post-freezing pyro woes

**Yeef** · 01-06-2015, 09:18 PM

can't work in the shop, too cold.

cant work ON the shop, too cold.

30 below wind chill sucks, man, send us some weather ffs.

i've been blowing glass vicariously here on tmp for a week. forgive me. (lots of good reading though. lots.)

what do folks do when the weather keeps you from the torch?

i've rediscovered mystery science theater 3000 and booze. and the sleeping.

here's tonight... this is a 30 below wind chill insta-freezing the beer steam coming out of the point brewery. (which leads to beer snow, which is something interesting..)

**Dglassman** · 01-06-2015, 09:39 PM

That is cool I have never seen such cold stay warm and draw new ideas

**Yeef** · 01-06-2015, 09:43 PM

you aren't missing anything, my friend.

i've been working on my new bench design. my bigass-fan is supposed to get here tomorrow, barring trucks not working in the forecasted FIFTY FREAKING BELOW wind chill.

ugh.

**snoopdog6502** · 01-06-2015, 10:23 PM

A bunch of big grow lights will keep a shop warm, LOL Turn half your shop into Hawaii.

Seriously though its not very cold here in comparison, downright nice., iv been oil painting in my spare bedroom with a plug in fireplace header thingamajig. Make a big pot of Chili and take it easy.
We do lots of cooking/baking in the winter time.

50 below here would have me building a hay bale house with heat to get all my chickens,ducks and geese into a reasonable environment. I could not make them suffer and freeze.

**Yeef** · 01-06-2015, 10:29 PM

i've actually got a gigantic super metal halide in the basement, got it for $20 from my next door neighbor when the local book bindery switched over to LEDs, or fluorescents, or whatever the hell they did.

it's not a grow light, it's a factory style light, but it's fucking huge, and even more fucking bright.

i'd considered putting it in the shop, but i've got a feeling it would explode in this kind of weather. i can't run halogens out there, because they blow up as soon as you turn them on below zero. =/

plus i'd be worried about my garage being visible from orbit..

**ThreeE** · 01-07-2015, 07:06 AM

It was -30 windchill last night and in the shop we got the glory hole running at like 50% of its full power. Within a few hours it was pretty nice in there.

**Nomad** · 01-07-2015, 07:20 AM

I have two electric heater going in my small insulated studio. I am all bundled up for the cold with a hat on. But I am still a little cold out there. The doors to the studio are shed doors and they are not very insulated. When I run the torch I warm up with the exhaust on. The exhaust will suck out all the warm air when it is on and the torch is not running.

**Nomad** · 01-07-2015, 07:21 AM

I think you can use them. They use similar lights for night skiing. It is really cold at night skiing too.

Originally Posted by Yeef

i've actually got a gigantic super metal halide in the basement, got it for $20 from my next door neighbor when the local book bindery switched over to LEDs, or fluorescents, or whatever the hell they did.

it's not a grow light, it's a factory style light, but it's fucking huge, and even more fucking bright.

i'd considered putting it in the shop, but i've got a feeling it would explode in this kind of weather. i can't run halogens out there, because they blow up as soon as you turn them on below zero. =/

plus i'd be worried about my garage being visible from orbit..

**hashcat** · 01-07-2015, 12:07 PM

just bundle up and get to work. i live in tahoe where its not absolutely freezing, but we had a week of sub zero wind chills a couple weeks back and it wasnt too big of a deal. i have a carhartt coverall suit which works wonders. really the only thing thats cold is my ring and pinky fingers, the other digits warm up from the radiant heat but ring and pinky seem to be too small or out of the way.

**Nomad** · 01-07-2015, 12:30 PM

If my hands get too cold then I am done.

**Yeef** · 01-07-2015, 01:02 PM

my hands are usually ok, it's my feet that get really cold. i've got two heaters, but i'm working in a half-insulated WiP shop at the moment, and it's just not doable in this weather. i can get out there and work in 10 minute shifts, it's hardly worth turning on the kiln. (and the two heaters + kiln aren't helping in this wind)

i just need to get the shop insulated, that's going to help a ton. it's a pretty drafty old garage.

i might have to try out the light, if they don't hate cold weather too much. they do have that extra vacuum shroud on them, and the halogens don't. i just don't want to pop the bulb, because they aren't super cheap hehe..

**Nomad** · 01-07-2015, 01:31 PM

I am ok when the torch is on. I have to turn the ventilation fan off when I go out an strike and anneal the glass though. It is way to cold with the exhaust and on to sit in there for the time it takes to strike and anneal glass.

**VinE** · 01-07-2015, 09:08 PM

long underwear, good insulated boots, get a barrel/wood stove if possible.
whats the ambient temp? winchill doesnt count inside.

**the-thought-police** · 01-07-2015, 11:22 PM

I wear more clothes. Then again, we never get quite that low here. Zero and slightly below, but never quite 20 or 30 below.

Here though, if you're looking for something to take up copious amounts of your time, this game can help with that.

http://2048game.com/

The object is to get one tile in the value of 2048 and you win. Good luck.

**snoopdog6502** · 01-07-2015, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by VinE

long underwear, good insulated boots, get a barrel/wood stove if possible.
whats the ambient temp? winchill doesnt count inside.

hell yes, welding up or finding an old wood stove would be the first thing you do in an unheated shop.

Coffee pot and a frying pan full of bacon on the wood stove and you got it going on.

**dawsonglass503** · 01-08-2015, 12:09 AM

I like this idea!!^^^

**Nomad** · 01-08-2015, 07:10 AM

Wow it is majorly cold in Alaska. I am not sure I could handle that. I hear you about it being cold in Colorado. I was under the impression it never goes below 20 degrees and is sunny all the time. Is it cold in Steamboat Springs? That is where I am going to be moving to.

**Nomad** · 01-08-2015, 07:11 AM

It is going to be the coldest day of the year here. It was minus 1 last night and is warming up to 17 degrees today.

**Nomad** · 01-08-2015, 09:32 AM

yeah I am totally frozen after one bubbler. I will have to brake out the winter hiking boots. There -30 rated. I only have one more bubbler to make and this order is done. Then I can ship stuff. I got another order but it will be warmer by then I believe.

**dustyg** · 01-08-2015, 09:42 AM

I wear military issue "bunny boots" to keep my feet warm. They're rated for -40 for non-active stuff like glass work, and -60 for active stuff like walking. 15 degrees is the coldest I've worked in, and my feet weren't exactly comfortable, but they weren't too terribly uncomfortable, either - I only noticed them when I finished a piece.