Transcript
Hello my name is Todd Hansen. We are here at The Art of Fire Contemporary Glass Blowing Studio here in Laytonsville, Maryland. We’re online at www.artoffire.com. I’ve been a glass blower for about 12 years now. I’ve got several different lines of glass work that I work on and I’ll be talking to you about glass blowing. One of the things when you’re in the studio, especially when you’re walking around with hot glass, is be very aware of what’s happening around you. You need to pay attention to, not only what you’re doing, but what the other glass blowers are doing in the studio as well. So, before you get up from the bench or before you leave the glory hole or head to the furnace, always take a quick look around to see who’s doing what. Make sure you’re not going to collide or at least even come close to each other. Just be careful of what you’re doing. You always want to be careful about what you do with the tools as well. Anything in the shop can be hot, a lot of stuff in the shop can be sharp as well. Some things are both, they are hot and sharp. So, you always want to make sure when you approach, if you’re going to pick up a tool from the bench or if you’re going to pick up a pipe, don’t just grab it and run. Take it, it’s not a bad idea to give it a little pat and then make sure you’re safe and good to go. Likewise, if you see some glass on the floor, it’s wise to just be very careful about that. Again, you don’t know who was working, when they were working and the last thing you want to do is pick something up, give a good grip to it and end up with a nice big burn or blister on your hand, or god forbid something worse. Always be careful, be careful what’s going on around you, be aware of what everyone else is doing and you should have a good, safe experience.
