My studio is based in Alderley Edge in Cheshire and is equipped with a GTT Lynx dual fuel torch, a Nortel Minor torch, a Kilncare Maxine kiln and a wide range of glass, tools, frits and presses, along with some speciality bits and pieces like silver foil, shards and murrini! I have full public liability insurance and am covered for tuition (adults only).
A basic one day lesson lasting around 6 hours costs £120 and will include H&S induction, all the basics and one or two more advanced techniques.
It can be tailored to suit you depending on whether you have some experience or no experience.
The price includes lunch, copious tea, coffee and biscuits and all the beads both you and I make on the day annealed, cleaned and posted on to you, along with a little goody bag of glass and bits and bobs to take away.The price for two people (with a torch each) is £190.
Lessons can also be taken in two half day sessions as some people find a whole day too much - so that would be £60 per session. I am also running some 2 hour tasters and some more advanced tutorials for beginners and beyond at £40 on request as follows:
Have a go at making beads - a very basic 2 hour session to see if you like it and want to take it further
Learn the basics sessions (covering what is covered in a 1 day course in 3 bite sized chunks of 2 hours each)
Techniques Tutorial Number 1 Making stringers, encased stringers, silvered ivory stringers, twisties and murrini
Techniques Tutorial Number 2 Playing with colour - dots, plunged dots and stacked dots
Techniques Tutorial Number 3 Getting to grips with presses
Techniques Tutorial Number 4 Adding garnishes including frits, foils, shards, murrini and silver wire
Techniques Tutorial Number 5 Mastering encasing
Techniques Tutorial Number 6 Using speciality glass including silvered glass, seeded glass, other reactive glass
All courses are by appointment - I am reasonably flexible as to the days I can teach. I think it is a good idea for all beginners to get an idea of what they are letting themselves in for to get the most out of the lesson and I would recommend having a browse through the topics at www.frit-happens.co.uk, having a look at lampworking video footage on You Tube and investing in a good basic DVD such as this one by Sally Carver http://www.lampworkbeads.co.uk