how many lampworkers in the world

[Big Jay]

Been researching a lot of info about lampworking and trying to understand the market. I think its important to understand which direction to go and how to market things from glass product , classes, books etc etc. I/you/we need to know how many people are in the business and can we expect to enter the business.
One thing I can't seem to nail down is how many glass people out there are working off torches. I don't mind guesses here but I had assumed less then 50,000 lampworkers worldwide. Seems a few think my number is way low, but I am new so gimme some input.
I love numbers and I have a tendancy to break every thing I do down into a number but statistics are hard for me. Lend me a hand with your opi. if you can. Remember soft glass guys and scientific workers count here too if they are working off a torch and not using machinery,a lathe or just a hot shop that occasionaly blasts a piece with a torch to keep it warm.
If you have specific knowledge of the region your in and want to provide those numbers please do and a little info about how you came about that number.

[Glass Pyro]

Yeah this is much better than my poll the other day ya -EDIT- no name calling

[Know Ego]

Please let me know if you come up with an estimate. Either from a creditable source or your own deciding factors. This information would be very interesting. Peace.

[Islandglass Man]

If you work a glass lathe you are a lampworker. Don't go down that slippery slop. I work on a lathe and have a CC to fire it up and I have one on the bench. You have to count all the production workers that make scientific apparatus also lampworkers.
Bear

[Paladin]

There are 7,395 members on Lampwork, Etc. I don't know if they are all actively lampworking....fwiw

[Big Jay]

If you work a glass lathe you are a lampworker. Don't go down that slippery slop. I work on a lathe and have a CC to fire it up and I have one on the bench. You have to count all the production workers that make scientific apparatus also lampworkers.
Bear


If you use the bench at all I'd include it in the poll.

[Big Jay]

I know we are early in the poll but I am beginning to think its proving that more work needs to be put in for data collection. I am gonna send out some emails and see what kind of feedback I can get from the glass and torch companies. Surely they have analyzed the market , right?

[Glass Pyro]

That is what I was thinking, talk to torch companies and see if they will give numbers on the amount of torches they have sold.

[Islandglass Man]

You really need to do more research in the meaning of the word lampworking or change the criteria for your poll. Lampworking covers a much wider field of workers then you are counting in your poll. First of all to excludes machinery and lathe workers that’s is not right. When you do your research you will find that there are highly skilled lampworkers that work on both machinery and or lathes. To accomplish many of the more complicated seals and large boro work machinery and lathes are the only way to do the jobs. There are more artist who are finally realizing that a lathe is a tool that will allow them to do more complicated art pieces then if they did them on the bench.

I’m sure there are people out there who will reject a lathe because it’s “cheating” well that’s OK with me and maybe you are in that group, but it still excludes a lot of lampworkers who need to be counted.

If you start a torch and work glass you are a lampworker

Bear

[Zed]

Theres a bazillion soccer moms making moretti beads with a hot head these days... Technically their lampworkers but not on the level you might be thinking of.

[smutboy420]

Getting hard #'s out of manufactures, may be hard. I asked a place once that I know knows I'm cool. But still didn't want to give any kind of figure.

But I have lately come to under stand there are all kinds of reason not to let any one know stuff like that.
I won't give that info out my after some recent events were others started trying to add up and count my money and got extremely jealous when they seen one big pile of orders packed and ready to go out 1 day. And starting counting my money. Not only did they get jealous the person counted up that every item in every box was my most expensive item and added up the cost retail and some how had it that its 100% profit and was like "wow you make bla bla much per day. Wow that must be nice. or something to that effect. plus a bunch of other lame stuff. based on wrong assumptions. wrong math and him having been raised with wrong values. Combined with no real world experience or knowing what a bill is or over head.
Then a few weeks later started to feel it would be justifiable to try and rob me sense He couldn't rub 2 nickels together. And had it that I'm banking about 3 times more then he added up.

I get asked just out of curiosity from peep how things are going and have asked for reasons I know are not nefarious and are ones I know are cool and don't want to plot or hate on me for what I have built for my self. But nowadays I respectfully decline that info to any one. Even if I avoid anyone thinking I'm flaunting something Then being mum its still a good thing.

Thats info that from now only gets shared with my account and my partner. Same as with any thing in my privet life.


Plues it would be hard to get a hard # of what a manifactures #s relate to as far as how many blowers. Like if you know how much color a co sells per year. Is hard to figure out how many blowers thats suppling sence so many resell it.

Then things like torches. I am one blower but have owned many torches. and some of them have had difrent owners at difrent times in there lives. Some shops hav 1 guy blowing and 2 kilns were as some shops may have one kiln and 2 peep working with one kiln.

Its a hard # to even gueess how many are out there. It really is I have wondered how big of a force all the glass blowers in the world are. I know its more then a few 1,000 but under a billion.

[Big Jay]

islandglass you misunderstood my exclusion. I was trying to exclude a guy that might get hired to work in a factory on just one machine. For instance a guy who is a mold luber in a factory I would hardly consider a lampworker even though hes around the molten material all day.
Most guys who have a lathe in there shop would be included cause they also do benchwork. So to restate it anyone who works on a bench at anytime would/should be included.
And yes beadworkers even lampworkers who do line work.
I realize this is a very difficult estimation to make , since its literaly found worldwide even in places you'd never expect.
I know we can't go off retail sales because most people buy from multiple suppliers. So its definetly not as simple as adding up clientel. I just have to imagine someone more capable them myself at statistics have done some market analysis. Smutty I imagine companies that have paid good money to have someone do it wouldn't be extremely liberal about giving out the info thats why I asked the question here before trying to approach the big companies.
I really am looking for educated guesses. I might even set up something where people can supply info on the area they are in then look for someone to take whatever info we can gather and break it down into a formula. Someone that understands how to do statistical correction since places like I live in may have 5 lampworkers and eugene has a ton.

[mer]

212,694

[Loïc]

asia cheap labor does it counts ?

do you wanna include the # of peoples who makes a living out of it, or even the littlest grandma who makes a bead or two every now and then ??

because if you count the # of people making a living out of it, we might be something like a 75~100 maximum in Canada;.... add Maybe a couple thousand in the u.s.... then a couple thousand in europe.... then australia/SouthAmerica/Russia.... another couple thousands... then cheap labors in asia....

MAKING A LIVING out of it... i tought about it often, i would say something like ~75 000 to ~200 000 peoples, bigMaximum .. including scientific, pipes & jewelry and cheap labor.......

but its a big thread u started there.... :)

[Big Jay]

the original discussion was how many lampworkers in the US. Then I started thinking thats irrevelant to imports and people traveling and moving.
Alot of the people that do it for a hobby still buy goods , take classes and occasionally sell glass so how could you not count them? Scientific guys have crossed genres like learning scientific in school and switching to art .Plus they use some of the same equipment.

[Big Jay]

212,694

"putting envelope to forehead" ...hmmm.. the number of trips Mermonkey has taken without leaving the house.

(shit wondering how few of you remember Johny Carson)
]

[Lurch]

Who's Johnny Carson? (Just Kidding)

I remember when I first started blowing glass about 7 and a half years ago and I remember the people I worked for saying there were about 30,000 glassblowers here in the US (Making Money).

[Dennis Brady]

Who's Johnny Carson? (Just Kidding)

I remember when I first started blowing glass about 7 and a half years ago and I remember the people I worked for saying there were about 30,000 glassblowers here in the US (Making Money).

Rather than trying to calculate how many torchers are now working in the US, isn't it more important to estimate how the numbers will change in the future? The downturned economy has many Americans reducing spending and many even losing their jobs and their homes. The prime objective of statistics is to accurately guess the future. Perhaps the really important questions are:

1. Will the economic change reduce sales for part time torchers to where many leave the market?

2. Will the economic change induce more Americans to try torching as an income source?

3. Will the demographic shift to an aging population have more Americans take up torching as a retirement hobby? How many of these new hobbyists will try to sell their work?

4. Will the percentage of the market taken by imports remain relatively stable or will imports eat up an increasing percentage of the market as they increase in quality?

5. Are there other factors that more strongly affect the above questions then the current number of torchers?

My personal SWAG (Sophisticated Wild Assed Guess)? Both the number of American torchers and the American market for torchworked glass (domestic or import) has pretty much peaked. I expect the future will see a slight increase in full-time pros, a significant increase in hobbyists, and a most significant decrease in part-timer sellers. The worst hit will be those relying on selling beads or pipes and those whose primary outlet is the internet. The most likely to survive will be those producing sculpural work or finished jewelry and selling through quality retail outlets. I'm also guessing the continuing to drop US $ will discourage expansion of Asian imports - who will focus more effort on the still growing, and substantially larger, European market. That's my guess - and I'm basing the business plan of several family enterprises on the expectation I've guessed right.

[Micah Evans]

dude, you my friend are an economic GENIUS....

[cutter]

I know that within 100 mile radious of my little town in lower va Ive prob. met 250-300 each doing diff. work. We have 3 studios that are open 6 days a week. who knows how many work with someone elses tools and soforth.

[Conchis]

well....it seems like there are lawyers on every corner, under every leaf and in every television set, but there are only 1,000,000 in the U.S. I know I've met a whole lot more lawyers than glassworkers....it's just a reference point.

[ShttrdSpctrm]

dude, you my friend are an economic GENIUS....

thats why he's such a balla.

[dew]

i can't even begin to guess how many people are lampworking in the world, but i could give a rough estimate for my town. i live in alfred, ny...very small town with 1 street light, but we've got 2 colleges. one college is a tech school so i'd estimate that maybe there is 1 lampworker there. across the street is Alfred University, a very well known glass & ceramics school. there are a ton of people who do glass, but mostly hotshop stuff. i honestly think i may be the only person in this town who actually tries to make a living off lampworking, but i know of at least 3-4 other people who own torches. in this small town, i'd say there may be about 10-20 lampworkers, but only 1-5 who make money off it. then there's ithaca and rochester which both have glass scenes. you might be able to get a rough idea if everyone could submit an approximate number of lampworkers in their area. thats about all the info i could give ya.

[Wiley]

Theres a bazillion soccer moms making moretti beads with a hot head these days... Technically their lampworkers but not on the level you might be thinking of.

:twitch: Wow...

[PyroChixRock]

:twitch: Wow...

Just ignore the haters, Robin. Besides, it keeps them out of the bead market. little do they know how awesome it is. Saves more room for us. :)

Btw all you bead lady haters...:attitude:

<3 a hardcore pipemaker/sculpter/heady maker gone bead LOVER! It's better than meditation. :lol

[harpentuan]

So Misha, it's OK if we refer to you as a BeadLady? Shoot, i mean, aren't you 2 H@rdc0r3?

[CripSkillz]

i want a lathe... hehehehheh

[byron3]

Contact the census bureau via e-mail, occupations are broken down into pretty unique classifications. May not be boro workers, but at least they can give you a number of people claiming to make a full time living off of glass working. Use the total # of peeps in the US and this will give you a base line percentage. Most technically advanced countries should have about the same percentage, third world countries will have less. Any good statistician should be able to give you a formula to get you into the ball park..........

[pamdugger]

I did some research for those figures within the US a few years ago and at that time estimated 35,000 lampworkers (to include beadmakers and artists, but not scientific glassblowers that were not in the "art" world. Sorry, I didn't even attempt worldwide.

[Robert Mickelsen]

An interesting topic. Of course the logical choice is that there is no where near enough data to say with anything resembling credibility how many there are, but I think we can make a rough guess based on some assumptions.

In any average community in any average state it might be reasonable to assume that one person in 10000 is a "lampworker". So if in Melbourne, Florida the population is 50000 there would be about five. In Mims, where I live, the population is about 10000. There is one... me. This ratio represents a guess at an average.

So, for argument's sake, let's extrapolate that percentage out to the entire country. In a population of about 300 million, there would then be 30000. Counting all the bead-makers, pipe-makers, marble-makers, scientific apparatus makers, hobbyists, and artists I think that number sounds reasonable for the US.

So let's throw in a factor for industrialization... first world vs. second world. In first world regions I believe the 1 in 10000 factor probably holds world wide. In non-industrialized regions, the factor probably drops off to zero. So my estimate assumes that lampworkers only live in regions where the economic and industrial status allows both the availability of a market and the materials for lampworking. Then, there should be a variable for relative wealth in those regions which would range from around .25 to 1. Picking an average of .75 should work.

Credible estimates put the population of third world regions at around 60% of the total global population so, appx. 2 billion live in developed regions. Therefore... worldwide the estimate might be something like 200000. Multiply that by the variable of .75 and I come to a global estimate of about 150000 lampworkers worldwide.

So... back to work or I will be out of business and throw the entire formula out of whack. :D

- RAM

[Know Ego]

Great post Robert. Way to use that universal language. Peace.

[ALIEN!]

There's only two lampworkers in this world. Nomad and Sinbad. I heard some rumors that Cupcake and RAM pulled off a cobalt/clear wrap and rake bead once in a collab, but the rest of us clowns are just trying to be like the ad guys.

[Abe Fleishman]

I would think in the world there are about 500,000 lampworkers that are making glass peices, at least once a week making money. This is my guess I have some info to back it up but dont have time to post it.
Abe

[jstnoldhippie]

Do you want to count those of us who are hiding under rocks deep in the woods to? Gee, the census guy was just around these hills, everyones wanting numbers. :tiphat: So how many licks is it?