Wet Dog Glass // Services

Services

Consulting/Technical Support

Wet Dog Glass services include phone support, ideation, research, and engineering.

Standard Rate
Hourly WDG Office Rate: $90

2-hour/$180 minimum, per appointment
4-hour/$360 minimum for travel appointments within 4 hour distance of Wet Dog Glass office
Day rate: $720

On-Site Day Rate: $360/8 hour day, $500/10 hour day

4-hour/$180 minimum for travel appointments within 2 hour distance of Wet Dog Glass office
Additional hours billed at $50/hour per day
Additional fees and charges may apply (see below).

Weekend, Holiday and After Hours Rates
Hourly WDG Office Rate: $120

2-hour/$240 minimum, per appointment
4-hour/$480 minimum for travel appointments within 4 hour distance of Wet Dog Glass office

On-Site Day Rate: $480/8 hour day, $650/10 hour day

4-hour/$240 minimum for travel appointments within 2 hour distance of Wet Dog Glass office
Additional hours billed at $60/hour per day
These rates apply to any appointment scheduled outside normal operating hours. These rates do not apply to scheduled appointments that begin before 5pm and run late.
Additional fees and charges may apply (see below).

Phone Support
No charge for the first 15 minutes for clients in good standing; $30 per each 15-minute increment thereafter.
Phone support fee waived if call results in on-site appointment.
All times are rounded to nearest quarter hour.

Additional Fees and Charges
Rush Fee: $90, applies to same day appointments (less than 24 hours notice)
Cancellation Fee: $90, applies to appointments canceled with less than 24 hours notice.

Travel Fee: Applies to areas outside 25-mile radius from base of operations.

Travel time is billed at half the hourly rate.
All travel expenses are billed at cost. Such expenses include air fare, mileage reimbursement, vehicle rental, accommodations and meals.

Miscellaneous Fees: Additional off-site charges may apply for research, equipment purchases, manufacturer technical support calls and other related support activities.
Miscellaneous charges will not be applied to invoice without prior discussion with client.

Studio Design

About Glass Studios

What is a glass studio? A glass studio is a workspace designed and arranged to produce hand-blown, hand-sculpted, ladle cast, kiln cast, fused, flame-worked, cut, ground, polished, glued, enameled, painted, etched, bombarded and stained glass. These processes are not mutually exclusive and are often combined. Items can range from one-off unique art pieces to production line items and/or anything in between. Most glass craftspeople tend to call a hot glass studio a “hot shop”. There are also “warm glass studios” or “kiln shops” in which fusing, slumping and bending processes are performed.

In a “cold shop” there are machines such as lapidary wheels, belt sanders, and lathes for cutting, grinding, engraving, faceting and finishing glass pieces. Our primary focus has been on hot shops, and each year we have added a product or two that support other studios. We frequently supply entire facilities to support the complete range of glass working techniques by working with other vendors who we feel offer high quality products and services. Hot shops come in many shapes and sizes. Different shops serve different purposes. For example, a small hot shop might be used by a single craftsperson to produce ornaments, paperweights, stemware or other small items. The space and equipment required would be minimal compared to a larger studio where sales volume is high enough to require 3 or 4 craftspeople to work full time.

Some hot glass businesses employ 20 people or more and require shipping and receiving areas, larger storage areas for raw and finished materials, as well as more equipment. Many studios function solely as educational facilities where 80 or more students might use the facility for as little as 3 hours per week. Some studios exist only to produce glasses of different colors to be sold as raw materials in the form of cullet rods, sheets, or frit for other studios to use in their processes. Several museums have hot glass studios for the education of the general public, where professionals perform demonstrations hourly. Each year more studios are built with the objective of renting studio time to enthusiasts and professionals who are starting or already running their own small businesses, but who either are not financially prepared to or simple not interested in owning their own glass studio.

It is important that the proprietor have a clear idea of the function of the studio so that space, equipment, and layout decisions can all be made appropriately. A typical hot glass studio has a communal furnace that melts raw material so that it can be gathered, ladled or poured to make the final product. Normally the studio will have one or more glory holes for reheating and one or more annealing oven to prevent the glass from developing and/or to relieve it from stress or thermal shock as it cools down to room temperature.

The typical glass studio will have a least one bench per glory hole, along with a yoke to support the weight of the pipe while reheating in the glory hole. Heat shields keep the glass blower from receiving the brunt of the heat from the glory hole, and generally make the job more comfortable. Most hot glass studios also have cold shops used for surface decoration or finish work. There are many more accessories that you will find in our catalog along with the description of the function of each. As fuel costs rise, more emphasis is put on efficiency. Efficiency is a philosophy. It is a problem with countless solutions. Efficiency involves not only the equipment selected, but the use of the equipment and space by the operator. We try to do our part by both developing and offering new products and by education our customers, encouraging you to be actively aware of the issue. Look for items such as variable speed blowers, heat exchangers (recuperators) and double glory holes. The more equipment a studio needs to fulfill its function, the more space it needs. A properly selected studio space will have appropriate gas and electric volume availability, appropriate ventilation, storage space, cold shop space, drainage and zoning. As you read through the pages of our catalog, you will find many helpful, clarifying notes that will give you a thorough understanding of what is involved in the development and operation of a glass studio.

Studio Tips

Terms and Conditions

General

All prices are quoted in U. S. Dollars.
Prices are subject to change without notice.
All prices, terms and quotes are binding when approved in writing.
Written quotes expire thirty (30) calendar days from date of issuance.
Title to all goods transfers to the buyer at the FOB point.
All sales are final. We will not accept returns.
Invoices for items that are drop shipped from other plants will be mailed from Wet Dog Glass, LLC.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed, Wet Dog Glass, LLC may make delivery in one or more installments with each installment being treated as a separate agreement. * * * Individual items from a single purchase order may be drop shipped from multiple suppliers.

Payment

The buyer agrees to pay each invoice due according to its terms. Payments should be made to: Wet Dog Glass, LLC, P.O. Box 96, Star, NC 27356 USA.
Checks: Personal and company checks must be drawn on a US bank and payable in US funds. A $20.00 fee will be charged for returned checks.
Credit card: We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express.
International Payment: We request pre-payment in full US bank money order or wire transfer. (See International Orders below). A $25.00 fee applies.
Any taxes duties, VAT or tariffs imposed with sale of products which Wet Dog Glass, LLC either pays or must collect at any time, shall be added to and paid as part of the purchase price.
NET 30 terms require that payment be received by Wet Dog Glass, LLC within 30 days from ship date, which is noted as invoice date.
Extensions of credit for over 30 days are subject to a 2% per month finance charge, which will be added to the total overdue. Any unpaid finance charges will be added to the next invoice.
All orders shipped to North Carolina addresses are charged applicable NC sales tax rate plus respective county sales tax.

International Orders

Orders may be placed by telephone, Mail, Fax or e-mail.
Wet Dog Glass, LLC will confirm order receipt to buyer immediately. If a confirmation order receipt is not received buyer should resubmit the order to Wet Dog Glass, LLC to insure processing of the order. Wet Dog Glass, LLC will calculate and forward the subtotal of the merchandise and comparison shipping charges. Buyer should then choose the preferred means of shipping, add shipping costs to the subtotal of estimate and notify Wet Dog Glass, LLC by phone, fax, or e-mail, regarding preferred shipping and chosen method of payment.
Wet Dog Glass, LLC requires prepayment in full at time of ordering unless other terms have been approved by Wet Dog Glass, LLC.

Shipping

USA and Canada: Most items made by Wet Dog Glass, LLC are of irregular size and weighty so motor freight is the likely method of shipping. Otherwise we will use Ground shipping via UPS (United Parcel Service) or Federal Express. All shipping, insurance and related charges will be paid by the buyer.
Crating fees will be applied when special crating is required.
Delivery dates mentioned in any agreement are approximate. Wet Dog Glass, LLC is not liable to buyer due to failure to deliver on any particular date or dates.
Wet Dog Glass, LLC will provide its best estimate on production lead-time and shipment dates.
Reports of damaged goods or shortages should be made to Wet Dog Glass, LLC upon receipt of goods or within 2 days of receipt of goods. If merchandise is damaged as a result of shipper’s mishandling, notify shipper immediately and retain all packing material for inspection by carrier. Wet Dog Glass, LLC will respond as quickly as possible to remedy the situation. Credit to buyer’s account will be only after receipt of the approved damage claim from the carrier.

Production Scheduling and Customer Order Cancellations

The majority of what Wet Dog Glass, LLC sells is made to order. Production lead times are usually a minimum of three weeks.
A minimum cancellation charge of 15% of order may be applied to any order cancelled forty-eight hours following receipt of order.

Service

Unless otherwise noted herein, the cost of the equipment does not include service or installation.
All services performed by the Company are subject to purchaser’s payment of the Company’s prevailing charges plus necessary travel and living expenses.
Wet Dog Glass technicians are not licensed electricians or plumbers and will not perform any duties that require professional licensing. Customer is responsible for hiring and expense of any licensed professional to connect/wire Wet Dog Glass systems or components to utilities.
Wet Dog Glass offers technical support via phone and on-site for a fee, call for rates. Technical support does not include duties which require professional licensing.

Scope of Work

WDG Typical Scope

General:

Prior to arrival of Wet Dog Glass, LLC personnel, the following must be performed by customer’s qualified contractors.

Remove all large equipment from pallets. Document any visible shifting or damage of or to boxes or equipment via photographs and written description.
Set all equipment in place per CAD layout drawings/ customer preference.
Connect line power to all electric control panels including gas driven equipment requiring electric service.
Provide gas service to all combustion equipment at specified pressure.
Where applicable, mount remote control panels on walls at customer’s preferred height from finished floor.
Run conduit and cables between remote control panels , where applicable, between control panels and back junction box of annealing ovens.
Where applicable, route and connect remote mounted control panels Class 2 signal wire to thermocouple probes on annealing ovens and furnaces (two class 2 harnesses per unit). Class 2 Type K thermocouple extension wires are available at current pricing through Wet Dog Glass, LLC.

Furnace:

This piece of equipment either arrives 95% complete or about 50% complete depending on weight load or dimensional restrictions. Final assembly is performed by Wet Dog Glass, LLC on site. If shipped 95% complete, then final assembly includes leveling, installing recuperator, combustion air piping, and assorted small tasks. This usually takes 1-1.5 eight hour days with two Wet Dog Glass technicians. If shipped 50% complete, assembly requires cutting and laying bricks, setting cast refractory components, assembling steel structure, insulating, piping, and wiring proprietary components. This typically requires 4 days with three technicians.
Operation and training. Furnace will be turned on by Wet Dog Glass personnel and programmed to achieve working temperature in 4-6 days. Wet Dog Glass will be responsible for confirming proper tuning after furnace is up to temperature. Training will instruct customer to safely bring the furnace up to temperature from a cold start, charge the furnace with batch glass or cullet glass, restart from a power failure and turndown for maintenance.

The following must be performed by customer if qualified or customer’s qualified contractors.

Completed hood and ventilation system- Prior to arrival of Wet Dog Glass, LLC personnel.
Gas line capable of providing in branch capacity the max fuel input at required pressure—Prior to arrival of Wet Dog Glass, LLC personnel.
Final gas connections of melting furnace. Connections must be made within 24 hours notice after the final assembly is completed.
Electrical service. If control panel is mounted remotely, conduits connecting pull box located on or near furnace (usually behind furnace). The furnace requires two 1/2” conduits and one 3/4“conduit. Conduits cannot be combined. Power to furnace provided thru furnace control panel.
Furnace controls: Installation of furnace control panel must be done by customer’s qualified electrician. Wet Dog Glass, LLC. is not responsible for remotely mounting or terminating power in control panel. Installation should take place prior to installation of furnace. Customer must select location and give electrician mounting height instructions. Panel must be mounted with clear sight to furnace door. Panel should be mounted with power terminated in panel and conduits run to junction box before installation of furnace. Where desired or specified, customer will provide and terminate interlocks for ventilation system, combustion air fan starter contacts, and building fire safety system.
If remote control panel is used, local contractor must supply 120VAC and 2) CAT5e Ethernet cables connecting remote panel to junction box.
If furnace ships 50% complete, customer must have water, water-fed diamond saw with 14” diameter x 1” arbor blade capacity, a wheel barrow, and either a forklift or a chain hoist and pallet jack available on site. All furnace components and materials will be drop-shipped to customerâ€™s location and must be received and set in or near designated location of the furnace.

Glory holes:

Installation: Glory holes are typically pre-tested and delivered ready for installation. Installation will involve connection to gas line, connection to electrical supply, and if necessary connection to combustion air line. Equipment can be installed without equipment Wet Dog Glass personnel.

Provided by customer:
Complete hood and ventilation system.
A gas line capable of providing branch capacity, the max fuel input at required pressure.
An electrical connection to branch circuit.
Connection to gas supply.

Garage

Installation: Garages will be pre-tested and delivered ready for installation. Installation will involve connection to gas line. Equipment can be installed without equipment vendor on-site.
Provided by customer:
Gas supply connection via low pressure flexible has hose. (code may not permit this equipment to be on wheels and movable in which cast it will be hard piped).

Annealers

Annealers are tested and delivered ready for installation. Installation will involve connection to electrical supply via standard plug. Equipment can be installed without equipment vendor onsite.
Provided by customer:

Prior to the arrival of Wet Dog Glass personnel for installation, the equipment being installed will be unloaded at studio site and placed in the location where it will be installed. All furnace components must be received by purchaser and on job site prior to Wet Dog Glass personnel installing. A professional plumber will have installed main gas line to within 6 feet of the furnace and glory hole locations. A professional electrician will wire the combustion air blower and will supply electrical service to the location where the controller/safety panel boxes will be located. Any delays caused by furnace component vendors will result in rescheduling of furnace delivery. Prior to equipment start-up, conduit must be run from control panels to equipment, and wires must be pulled for control connections on each end. Final connections on gas and electric will be the responsibility of customer’s contracted tradesmen outside of Wet Dog Glass, LLC.

Additional Unexpected Charges:

If there are any delays in project that cause Wet Dog Glass to have to postpone and reschedule ship date or store goods for more than one month after agreed ship date, additional reimbursement and storage charges may apply.
Wet Dog Glass LLC. personnel are experts in the field of combustion and control systems, but they are not licensed plumbers or electricians. Therefore Customer is responsible for any additional fees for those persons qualified to sign off on the job. If the furnace start-up is delayed or canceled due to customer’s negligence in arranging necessary appointments and inspections, Customer will pay additional fees to have Wet Dog Glass personnel return or for technical support over the phone that involves initial start-up, tuning and training.