[rainygrrl]

Hi, and welcome!

Have you had the opportunity to take a class? There also are plenty of YouTube videos. And the best source of a large amount of info is this website.

I would start with a hothead torch. You can do a LOT with one and they are relatively inexpensive. You need a way to attach it to your bench, and I would get a hose in order to use larger gas canister. I’ve heard that some people use propane. Initially you could use drywall to cover the top of the bench. Or something else that isn’t flammable.

You need a decent setup for ventilation. That is not optional! Depending on where you live you might be able to work outside.

You need didymium glasses.

You need a way to slowly cool your beads, unless you already have a kiln. I sometimes use a crock pot filled with “annealing bubbles” (which don’t actually anneal). You can also use vermiculite but it’s messy and the dust is nasty. Some use a fiber blanket. You could make a bunch, then arrange to have them batch annealed. They would have to be pretty small to survive until they can be annealed.

You need mandrels and bead release. You could stand them up in a jar of sand to let them dry.

I think I would buy an assortment of effetre pastel and transparent rods. They will be labeled individually and you can keep the labeled short ends for future reference. Avoid alabastro and opalino. And I would buy more (maybe 1/4 pound each?) of black, white, clear, and dark ivory.

You don’t need a lot of tools. Definitely a graphite marvel, inexpensive needle nose pliers.

I’m probably forgetting some things...

It would pay to do some online research about pricing, and watch for sales or free shipping. Frantzartglass.com and Howacoglass.com are 2 vendors I often use.

Hope this helps a bit. I honestly don’t know what it would cost to get set up now.