6 Week BEGINNING GLASS BLOWING

What to expect in Beginning Glass Blowing: 

 This 6 week course will teach the basics of glass blowing including the importance of safety, safe working practices, and understanding equipment basics. The goal of this course is to provide participants the opportunity to learn all basic aspects of glassblowing, walk away with a piece of your design under close direction of the instructor, and have a fun interactive experience. The first four weeks will be dedicated to learning safety in the hot shop, glassblowing basics and working together. Students will learn the technique of gathering glass, proper use of hand tools and understanding properties and processes of hot glass. With that basic knowledge the final two sessions will be dedicated to creating your individual design with the guidance of the instructor.  Students will have the opportunity to apply color to their final pieces in weeks 5 & 6.  Making final pieces will be a team effort under close direction of the instructor.

Glass blowing is a physically demanding craft. If you have any underlying health conditions please be sure to communicate this with us, so we can accommodate your needs as best as possible. If you are unsure if this course is for you, please be sure to give us a call to discus your concerns prior to registering.

 REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST 

·      Glass blowing is controlled danger and when things go wrong, they can go drastically wrong very quick.

·      Know anything can be hot to the touch even though it may look cold.

·      Know who and what is in and around your work area.

·      Wear appropriate clothing, shoes and eye protection.

·      Know where first aid kit is located.

Week 1

·      Introduction to the hot shop, tools and equipment

·      Furnace, glory hole, pipe warmer, pipe cooler, blocks, marver, the bench, hand tools, pipes and punties, annealer

·      Crack off buckets (clear, colored glass, water bucket for punties only)

·      Gathering glass and how to hold the pipe/iron

·      Pulled flower and catapillers 

·      Shaping glass using the marver

·      Using jacks – Jack line practice

·      Blowing a bubble (proper bubble structure)

·      Pontil – transferring piece

·      Loading annealer properly and organized

·      Teamwork/assisting

Week 2

·      Gathering glass

·      Using blocks and marver to shape and set bubble up

·      Making a cylinder (proper bubble structure, keep it thicker on the bottom)

· Proper bubble structure, keep it thicker on the bottom, flattening bottom

·      Pontil – transferring piece 

·      Opening vessel

·      Loading annealer properly and organized

·      Teamwork/assisting

Week 3 

·      Creating spheres 

·      Even wall thickness, centered bubble, work with core heat

·      Creating cones

·      Using jacks to shape bubble, flattening bottom

·      Punty

·      Loading annealer properly and organized

·      Teamwork/assisting

 Week 4

·      Continue practicing skills

·      Three basic shapes 

·      Adding bits to vessel

·      Handles, decoration

·      Assisting

 Weeks 5 & 6

·      Under close direction of the instructor, students will apply their team working and assisting skills that they learned in previous weeks to work together to create finished pieces of their design.

·     Students will have the opportunity to incorporate color in their finished pieces.

Additional Course Information:

IMPORTANT: Once you have purchased a workshop or course please keep an eye out in your email for our Release Form that will be sent to you. Each participant is required to read, sign, and email back our Release Form prior to attending any glass workshop offered at Wyandotte Art and Glass Center. Please send signed documents to info@wyandotteartandglasscenter.com

• Unless specified, glass workshops are recommended for ages 14 and older. Those under the age of 18 must turn in a signed parental consent form and have a guardian present during their experience. 

• Unless specified, glass classes and workshops offered do not require any previous experience or knowledge of glass blowing and are intended for beginners. All skill levels are welcome! 

• All tools, materials, and finished pieces are provided and included in prices. 

• All pieces made through workshops will have to go through a process called annealing. The 2100 degree Fahrenheit glass has to be slowly brought down to temperature over a 24 hr period in a controlled temperature kiln. This process assures your glass pieces are structurally sound and will not form cracks during the cooling process. Once properly annealed your pieces will be ready to be picked up the next Saturday following your work shop day between 10am and 3pm. If you are not available to pick up the following Saturday you can email: info@wyandotteartandglasscenter.com or give us a call to schedule an alternate pick up date and time that works best for you. If you live out of sate we will be more than happy to ship your piece to you at the cost of shipping. 

• If tickets are sold out for this workshop and you would like to be placed on a waitlist please email info@wyandotteartandglasscenter.com. If availability opens for this class we will notify those on the waitlist on a fist reserve first serve basis.

• Classes may be cancelled due to low enrollment. See our full cancelation policy HERE.

If you have any other questions regarding classes and workshops offered by Wyandotte Art and Glass Center please do not hesitate to contact us at info@wyandotteartandglasscenter.com or give us a call at (734)778-9878.