Underneath all the beauty of glass sculptures is a lot of industrial equipment.
And underneath that equipment is…. Well, me.
While casting glass boxes in November, some molten glass escaped onto the floor of the kiln and coated an inch of the electric elements. That broke the circuit, and two of the four floor elements weren’t working.
I am not a kiln repairman, nor an electrician, and Charlie custom-built these kilns, so there’s no manufacturer to call for assistance. But it had to be fixed. So, with help from the landlord (who is an engineer), I managed to repair the elements and firebrick. Then I had to crawl under the kiln to reconnect the elements.
The clearance between the bottom of the casting kiln and the floor is 15.” Getting my upper body, both arms and an electric screwdriver underneath there was quite a stretch – but so was getting back up off the floor afterwards.
January was like that. I am making various repairs and upgrades so that the studio will pass a safety inspection by the county, in order to get a Certificate of Occupancy and then a business license. Some days, when doing so much maintenance, it’s hard to get my head back into making art.
It’s all good, though. A key safety requirement was for the studio to have an emergency exit door. The landlord finally installed one, and it really changes the feel of the studio. Besides having a second route out of the building, I now have quick access to fresh air, trees, sunlight, and the bike trail. I think this door will also help cool down the studio when summer comes.