Our Trip to Nebula Glass
We regularly feature pieces by Nebula Glass, a local shop out of Bellingham, WA, due to the high quality of their work and their creative designs. They hand craft eye-catching, affordable pipes for everyday use and detailed, one-of-a-kind pieces for glass connoisseurs.
Higher Leaf in Kirkland had the chance to visit Nebula's shop and see the team hard at work. The glass blowers were efficient and methodical. We were shocked to learn they can create up to 30 small pipes a day! The artists design pieces that fit the Nebula Glass brand without compromising their individual style or ability to experiment with new techniques. During our visit we got to see an amazing array of colors, patterns, embellishments, and functional shapes in progress. The small warehouse in Bellingham easily fit three employees working away side by side, but that wasn’t always the case. Founded in 2001, Nebula Glass has grown over the years and now features a team of talented artists based around the country.
Higher Leaf got up close and personal during the final stages of one pipe's life cycle. Wearing protective glassblowing eye wear, we were able to see the intricate details of the pipe as the artist carefully molded the piece into its final shape. You can see pipe clearly in the picture above because we slipped a pair of those eye protectors on our camera for the photo. Watching the glass bend to the fire’s will was an amazing experience we are excited to share with our customers on October 28th. It was mesmerizing to see the colors swirl together and a recognizable shape form out of the plain glass rods. Just below the rods were shelves of beautiful pieces that we got to sort through and take back to Higher Leaf.
Nebula Glass works with borosilicate, a silica and boron trioxide blend of glass that's resistant to thermal shock. More commonly known as Pyrex, this glass is ideal for making pipes and other marijuana paraphernalia as well as high temp items like cookware, lab equipment and telescope parts. It's available in countless colors, including a glow in the dark version that is activated by a black light. On our tour of the facility, we got to take a peek a their supply of borosilicate rods. It was thrilling for Higher Leaf to see the different colors in a raw form that would soon become the pieces we stock on our shelves in Kirkland.