No ventilation?
 

Hello!

I'm fairly new to lampworking and have been researching studios in my area. The closest one looks good, has 5 torches and teaches the occasional class but they don't seem to have any kind of ventilation system. The ceilings are crazy high - maybe 20-25 ft high and they do have fans around to keep the place cool but is that really safe enough?

Hi there I'm super careful cos I work with silver rich glass as well. I have full flow through air plus ventilation system plus respirator. I think at the very least a good air flow is necessary. Enjoy!! It's such a magical art ☺

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I wouldn't imagine that high ceilings would make much of a difference with the amount of particulate being blown into you, but I'll leave the experts to answer.

And I have always heard that the fumes sink, not rise.
When I took a class at a recreation center for a couple of sessions, they did not turn on the exhaust fan because of the noise, and I went home with headaches. That was one of the reasons I stopped and decided to try to learn on my own.

No! That's not enough. I used to rent torch time in a building that had no ventilation whatsoever, and the last time I went there I was so disoriented when I left that I got in my car and started driving in the wrong direction!

If its not properly ventilated then they are plain foolish, way too ghetto to consider renting a bench from.

Outfits like that give lamp workers a bad name, thinking everyone is a dumb stoned wookie.

You want to work with people who understand the health danger.

The studio is not properly or safely set up. Exhausted ventilation with proper capture systems need to be in place. I would be very leery of a teaching studio that did not even know about proper and safe ventilation. Find a better studio.:wave:

do NOT rent a bench from a place with zero ventilation.

All the folks that do safety inspections consistently say that this kind of place is going to cut someones life shorter than it would be if they did not spend time there.

I did minor safety stuff for my division in my last ten years in the US Navy that ended in '93 and I have reviewed a great deal of reliable information on this forum and on the Wetcanvas forum from folks with degrees and employment in the safety certification industry and they all say that "if there is no specific method of removing combustion gases and fumes from the glass melting then you are breathing that stuff into you body without question."

So that's the long answer.

The short answer is don't go there again. They obviously don't care or don't know what they are doing.

I hope you can find a better choice or create a place where you can be safe while you torch.

Ya only get one set of lungs... I wouldn't want to work there.

Sue