About The Charity Randall Flame Shop
Pittsburgh Glass Center’s recently expanded flame shop spans 1,500 square feet and features three distinct areas for classes, rentals, and neon/plasma art. The class area is equipped with 12 fully outfitted workstations, each including a Nortel Major/Minor torch, a tabletop annealing kiln, a ventilation hood, and a complete set of glassworking tools.
The newly added rental space houses four stations—two dedicated to flameworking and two for neon bending—each equipped with ventilation hoods and specialized tools.
The neon and plasma area is fully equipped for exploring both neon and plasma art, featuring everything from neon tubing to plasma sculpture. We provide access to a variety of noble gases, including helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon, enabling endless creative possibilities.
Our flame shop has welcomed some of the world’s finest flame artists, including Tim Drier, Matt Eskuche, Sally Prasch, and Emilio Santini, among many others.
Our Flame Shop Features:
- Nortel Major/Minor Torches
- National Hand Torches
- Table Top Annealers with 12″ x 9″ interior
- Ventilation Hood
- Skutt Scarab Kiln 16”H x 27”W x 12”D
- Tool cabinet with essential tools for working with glass
- Specialty hand tools and a variety of metal and graphite shaping tools
- Dedicated plasma cart and kiln
- Vacuum system for filling tubes with neon gases
- Ribbon burners, crossfires, and hand torches
Flame Shop Rental
Due to increased demand, our studios have limited capacity. It is important that you email us in advance to reserve studio space. When making rental requests, please specify which studio you would like to rent, the date and duration of your requested session, and any additional equipment needed. Please note that before submitting a rental request, a valid credit card must be on file for payments.
Email us at rental@pittsburghglasscenter.org to schedule flame shop rental.
Flameworking rental includes the use of one studio torch (torch prices vary), one flameworking station (with connections for oxygen, propane, and natural gas), half a table top kiln, and studio tools. Glass materials are not provided.
- Standard Torch: $15/hour (Nortel Major/Minor, 2-Hour Minimum)
- Carlisle Torch: $30/hour (Experience Required, 2-Hour Minimum)
- Hand Torch Only: $5/hour (Use of a hand torch without other torches, 2-Hour Minimum)
- Hand Torch Addition: $5/session (Upon Request)
- Paragon Bluebird Kiln: $10/session
- Skutt Kiln: $25/session
- Boro Clear Scrap: $10/session
- Pre-Dipped Mandrels: $0.25/mandrel
Standard Bending Setup – Crossfire with hand torch and ribbon burner
$20/hour (2-hour minimum)
Neon and Plasma Filling Rates
Pumping and bombarding are done by certified staff only.
- Helium Fill: coming soon
- Neon Fill: $25/fill
- Argon Fill: $20/fill
- Krypton Fill: $50/reservoir line
- Xenon Fill: $200/reservoir line
- Nitrogen Fill: $10/reservoir line
