new to glass but not fire

[Kurse Fireforge]

im new to the glassblowing scene, but im familiar with torches and flames, i started as a metal smith and am still involved with metal working for 8 years now, but iv decided to expand into the world of glass, something that has always peeked my interest even in high school art classes. Its awesome to know that there are so many people here, and to be honest i don't even have the beginning tools to even think about starting a shop up, but i found a site called sundanceartglass.com where they sell complete kits to get started, i was just wondering if these are a good deal or does anyone know anywhere else i could get materials?

thank you

[Mecha]

Welcome to the board.

As for sundance, I have never dealt with them personally, but there is more than enough negative press on this forum about them to suggest perhaps you should steer clear.
Kits seem like a good idea in theory, but they generally have things you don't need or really want when starting out. Your best bet is to go with one of the many reputable suppliers and order everything piece by piece. Use the search function and you will find more than enough info to keep you busy for quite some time. Check the phone book part of the forum for a list of all sorts of suppliers.
Good luck!

[ornametalsmith]

welcome to the M.Pot... good to have another metalsmith on here.
Mecha offered some great advice. I usually ask folks starting out in any medium....what they'd like to make. That can, many times, help you with equipment decisions. There are many different starting places. Spend some time researching here by using the search, you'll find tons more info. I wish I'd have found this board before I made some of my early purchases :D

No doubt.....safety equipment should be uppermost in your mind. Eye protection, ventilation are both important. What type of metal work do you do? Do you use a programable kiln in your metal work?...If so....then you can get by using that for annealing. No doubt there are better kilns for glass artists.....with punty doors etc.

[GlassFreak]

the kits at sundance are what i was planning on getting when i started. i found that just building your own kit and getting what you really need is better, especialy if you use generationsglass.com and the discount code.

those kits seemed to have alot of stuff i would just never touch.

all i use is a marble mold, neadle nose, reamer, bowl push, claws, and a graphite pad. and maybe a few random size graphite rods for your own little tools, like pokers for opening really small holes. mashers are a good thing to have too but i just use my marble mold and the pad.

[GlassFreak]

i had alot of metal work experience too, alot of people say its useless as pre skill but i think knowing about different flames is a real help, and when it comes to welding pieces together. glass you just have to be more controlled, you wont burn through your work but you can boil the fuck out of it.

[Sparkey]

I like Winship Designs, the people there are great. ABR Imagery is great too.

[Slimy-E]

mountian glass arts or wale are great!