Beadmaking Bench

This is where I make the glass beads featured on this site. I use a Minor torch to melt the glass rods onto a 9" steel rod (mandrel) and then place them immediately into the pre-heated kiln which sits on a metal cabinet just to the left of my bench. On the right are shelves for glass rod storage and for a collection of soldering "furniture" and tools. When I need to solder, I move the Minor torch and set up the soldering torch. The great ventilation system, the large table covered with metal, and the piped in propane and oxygen (both kept in an outdoor storage cabinet) serve both functions well.

The end of the torch flame is inches away from the 10" opening of the ventilation system. The large, smooth tube in the middle section (above the wood platform) is a muffler. It may be totally unnecessary, I don't know for sure, but the sound of the fans can drive me nuts so it seemed like a good idea at the time. The actual fan is on the outside of the studio. It is 450 cfm and seems to be adequate, but I am thinking of replacing this entire set-up with something quite different. A more powerful in-line fan, perhaps scrap the muffler, maybe build a slightly larger "capture" area…..always looking for a way to make things better and safer.