Serious question, old school glory holes vs. modern gas furnaces

I learned on a wood-fired glory hole back in the 90s, and it was a real fight to keep the heat even. You'd get a good gather, then spend 5 minutes just trying to get the glass back to a workable temp without shocking it. When I finally got a chance to use a modern gas-fired glory hole at a shop in Seattle, it was a total game changer. The heat was so steady and controlled, I could reheat a piece in under a minute and get right back to shaping. It cut my working time on a simple vase from like 2 hours down to maybe an hour and a half, just because I wasn't fighting the heat source anymore. The consistency let me focus on the form instead of the flame. Anyone else make that switch and notice how much it changed your workflow?

3 comments

3 Comments

masonm852mo ago

My uncle's old wood stove had that same uneven heat problem.

maryh962mo ago

Oh man, that's just how it goes with old tools versus new ones. You spend more time fighting the gear than actually doing the work.

joseph9321mo ago

Wood-fired glory holes don't actually use wood inside the glory hole itself, they use gas too but with a different burner setup. The real old school way was just a big pile of coals you'd scoop into a metal furnace, which is even harder to control than what you're describing. That Seattle shop probably had a regulated propane system with better insulation, which makes way more difference than just the fuel type.