Skip Huckaby has been blowing glass since 1969 when he completed a laboratory course in college.
While at Humboldt State College, he participated in a directed study for his senior project in scientific glassblowing. “Yes, I got my Degree in Biology and after graduation I was employed at CW Radiation, a small laser company in Mountain View, California, where I met my mentor Piet Kluytmans, a Dutch Master Glassblower. From there I went to Spectra Physics, a major laser company, and I was a lead and temp supervisor in the glass shop.” He transitioned to Stanford University as the technical glassblower, where his skills expanded, using “lots of Quartz, glass to metal seals, graded seals, electron tubes, semiconductor research, lasers, all kids of one off unique items using just about every available commercial and industrial glass”; he also received two patents with Dr. Zare and Xhoa Wong in capillary zone electrophoresis in Chemistry.
“From Stanford I went to work with a friend at Applied Glassblowing in Dixon, California, and then went on to start and run Orca Glaswerke till I was recruited by the Department of Chemistry at UC Davis. In 2008 I retired and in 2009 I came out of retirement and started KO Glass at which I am still having fun doing Quartz and borosilicate apparatus and dabbling in art glass.”
