The New Casting Area

Soldering Station

New Casting Area

Here is the humble beginning of where I will cast. When I purchased the equipment from Diane she wanted to show me something she considered very important. To me, anything to do with glass and metal is important.- top that off with my great respect for Diane and I was all ears. I asked why she was selling this equipment and she said she wasn’t interested in casting anymore. That if she desired to work in metal she would fabricate and it was just “time” to pass it on to someone else who would respect and love the equipment. She most certainly found that!

She confided something because she wanted me to listen closely and to pass on a solid piece of advice.– maybe she heard the subtle wheeze I frequently have. Diane said she has emphysema. I was shocked. She took me over to a piece of equipment I was not buying that day, a NuTone ILF 250 in-line ventilator. She showed me how it was hooked via a dryer vent to the window. From there two intake vents, one positioned about the burnout kiln and the other positioned behind the soldering station, removed lung killing vile fumes from her working area. She was quick to point out that for the better part of her career she had not used one and instead inhaled those fumes. Her doctor told her that not taking better care to remove those irritants had contributed greatly to her illness.

I have a small NuTone range hood above my glass torch. It vents out of a window and is hooked to a rheostat so I can control the airflow. BUT, since it is above me it is likely I still inhale some of the irritants I create while torching. Not the best – but I was trying.

Diane most certainly opened my eyes – and probably my lungs as well. The first purchase made after the casting equipment was that industrial size Nutone. No doubt, it’s expensive ($250.00). There will be a vent hovering above both the kiln and behind the soldering station. When they are complete we will re-vent the torch area too. The new NuTone is large enough to handle all of them.

I hope you like what I’m doing to the studio – and if you need more info on what I’ve used to make it safer to breathe just ask. When it’s all complete I’ll blog some more photos.