What is an Annealer & How Will it Function in the Upcoming Mobile Shop!

Annealer Kiln

with a Marver plate placed on top of kiln!

An Annealer is a Kiln. A hot oven that is used to store your glasswork after you’re finished making it in the glass shop. The type of glass I work with is sensitive and can be shocked easily. So in order to temper the glass and prevent it from breaking or exploding, we slowly cool it down over an 8 to 12 hour period of time. I mean imagine if you cooled something down from like 1000 degrees and in 10 minutes to room temperature. That’s too fast and sounds like a disaster! I don’t think any sort of material would like that! Unless you’re metal I guess! But glass is a delicate material and needs to be eased into its next phase.

When I am done working with a glass vessel, I knock it off the metal rod it is attached to and put it away into the kiln. It sits at around 900 degrees Fahrenheit or 515 degrees Celsius and slowly cools down to room temperature overnight. Now that’s more like it right!

Normal Marver Table

The annealer kiln I have ordered from Canned Heat Glass, (Pictured above and to the left) is going to be so fun because it will have two main functions. It will be a cute small kiln that sits on a metal stand with wheels and on top of the kiln it will have a marver. A Marver table is a stainless steel thick metal sheeted table. It normally functions as its own piece of equipment in a glass studio. Glassblowers use this to shape their glass, pick up color, etc. But in my studio it will be combined with the annealer kiln. The stainless steel metal sheet will be laid across the top of the annealer. Acting as an all in one multi functional piece of equipment! That way I will have less things to haul around and it will be much more versatile. Click the pictures to check out more of Canned Heat Glass equipment!

Once I have all of this equipment finished being made and in hand, I will show you with more detail what all of this will look like. I can’t wait!!!

In the meantime check out my new workshop listing just posted last week! It’s all about you! Take a solo private beginner workshop for 1 with me. I would love to teach you glassblowing!

Thanks so much for reading this months more technical blog. I hope you have a wonderful last weekend of May. Cheers!

New Things Brewing - A Mobile Glass Shop - Whats That?!

Things are stirring at RachelEscoeGlass. A really exciting journey is coming into play that I have been dreaming about for years now. I am in the middle of getting my own mobile glassblowing studio together!

As my love, Chris Byers would say, “Hell Yeah.” Let’s do this!

For a long time it was a mere pipe dream, mostly because in reality I knew how much it would cost to build my own glass shop, but through many years of working my buns off at various day jobs, putting a little savings away at a time and realizing that life is short; I decided to do it. As my love, Chris Byers would say, “Hell Yeah.” Let’s do this!

What also helped me to get here, is being able to teach you all how to blow glass! My beginner glassblowing workshops have given me some much needed consistency in my career as an artist. I am currently teaching my classes in the evenings at a community glass shop here in town. Once I have my own little mobile shop together, I will be able to make these even more accessible by holding workshops in the mornings and afternoons on weekends.

Once the glass shop is HOT, I will be continuing to teach my beginner glassblowing workshops in various locations including the possibility of bringing the shop to your home and taking your workshop in the comfort of your own driveway! If dimensions and logistics allow it. Intermediate classes will be set in motion as well for those of you that have expressed interest in taking more workshops with me!

Having this shop will allow me to continue to make my own body of artwork from my home and have potential opportunities to showcase glassmaking at various events, festivals and markets in the area. I will be offering opportunities to book private events with me for weddings, bat/bar mitzvahs, birthdays, etc. 

Further down the line, if all of this takes off, I would like to eventually take the studio to Portland Public School events and showcase/introduce glassblowing to underserved youths. Show them something that is naturally a very expensive medium to experience and give them an opportunity to make some glasswork!

While the plans are already in motion and certain pieces of equipment are being made for me as we speak, I do need some help from you to make this studio complete.

That is to make it mobile!

In order for me to bring my glass shop to you, I need to purchase a truck or trailer and some other essential things to bring my wild glass shop experience to life! I will be starting a kickstarter with further details very soon here.

So please please stay tuned in to RachelEscoeGlass. Sign-up below for my newsletter to stay informed, follow me on Instagram @RachelEscoeGlass and help spread the word!!

I hope you are all in good health and enjoying the seasons changing right meow! Talk soon