Firehouse Glass offers three floors of state-of-the-art facilities for: Glass blowing, Casting, Fusing & Slumping, Flat working, Cold working, and Etching.  Our public studios are available for rent by qualified glass workers.  Qualified glass instructors are available for private lessons in each of these studios for those wanting to learn to work with glass.  Three time slots per bench are available in the Hot Shop each day.  All other studios are available for rent on demand. 

            Hot Shop - Vancouver, Wa / Portland, Or area

Firehouse Glass Hot Shop features state-of-the-art studio equipment, blow pipes, and punties designed and manufactured by Spiral Arts in Seattle, WA.  All studio hand tools are made by Jim Moore.  To maximize studio usage we rent the studio in four-hour blocks of time: 9:00 am– 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm– 5:30 pm, and 6:00 pm– 10:00 pm.  Private lessons can be arranged upon request.  Special events and seminars are offered periodically.  Each First Friday night of the month from 6:00-10:00 there is a public demonstration in the Hot Shop. There is also an open studio each Saturday from 1:30-5:30.

Spiral Arts Equipment:
            550 lb. day tank furnace
            two 17" glory holes
            two 48" front-loading annealing ovens
            pipe warmer and cooler
            garage
            color box
            two rolling marvers
            dozen standard work horse blow pipes
            five sizes of straight punties
            garage tools: forks and paddles 

Jim Moore Hand tools:
            two standards jacks
            two trim shears
            two standard diamond shears
            two medium tweezers
            two puffers- one bent, one straight
            two parchoffis
            several wooden paddles
            tagliol
            two graphite paddles 

Other Tools:
           
            Correll 18' crucible furnace
            two ladles: one 6", one 8"
            pastorale and many different sized ferros
            many Steinert optic molds
            full selection of blocks
            footing tool
            two steam sticks
            two hand torches
            one Nortel minor burner
            powder booth
            compressed air 
                      
    ·     $35/ hour* studio rental includes 1 bench with a 17” glory hole, use of
        shop tools and pipes, annealer space, and up to 20 lb. of clear furnace
        glass. We charge $2.00/lb. above 20 lb.
    ·     $10/ hour Garage rental
    ·     $40/ day Extra annealer charge (extra days for thick work, heat-up of
         roll-up panels, etc.) 

* If an individual pays for 10 hours or more by the 4th of the month, they are eligible for a 10% discount, and will pay $32.00/hour for all hours paid for by the 4th of the month. Hours paid for later in the month do not qualify for the 10% discount. 

            Cold Shop/ Etching 

Firehouse Glass Cold Shop features a Glastar sand blasting cabinet with a pressure pot, a water fed drill press, a slab saw, two 30" Covington Engineering lathes (one for grinding, the other for polishing), a 30" slurry wheel, and a 18" diamond lap wheel.  The Cold Shop orientation is required to be cleared for cold shop rental.  Cerox, masking supplies and expansion drum belts are not included in the cost of the studio rental.  Personal cold working supplies can be purchased through HIS Glassworks. 

·     $15.00/hour studio rental ($15 minimum)

          Warm Shop/ Flat Working 

Firehouse Warm Shop features three 4 by 8 foot flat tables, two Paragon kilns, two Evenheat kilns a variety of kiln molds, kiln furniture, and glass tools.  A modest supply of Bullseye and Uroboros sheet glass, frit, powder, and rods are available for purchase.  Glass Studio rental includes bench time and use of tools.  Glass is not included.  There is no charge for assembling pieces, and use of your own tools.  Each firing is based on a 24-hour cycle. Longer firing schedules will be charged on a per-day basis. We ask that you bring a complete firing schedule, or a very specific description of desired results. There will be no charge for prepared kiln shelves if we are given 24-hours notice. If less than 24-hours notice is given, there will be a $5.00 fee for shelf prep and drying.  Mold rental includes prep of mold with Bullseye kiln wash. Please give the studio 24-hours notice for mold prep. You are welcome to bring in your own prepared mold.  

    ·     $10/hour Studio rental
    ·     $5/mold Mold rental
    ·     $3.50/sheet for Bullseye Thin-fire shelf paper
    ·     $20/firing in the Paragon GL24 front loading kiln; uses 20”x20” shelf
    ·     $35/firing in the Evenheat oval top loading kiln; interior dimensions
         approx 36”x24”               

            Torch Working/ Bead Making Studio 

Firehouse Glass Torch Working studio rental includes use of torch and torch working supplies: gas, mandrels, didymium safety glasses, bead release, tweezers, graphite marvers, and other tools. Glass is not included. We feature Nortel torches: Minor, Midrange, and Major burners. Please specify which torch you prefer working with.  Please call at least 24-hours in advance to schedule torch rental to ensure availability. 

·     $10.00/hour Studio Rental 

Cancellation Policy 

Firehouse Glass requires 48 hours to cancel or reschedule a lesson or studio rental.  If less than 48 hours is given, 50% of the total cost of the lesson or rental will be charged.  If less than 24 hours is given, 75% of the lesson/ studio rental will be charged.  No shows will be charged the full amount.

Firehouse Glass Information Sheet Printable PDF