nearly impossible medium. If it was easy, everyone would do it! I do it as a hobby because I love art. I also collect high end glass but my original teacher Jimmy C taught me all of this information. He took me into his studio and laid down the fundamentals in a way that has really impressed some of the top artists. I also know how hard it is and how passionate these artists really are to never stop learning.