>> ^Lann:

I find glass to be much more expensive. Then again, it depends on what you mean by "smithing" if you are talking about a blacksmithing studio then yeah a small lampworking set up will be cheaper but still more expensive than the basic start up tools for metalsmithing. Glassblowing however is extremely expensive requiring an annealer, glory hole (no not THAT kind for you dirty minds), and a furnace that runs all the time so it takes a great amount of glass. Coldworking tools are also very expensive. It is understandable why studio cost for glass students are always WAY higher than for metals students.
>> ^Porksandwich:
Glass and smithing are two things I'd like to at least say I'd made something from, even if they looked like crap. Glass is probably the bigger one because it's something you could more likely do at home and on a lower budget. But they are both one of those things where I think you need a apprenticeship in to keep from doing stupid things that could potentially kill or maim you bad enough to screw you up for life.



Honestly don't know enough about either to say one way or another. Glass seemed like it would be cleaner and something you could do without a full production setup, where as blacksmithing would be something you have to go full bore on to do anything worthwhile.

I know they have some metal like substances people use for jewelry and such now that only require a small oven. They are like some kind of clay-ish substance that you mold by hand how you want then bake it to get the metal like look. And I may even be half informed on that as well.

Although I can think of one type of glass creation that I've always wanted to make and keep, where you find a beach and stick a metal rod into the sand to capture the lightning formation as it heats up the sand to glass at the end of the lightning rod. Nothing really man created about it, just kind of coaxed.

I find glass to be much more expensive. Then again, it depends on what you mean by "smithing" if you are talking about a blacksmithing studio then yeah a small lampworking set up will be cheaper but still more expensive than the basic start up tools for metalsmithing. Glassblowing however is extremely expensive requiring an annealer, glory hole (no not THAT kind for you dirty minds), and a furnace that runs all the time so it takes a great amount of energy. Coldworking tools are also very expensive. It is understandable why studio cost for glass students are always WAY higher than for metals students.


>> ^Porksandwich:

Glass and smithing are two things I'd like to at least say I'd made something from, even if they looked like crap. Glass is probably the bigger one because it's something you could more likely do at home and on a lower budget. But they are both one of those things where I think you need a apprenticeship in to keep from doing stupid things that could potentially kill or maim you bad enough to screw you up for life.

Well you get to see them put it in the annealer.

@krumzy - just wanted to mention that most windows in cars do use tempered class although the windshield does not. Windshields use laminated safety glass so that there is no shattering. A windshield is constructed by bonding exterior layers of annealed glass to a middle layer of plastic.

BTW - this is a demonstration that they perform every hour or so at the Corning Museum of Glass... a fascinating place to visit.