What You Must Know About Blowing Glass

There is a lot of misinformation going around about glassblowing. The alarmists insist that it is too dangerous for just anybody to get involved in. But the truth is, with the proper training, you can safely engage in glassblowing long into your 70s. Yes, there are some precautions that you have to take, but the dangers are greatly exaggerated. This article is going to give you some common sense info if glassblowing is something you’re interested in getting into.

You’re going to be working with great extremes of temperature so make sure you wear protective clothing and work in a well ventilated area. Truth is, the most common accidents involved in glassblowing are simply the cause of carelessness and working in an area that is not properly setup and ventilated. The process itself is safe if done correctly.

Another thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the laws governing your part of the world. Your studio is going to need to be inspected by the state, depending on where you live. Everything must meet with their specifications or you won’t be allowed to go ahead with your work. There are laws regarding air contaminants, metals, chemical exposures, noise, and machinery. All of these must be adhered to.

Finally, you want to make sure that you are properly trained. Aside from improper working conditions, not knowing what you’re doing is probably the biggest risk you’re taking. If that seems fairly obvious, you’d be surprised how many people attempt glassblowing because they “think” they know what they’re doing but really don’t.

Below, you’ll find a link for a great resource for learning everything you’ll need to know about glassblowing. It is absolutely critical that you get this information before you even think about attempting what could be a very dangerous craft. The dangers are overblown only because of carelessness, lack of knowledge and improper working conditions. Account for these, and you should have little problem with your new venture.

Glassblowing Bible