Showerthought: people keep putting their glory holes way too close to the bench

I've seen it at three different shops in Portland, and it always leads to heat control issues. The radiant heat from the hole makes the piece on the marver start to set up before you're ready. My old teacher said to keep at least 18 inches between them, and it changed my whole flow. Anyone else run into this and have a good fix for a tight studio layout?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_joseph21d ago

Wait, I actually prefer them close! At my old studio in Seattle, we had maybe 10 inches between the glory hole and bench. You learn to work faster, and that heat keeps your piece from shocking when you go back to reheat. It's all about timing. I marver on a graphite pad instead of the steel marver itself, which buys a few extra seconds. Makes the whole process feel more fluid to me.

the_nathan18d ago

Yeah, that graphite pad trick is basically a mini annealer for your bench.

brian_smith621d ago

You know, this is just like when people cram their desk right next to the office printer. The heat and noise mess up your whole focus. Joseph's point about the graphite pad is smart, it's like using a coaster for a hot mug. But that constant radiant heat in a small shop would drive me nuts, I'd rather take the extra step back for a clear head. Some layouts just fight against you instead of helping the work.