Tools documented
Tool categories
Interactive 3D tools
Calculators
What this site is
A structured reference for the tools of a hot shop: what each one does, what the numbers in its specification mean, which glass types it suits, and how it can hurt you if it is used carelessly. Twenty-eight tools are documented across five categories, from the melting furnace down to a diamond file.
Alongside the tool library there are three calculators for batch recipes, annealing schedules and expansion compatibility, and four interactive 3D simulations that let you gather, shape, colour and anneal a piece without standing next to a furnace.
What this site is not
- Not a shop. There is nothing to buy here and no affiliate links.
- Not a certification. Reading this site does not make anyone competent to run a furnace.
- Not a guarantee. Schedules, recipes and simulations are reference material and must be tested on your own equipment.
- Not a substitute for instruction. Hot glass is a craft learned with hands, under supervision, in a real studio.
How the material is compiled
Tool specifications are drawn from published manufacturer ranges and normalised into a consistent format so that tools in the same category can be compared. Where a range varies widely between makers, the site gives the range rather than a single number, because a single number would be misleading.
Articles are written from studio practice notes and reviewed before publication. Thermal and chemical content is checked against standard reference values for the three main glass families: soda-lime, borosilicate and lead crystal.
The 3D Studio
The four interactive tools on this site are educational simulations, not engineering models. They reproduce the relationships that matter: volume grows with the cube of diameter, thicker glass anneals more slowly, and mismatched expansion cracks a piece. They do not reproduce the full physics of molten glass, and they are not a substitute for a kiln schedule you have tested yourself.
Every simulation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and no account is needed.
Start with the tool library
Twenty-eight tools documented with specifications, compatible glass types and safety notes.