So how expensive is this hobby?

[Giraffe Man]

My sister found a glass blowing class for $500. Its 3 hours a week for 6 weeks. That seems like a pretty good deal to me, but I obviously don't want to drop that kind of money without knowing if creating a nice studio is realistic. We'd like to make pendants, glass pipes, water pipes, and possibly a few other crafts. We've both wanted to do this for years but just never pulled the trigger. I've got a garage that can be used for the studio.

Whats it going to cost to set this up right? All input is appreciated!! Hopefully in the near future I'll be posting some good looking glass!

[LowTideGlass]

Start by reading this.

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?50425-Attention-new-lampworkers-READ-FIRST&highlight=read+first

[Giraffe Man]

Start by reading this.

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?50425-Attention-new-lampworkers-READ-FIRST&highlight=read+firstThanks! You got one of my favorite songs in your signature btw :)

[Mike_Aurelius]

It's a good way to turn a big pile of money into a very small pile of money.

But seriously, the more you get into it, the more expensive things get.

A hundred for a torch, at least that for a basic tank set of oxygen and propane, 150 or so on eyewear, couple of hundred on tools, 3-4 hundred on a good ventilation system. You haven't even turned on the torch yet. Couple hundred for a used kiln. Couple of hundred on glass.

Do it right? Plan on at least $1K for starters.

[dustyg]

Count on it being a lot more expensive time-wise than you might imagine, too. Almost everybody underestimates the difficulty of the medium.

Get a studio set up before the class, so that you can practice what you learn in class at home. It'll help you get a lot more out of the class.

[OceanMelt]

And then you decide you like it and upgrade to a more serious/long-term setup....suddenly $4k has evaporated.....and you're still buying glass and adding tools, and fuel, and......:)

I'd take the classes a few times to make sure you're still excited before buying anything. Also, make sure that class is for lamp/flameworking and not the hot shop. Seems like a crazy good price for the amount of instruction!

[glassmax]

And don´t forget :
It´s not a hobby,It´s a life style !
If you want to post some good looking glass in the near future,there´s one way only :
Take some good lessons and then practice,practice,practice...

[istandalone24/7]

but no it's not cheap or inexpensive...quite the opposite. it's also nowhere near as easy as some of the big dogs make it look.

it can be done as a hobby....that's exactly what i do. living in VT and having an unheated studio, i usually sit out the coldest months of the winter. and being newish like me....taking a few months off of the torch every winter just holds me back.

currently trying to figure out how i can do this full time. there's hotshop owner about 30 minutes north of me who made an offer for part time work....so this may be the beginning. still trying to find out what this part time work will entail, and am not getting too far so it may well have been a bullshit comment that i took seriously.

[Nomad]

I started out working part-time for a glassblower. It started out by doing bullshit. Then I convinced them to start by letting me do all the cold work and packing for a while. That worked out and I started assisting in the shop. Then after a while they made me a gaffer with the paperweights and hired me an assistant. IT was a cool job I had for a few years. It was 3 days a week.
I worked with my torch and I went to college the other days.... but mostly I went snowboarding.
I made like 1 pipe a day after work for a year to learn spoons. Then I went full-time into pipe making.
I used to get a paycheck every week from stoney creek glass in michigan and I had a few shops in Woodstock and New Paltz NY.
Good times!

[Nomad]

I would say it costs more like $5,000 plus the building.
I have invested maybe $1000 torch, $1000 kiln, $1000 for oxygen generators, Plus tools, foot pedal, torch marver, propane regulator and tanks, tool chest and shelves.
Then I built the shed. I believe that was about $3500 for the shed and $500 to renovate and $1000 for electrician to help.
So maybe one like mine is $10,000? But if you rent a studio or have a garage it could cost half that?

[Nomad]

Plus your education can cost as much as you can spend.
I spend maybe $10,000 at Corning and maybe $10,000 traveling around learning about glass and working.

You can make $30,000 a year if you work hard.

[Banditt]

Like some have said, you can probably get started up on a small scale for 2-3 grand. But this is a very expensive craft to learn and work with. I'd estimate we spent in the 10k range building our home studio. Hell my kiln alone was about 2200. And there is still a lot of things we don't have that we would want to pick up in the future. If you have the time and patience the best thing to do is hawk craigslist and newspapers, hit up local studios etc and pick up as much shit used on the cheap as you can.

[Greymatter Glass]

So no one is talking numbers.

Initial outlay to get a basic set up running with a moderate torch, a kiln that will last for a long time, and basic tools, ventilation, glasses and starting glass will run you between $2500-$5000

Ongoing costs, as a hobby with no financial return, expect to spend between $3000 a year or more, depending on how bad you get into tools and hype. That will cover oxygen, propane, electricity, glass, and some tools as you find a use for them

Of course, as in any hobby, you can spend more or less depending on what you're doing and how often you work. I consider the hobbyist blowers as people who work on the torch between 5 and 30 hours a month, and are not doing it to provide income.

If you're doing it for income, even supplementary income, you should really sit down and figure out the cost of overhead more and see if you can make a profit for the hours you can commit, but starting out figure it will be at least 6 months before you start seeing a return on your investment, and at least year before you recoup your initial outlay for equipment.

Of course everyone has their own story and experience... there's no established formula or business plan that will work universally for everyone. I know kids who started making amazing work after a week on the torch, but I know a LOT more who are 5-10 years in and still can't make money blowing glass. Your mileage may vary.

[MpVpRb]

Depends on how you define expensive

For some folks, $100 is a lot of money

Before taking up glasswork, I flew R/C helicopters. An nice one is $3-5K, and many pilots have several. I probably spent $20K on the hobby before I quit

Before R/C helicopters, I tried motorcycle racing. $20K for the bike, $10K for the mods and $300 a set for tires (which last a day at speed)

Before motorcycle racing, I tried aviation..you get the idea..

Glasswork is the cheapest of my hobbies so far. $1200 for a kiln, $1700 for a torch, $500 for tanks and $1000 or so for glass

[unfunraygun]

"Hobby" super fucking expensive. Take a dollar bill and light it in your hand. Let it burn completely to ash. Wait 5-10 seconds and ponder art. Light another dollar bill and again let burn to ash completely and give yourself another ten seconds contemplation. That is how much boro flameworking costs as a hobby, now have some fun!

[unfunraygun]

Racecars and bike are a super good analogy.

[Joe Userton]

"Hobby" super fucking expensive. Take a dollar bill and light it in your hand. Let it burn completely to ash. Wait 5-10 seconds and ponder art. Light another dollar bill and again let burn to ash completely and give yourself another ten seconds contemplation. That is how much boro flameworking costs as a hobby, now have some fun!

You forgot to mention just how damn satisfying it is to stare in to the fire as that dollar burns.

[whirlpool]

Yeah Initial costs is gonna be expensive as a hobby. Before I started I did tons of research to maximize my dollar for equipment. This still didn't fully prepare me for unexpected costs. Just like raygun said, just light money on fire...wait....then do it again. But damn nothing is more satisfying than being proud of something you made. Best of luck!

[labrie]

So this is the old glassblower joke.
3 guys win the megabucks lottery a lawyer, a doctor, and glassblower. They ask all three what are you going to do now that your set financially for life. The lawyer thinks for a minute and says now that I don't need any more money I will focus on my pro Bono work for the disenfranchised. The doctor asked the same question says she will now devote her life to helping the poor in 3rd world countries receive medical care at no cost. The glassblower getting the same question gets a thoughtful look on his face and turns to the others and say's you know I think I will keep blowing glass until the money runs out.
Glass work can be expensive and some make a terrific living, but most of us work hard, earn enough to think something else is not worth it and forge on because we like what we do. This is hard work and anyone who thinks they can make nice stuff quick, well they learn soon enough. I think I posted once before that the statement that bugs me the most, is when people say it must be nice to not have to work and do glass for a living. Good luck you found the right spot to get info, this place is filled with selfless artist who share without recompense. Your journey is just beginning. All the best

[Nuka Glass]

I like to keep track of my expenses but I am behind on doing it for glassblowing. I would estimate that I probably initially threw 2k - 2.5k into equipment (torch, kiln, tools,glass) and there are still some tools I want to pick up. Right now I am building a shed studio and I am just shy of hitting the 2k mark for that (Not much left to do though). So in total 4k - 5k (and on going but depending what brand glass you go with will depend on additional cost. Buying glass isn't that bad compared to gas and getting started)

[Olhm]

I just spent 1800 on a used Carlisle cc, an awesome glass hive kiln (which I highly recommend), fireproof backer board, 2 oxygen tanks , oxygen & propane, clear & color, a fifth wheel to work in... it wasn't enough haaa!

I already had hand tools, 1 1/2 pairs of shade 3's (but lost my pair with both lenses while moving!) ventilation & hood, cress octagon & an 18" interior height aim front loader.

Plan on unexpected expenses, I do this for a living & managed to scrape together a shop for 1800. I'm sure a hobby shop can get going for less with proper research.

[Rgz]

Good job at only 1800$ my first was much more costly. I couldn't find a used torch for the life.

[snoopdog6502]

$600 got me melting in my driveway, $2,000.00 got me a studio set up with bench ,ventilation,oxygen concentrators and kiln.

18 months in, Iv spent $6,500.00 and have a real nice setup and 5 torches. I make all my own oxygen so thats a good investment.

Some people go to bars and party then blow a couple hundred bucks. I go to http://lampworksupply.com/ and blow a couple hundred bucks.
You look at it like that its not very expensive. You will have something to show for your money.

[menty666]

I think y'all scared him off LOL

I was lucky and found a decent first setup for "cheap" via craiglist when I found a lampworker that was getting out of it. That was still close to a grand without ventilation and I still had to get a new set of glasses (the ones in the original set up live on as guest eyewear).

[BORO]

With a mini cc , and a vent fan from lowes, 3 colors(pound each) and some silver.

Jr. copper kiln, free wood hood....

1/4th case 31.5mm
1/4th case 9.5mm (each extra heavy)
and a 1/4th case 5mm rod

I was just under a grand.

edit: after a week , I spent 210$ on a stainless restaurant table.

gas not included, regulators/hoses flashbacks included. circa 2001.

[jr23]

$600 got me melting in my driveway, $2,000.00 got me a studio set up with bench ,ventilation,oxygen concentrators and kiln.

18 months in, Iv spent $6,500.00 and have a real nice setup and 5 torches. I make all my own oxygen so thats a good investment.

Some people go to bars and party then blow a couple hundred bucks. I go to http://lampworksupply.com/ and blow a couple hundred bucks.
You look at it like that its not very expensive. You will have something to show for your money.
So you don't count supply's in your 6500

It does not matter how you look at it . That's just easing your own mind .

Money spent is money spent bottom line .

I am sure Wall Street guys spend 1k a night on hookers and blow .


That does not justify me buying a thousand dollars worth of lampwork stuff every night .

I don't get how changing how you view what you but . Makes it less expensive

[Nomad]

Wall Street guys spend more than $1000 a night. A cheap hotel room in that area is like $400 and hookers are like $1000 a night. So you do the math.


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[Nomad]

Those guys spend like $5000 on a suit.


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[jr23]

So no one is talking numbers.

Initial outlay to get a basic set up running with a moderate torch, a kiln that will last for a long time, and basic tools, ventilation, glasses and starting glass will run you between $2500-$5000

Ongoing costs, as a hobby with no financial return, expect to spend between $3000 a year or more, depending on how bad you get into tools and hype. That will cover oxygen, propane, electricity, glass, and some tools as you find a use for them

Of course, as in any hobby, you can spend more or less depending on what you're doing and how often you work. I consider the hobbyist blowers as people who work on the torch between 5 and 30 hours a month, and are not doing it to provide income.

If you're doing it for income, even supplementary income, you should really sit down and figure out the cost of overhead more and see if you can make a profit for the hours you can commit, but starting out figure it will be at least 6 months before you start seeing a return on your investment, and at least year before you recoup your initial outlay for equipment.

Of course everyone has their own story and experience... there's no established formula or business plan that will work universally for everyone. I know kids who started making amazing work after a week on the torch, but I know a LOT more who are 5-10 years in and still can't make money blowing glass. Your mileage may vary.

Doug nailed it to the wall .

This is pretty much a great overall estimated cost .


I will add this if you really go hard and are teaching yourself.

Oxygen will add up its easy to blow through three k tanks a week just messing round with a small torch .

K tanks here are 52 dollars now .

I only know one of out local glassblowers on high pressure tanks .

He works all clear lathe work mostly and he still bitches about cost but has not made the leap to a system yet .

[Nomad]

Use an oxycon!


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[Nomad]

I just blew a set of goblets on one oxycon. Bethlehem bravo on one 20 psi 10 lpm oxycon makes a lot of stuff.


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[FifDeez]

Only one oxycon is fine and dandy if you don't value your time.