Hot glass studio Stourbridge
We blow vases, lighting and one-off commissions at 1,150 degrees in the old glass quarter of Stourbridge, and teach anyone who fancies a go.
Scroll to light the furnace
01 From furnace to annealer
The furnace
The furnace never really goes out. A gas-fired crucible holds 90 kilos of clear glass at 1,150°C, and the glory hole beside it keeps each piece workable between heats. By nine, when we open the doors, it has been roaring for three hours.
The gather
A steel blowpipe goes in cold and comes out wearing a glowing gather, turned slowly so gravity cannot drag it off. Too fast and it flies, too slow and it sags. Turn, always turn.
The breath
A small puff makes the first bubble. We roll it on the bench, let it cool a touch and blow again. Each breath is shorter than you expect, and the wall gets thinner every time.
Shaping
Steel jacks pinch the neck, wet paper cups the bulb, and gravity does the rest when the pipe is swung. The glass is workable for seconds at a time, so we keep going back to the glory hole.
Annealing
Cool glass too fast and it cracks in the night. Every piece goes into the annealer at 520°C and comes down over eighteen hours, until the stress has gone and the colour has settled. Then it is yours.
The furnace1,150°C in the glass
I / V
02 Make a piece
The piece in the annealer reheats and reshapes itself. Drag the scene to look round it. When it looks right, tell us and we will blow it.
Form
Colour
A long neck opened out with the jacks, then a shoulder swung low.
Ask about this pieceDrag to turn the view
Slide to blow the piece larger or smaller.03 From the shelf
Every piece is blown, signed and dated on the base. No two are the same, so if one is gone when you ask, we will make you its cousin.
Prices include VAT. A concept page: nothing here can be bought online.
04 Commissions
A free half-hour call or a visit to the studio. Bring a photo, a colour you love or a stairwell that needs lighting.
We blow a test piece in your colour and size for £60, credited against the final order.
Four to eight weeks, with a photo each time something changes colour in the furnace.
Crated in recycled paper, insured, and fitted by our electrician if it is a light.
05 Taster workshops
No experience, no problem. You will wear a leather apron and safety glasses, and a maker stands next to you for every breath. Your piece cools overnight and is ready to collect after 2 p.m. the next day.
Gather, roll in coloured frit and shape a dome with the jacks.
£85 per person
Your first breath into hot glass. Pick two colours and a finish.
£95 per person
A small vase or bowl from gather to the bench, with a lunch break while it cools.
£165 per person
Evening session, two pieces each, a bottle of something cold on the bench.
£190 for two
Thursdays 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. Ages 12 and over. Private parties of up to six from £420.
06 The small print
07 Visit
Thank you. We will check the diary and write back within a day. Wear closed shoes and cotton, never nylon.