About the Heather McElwee and Chris Clarke Professional Hot Shop
To meet the increasing demand for classes and support our growing professional artist community, Pittsburgh Glass Center has added a second hot shop. Our new third-floor hot shop spans 2,700 square feet and houses both local and visiting artists. It features six workstations, each equipped with a glory hole and workbench. Two state-of-the-art Wet Dog furnaces, each with a 740-pound capacity, operate 24/7 at 2,115˚F, ensuring a continuous supply of clear molten glass.
Our Professional Hot Shop Features:
- Two 740-pound Wet Dog furnaces with invested pots
- Full range of hand tools, pipes, and punties
- Four 12″ Wet Dog glory holes with barn doors
- One 16″ glory hole with barn doors
- One 18″ glory hole with barn doors
- Two mobile gas-powered garages
- One mobile powder booth
- Six benches with compressed air, oxygen, and gas
- Nortel Ranger, mid-range, and multi-mix torches
- Exact “Fluffy” torches
Professional Hot Shop Rental
Rental of the hot shop includes the use of clear furnace glass and studio equipment. Additional charges apply for increased usage of glass, equipment, and space. Glass color is not provided.
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 the 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 hot shop rental.
Each 2-4 hour session includes the use of one glory hole with shared pipe warmer, one heat shield, one marver, one workbench with an attached tool bench, up to 25 pounds of clear furnace glass, up to a quarter of a standard annealer (standard or paperweight annealing cycle), shared pipe cooler, shared knock-off barrels (clear and color), and complimentary use of studio pipes, punties, basic hand tools, and blocks with a water bucket. Forks, pastorelli plates, and ferretis are also available without charge, but damage fees may apply.
- 12″ x 24″ Glory Hole: $35/hour (2-hour minimum)
- 16″ x 28″ Glory Hole: $40/hour (2-hour minimum)
- 18″ x 38″ Glory Hole: $45/hour (2-hour minimum)
Hot casting rental includes 25 pounds of glass for up to a 4-hour slot. Additional glass, including waste glass, is charged at $4 per pound. Renters are responsible for weighing their work and keeping waste glass in a separate barrel.
A separate annealer must be used for hot casting. The cost for using the entire annealer is $25, which includes a 16-hour cycle. An additional $2 per hour applies after the initial 16 hours.
Assistants are available for hire with notice. Rates generally range from $25 to $35 per hour.
Extra care must be taken to thoroughly clean the hot shop following hot casting rental, especially if sand is used.
Hot Casting: $35/hour (2-Hour minimum)
- Torch Only: $15/hour (half-hour minimum, annealer not included)
- Annealer Only: $25/annealer (up to 16-hour cycle)
These charges may apply during rental time. All extras are subject to availability, so please include them in your rental requests.
- Mapp Gas Torch: $5/session (excessive use only)
- Fluffy (propane) Torch: $2/hour
- Ranger (oxy/propane) Torch: $3/hour
- Mid-Range (oxy/propane) Torch: $5/hour
- Garage: $3/hour
- Hot Plate: $3/hour
- Pickup Kiln: $10/session
- Extra Work Bench: $10/session
- Double Annealer Space: $15/session (up to 16-hour cycle)
- Full Standard Annealer: $25/session (up to 16-hour cycle)
- Full Big Annealer: $35/session (up to 16-hour cycle)
- Extra Long Cycle: +$2/hour (beyond 16 hours)
