juiceglass studio was born in October, 2004. When I began looking for my first house, I had in the back of my mind that I needed space for my budding interest in glass, but I didn't think I would be so lucky as to find a studio space in my very own home!

Over several months I slowly created the juiceglass studio with a hefty load of loving help from my darling husband (DH). Together we took an empty room with a seperate entrance from the house that only had studs for walls, and added insulation, drywall, paint, ventilation and table space. We hired an electrician to wire the room for my small kiln that I use now, and for my future "big mama" that is in the plans for 2005. I feel exceptionally blessed to have this work space of my own, even if it doesn't have heat!

In the summer of 2005, my father came to visit in order to fulfill a birthday wish: I wanted a real workbench. Instead, he created an entire glass studio for me out of love and timber!

Creating one's own studio is a lot of work, and I had a lot of questions about what I needed. To help others, here is a list of what I used to build my glass studio. Not everything I have is needed, though a good ventilation system, and a fire extinguisher are both non-negotiable! I am listing what I use just as a rough blueprint for those trying to think through everything they would need, depending on the type of glass art they wish to pursue.

Art Glass Studio Check List

For lampworking:

• Torch (I started with a Nortel Minor)
• Clamp (to secure the torch to the workbench
• T-grade hoses
• Hose clamps
• Propane Regulator and flashback arrestor
• Propane Tank (with propane)
• Oxygen Concentrator (you can start out with tanks of oxygen instead, with an additional regulator)
• Paragon Caldera Kiln (for annealing beads, and also for small fusing work)
• Paragon Caldera Kiln Bead Collar
• GlassCraft overhead ventilation system (hood, fan)
• Assorted Mandrels
• Sludge (mandrel bead release)
• Jar filled with sand for holding coated mandrels
• Jar of water (for dropping the projects that went south)

• Tweezers
• Dental tools
• Bead presses and molds
• Mashers
• Hardibacker Board (for covering the walls around the kiln and torch)
• Cut steel sheet (for protecting surface of workbench from molten glass
• Suntan lotion or UV protective lotion for face and hands (call me paranoid, I spend a lot of hours looking at flame)
• Auralens 90 safety glasses

Kiln work (kiln listed above):

• Glass cutter (mine is a Toyo)
• Glass cutter oil
• Pliers
• Pliers 2
• Glass Grinder
• Kiln Shelfwash
• Kiln shelves
• Glass cleaner and towels
• Clear safety glasses
• Glass-tack (glue)
• various picks and tweezers

Studio Misc:

• Fire Extinguisher
• Work bench
• An open source of air (window) for circulation
• Sound System ( I need my aural inspiration)
• Clock (so easy to lose track of time!)
• Chair

Glass:

• Rods
• Sheet
• Frit
• Stringers