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Thread: Home or Workshop?

  1. #1

    Default Home or Workshop?

    Greetings glass gurus I'm currently on the fence right now as where I should take things. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to rent workspace from Cornerstone. I had some issues with my custody and was forced to sell most of my gear to get the ball rolling on court fees. Now that is more or less resolved I have been saving all summer doing odds and ends... trimming in Humboldt... and now I have(had) around 3k to invest back into glass stuff. I definitely appreciated a community kiln but realized the practicality and necessity of having my own regardless of whether or not I decided to work out of a shop again. Now that my extra work fell through I don't have quite the savings I'd hoped for so I can't sit back and blow glass worry free while I learn. Now it looks like a part time job may be in the mix. After hand tools and kiln I have about 1k left that I can commit to glass and I acquired a GTT cheetah a few months back. I am debating continuing investing towards the home setup but still need to build a work space, need a fan and gas setup.

    I gained a lot of invaluable information in the few months working out of Cornerstone and wouldn't have been able to get as much progress as I did without the help of some really kind individuals there. I'm debating going back to a workshop because it would be nice to not have to deal with gas which would require me having to frequently borrow a vehicle, and the opportunity to work and learn from others. The downside to spending the money on a shop is that I could have owned a kiln instead of renting from a shop so it's hard to tell if it was the best investment. Another downside is that there is no real place to actually take a break at Cornerstone and the facility is INCREDIBLY cold. I don't enjoy blowing glass in a ski coat... I don't believe it's specific to them as it would be commonplace in a warehouse type situation. I recently heard that Glasscraft is renting out work space although I haven't had the chance to view their facility yet they are closer to me than Cornerstone (west Eugene) and run about 50$ less per month. Unfortunately for night owls such as myself the facility is open only 9am-9pm. They also offer natural gas instead of propane and I didn't find a lot of info on running a Cheetah on natural gas. I did find myself very stressed about trying to be in the workshop as much as possible to get my moneys worth. It ended up being counter productive at some points for sure...

    Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated I'm pretty blown away by how awesome this community is.
    Last edited by eugenesketchypanda; 11-03-2014 at 11:11 AM.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    If I were to say one way or the other, I would need way more math.

    You know...how much $ , for how how long (with $ math) , $ expectations , other set up options(lots of private set up's in town , a low consumption torch, may be easier to find a spot.) , current skill set , current marketing skills more importantly.......( I would think its harder to sell your glass in eugene?) If you can't sell the glass... it gets expensive quick.

    Can you really afford to set up at home? Will you be in this home long enough to set up a semi permeant space?

    If you need to live off the money...... I am going to guess , it will be cheaper to work from home. Your torch is pretty good on gas. You could look into concentrators......a good long term solution.

    If you have a separate job , the profit is not as important , work with others , you will get better faster, no question.

    Cold? you need to move south , or get a new hobby. Even if your at a home studio, it is hard to heat efficiently. What ever choice,look into portable "I R " or (inferred ) heaters ,they heat you not the air.

    If you have to buy a kiln , hoses , regs , flash backs , gas ,glass , fire extinguisher , heaters ect... I would think thats a 1000$ easy. Mabye more with some kind of vent/exhaust at your bench.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    I come from the desert but my son lives in the area so this is where I'm at :P My garden shares the garage space so heating wouldn't be an issue. I'm starting to see costs add up for finishing the home setup as I would still need flash backs, gas, exhaust, build a workspace and the case of glass I have would only last so long. I did already get my kiln from a vendor here so that isn't part of the 1k. Thanks for giving me more things to consider Any ideas on using a cheetah for natural gas?
    Last edited by eugenesketchypanda; 11-03-2014 at 12:38 PM.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    in that case... I would work from home. (keeping a eye out for classes that interest you)

    Working from a semi permanent home, It is a good investment , plus the free heat/atmosphere.. Sounds better imo. When you can walk inside to grab a bite to eat , or work super late and no drive to sleep.... all priceless and save you time and money in the long run.(first hand experience) As long as you don't need the kick in the ass to get work done.... it is easier to slack if your a slacker. The flip side is it's easier to crush way more hours if your a "do-er" ... running out of oxygen on the weekend, or with no car.....is a bummer , unless you make your own . (concentrator + holding tank or home fill )

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    It will run fine on natural gas if you have enough pressure, which i'm guessing glasscraft would.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    This should help your gas questions.....(or give you even more questions )


    http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showt...ht=#post813476

  7. #7

    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    Looking at home setup - regardless it's a long term goal so I'm trying to continue to acquire what I need. I bartered for a National 3-A w/#5 tip that has a crack in the plastic body I'm curious if this is still safe to use? If so I'm considering buying adapters to set it up as a hand torch as well as a torch that friends can use. If I buy a Y splitter do I need 4 flashback arresters or just two? I'm working on a cheetah so I'm wondering if this is a luxury or if it's good to get practice using a hand torch? I didn't trade a lot for it so I'm not particularly attached to it one way or another.

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  8. #8

    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    Bump ~ still hoping for some info regarding the setup and this torch. Thanks much <3

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    The crack itself won't hurt anything. But that doesn't mean something else isn't wrong. BTW, these torches are dirt cheap new. As for the arresters mine are connected to the top of the Y connection. So yeah, I only have two. A hand torch is awesome to have around. Not a luxury.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    Keep renting. Anywhere that's well ventilated will be cold. Get long underwear and some good insulated boots. sounds like you are getting
    free lessons/instruction too. setting up and maintaing a studio is a lot of work.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    i was blowing in the chicagoland area last year. i have an electric mat i stood on. it helps to not have your feet freezing.

  12. #12
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    Home or workshop? Why choose, when you could live in a warehouse like I do... or not...

  13. #13
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    Default Re: Home or Workshop?

    i have my own home shop and dont really believe in heating it, so i wear insulated overalls, a toque and hiking boots as necessary. Since i sit, the extra weight isnt noticed, and the thick overalls stop all burns(they burn some though ).
    you will shank me later

    Quote Originally Posted by FifDeez View Post
    I like the idea of burning water. Sounds mystical even tho I understand it completely.

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