[Makerspace-keymembers] Costs for a glass lampworking starter kit

[Dena Strong]

Hi, all! Gergana and Jeff asked me to mail out a list of what it would cost
to put together a glass lampworking basic kit for the Makerspace. My
hypothesis is that it should be doable for under $100 and that everything
should be available at either the hardware store or the grocery store
except for the actual glass rods and mandrel release. Let's see if that's
an accurate guess...

(Some Internet investigations later...)

OK, it looks like a pair of didymium glasses are the break point between
"could get going under $100" and "over $100."

Here's a kit for $99 that would need the gas, glass, and a table protecting
aluminum tray added; it contains a set of didymium glasses.  (
http://www.sundanceglass.com/kitslamp1.htm ) Adding the gas, glass, and
aluminum tray would take the total to about $140.

I've got to admit this is a pretty good deal, because the lenses by
themselves start at $60 and go up from there. If the Makerspace wants to
own a set of those lenses, this kit is definitely the way to go because
adding them on to a piecemeal order later would end up costing about $20-30
more overall. (Getting the kit and adding glass/gas would total about $140.
Getting the components separately and adding the glasses would cost
$160-$170, without factoring in multiple shipping costs.)

But it is possible to hit the "under $100" target if the didymium glasses
aren't in the equation.

If we wanted to piece it out and not get the didymium lenses to start with,
here's how the math would go:

Fire:
MAPP gas - $7.50, Menards
Mag-torch aka hot head torch - $15, Menards (currently on sale for $12)

Table anchoring stuff (the Makerspace may already have some of these for
other purposes too):
C-clamp - $3
4" angle bracket - $3
Hose clamp - $1.50
Aluminum baking tray for table surface protection:  $3
Vermiculite - (I've got a partial bag of the stuff, I'm happy to donate a
gallon-ziploc of it for bead use)
Wide mouth can or clay pot for holding the vermiculite - (I bet there's
something kicking around we could reuse; if not, we should be able to find
something suitable under $5)
Regular non-didymium safety glasses - (the Makerspace has some, right?)

Glass stuff:
Sampler set of 30 rods with assorted colors: $30 from Sundance

Mandrel release bottle: 4 oz - $7 from Sundance

Mandrels - $7 per dozen from Sundance, or $33 per pound; alternatively, 1
pound of stainless steel welding rods would be $15, in 36 inch lengths that
would need cutting down but would give you several dozen. (Given how easy
it is to have a glass item adhere to the mandrel, a few dozen would be a
good idea.)

So the without-glasses version works out to $90ish by making our own
mandrels from the pound of welding rods, or $108ish by buying a pound of
already-made mandrels from Sundance along with the glass and bead release.

What do you think of the options?
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