Custom design and fabrication for private client in Alaska
2007
Steel, galvanized sheet metal, pine, and leather
50BC the first blowpipe was invented. 1607 the settlers of the Jamestown colony in Virginia brought glassblowing to America. Over history very little has been done to evolve the design of glassblowing tools and equipment. Glass blowers have been using the exact same tools and equipment in America since its first introduction by the English in Virginia. This bench is a custom design I created for a specific client in Fairbanks, AK. Upon first arriving to the studio and working on the bench which my client had been using for years I knew immediately the bench was the first thing to change. After working in the glass industry myself for several years, I understand the wear and tear ill-considered equipment takes on your body. A bench, being too high, can cause massive tendinitis in one's knee from getting up and down from the bench, along with tendinitis in the wrists and shoulders from being seated too high and too close to the railing. With the proper measurements based on physical comfort and better leverage ability the quantity of glass one can use increases along with one's ability to work comfortably and more efficiently. One little inch in the wrong direction can create massive injuries in a blower over years and years of wear on the body. I custom fabricated this bench to fit the physical needs of my client, insuring the longevity of her ability to work.