So. So you’re telling me… so you’re.
Wait.
So you’re telling me I can get my feet wet for under a hundred bucks?
Or is this the type of [del]thing[/del] addiction where you really need to take a class in first, you can’t just follow tutorials and whatnot?
Wale Apparatus (
http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog.asp?prodid=548227&showprevnext=1) or Arrow Springs (https://www.arrowsprings.com/html/kits.html) can set you up with the basics. A forum like Lampwork Etc is a good source of information and used equipment. Look for books by Cindy Jenkins or Corina Tettinger for beginner tutorials. If there is a place near you (where are you?), take a class. You will find that lampworkers are very willing to share techniques and information. Just don’t ask which glass is the best clear; you will start a huge forum debate!
Soon enough you will want to invest in a bigger torch, a kiln and some of the more exotic glasses. Then the fun begins :D.
Rhythmdvl, be very careful. Das Glas is an addict, and you know how addicts are. They will do anything to drag other people into their addiction…including warning you about the risks and then laughing when you put a second mortgage on your home just to get the latest toys.
I am NOT an addict; I can turn off the torch anytime I want. Except not today because I just set up my new flat lap grinder and there is this really cool silver glass that just came out. So maybe tomorrow :D.
My [del]pusher[/del] supplier just called to let me know about a new Italian glass, so . . . gotta run!
but who am I to point that out while saying the same thing about my addictions 
Das Glas kindly sent me TWO of her focal beads. The pics do not do them justice. They are much more amazing irl. The colors are bright and they are smooth and nice to touch.
She is a true artist in every sense of the word. Damn, these things are amazing!
Melting glass is sooooo addicting!
Someone pointed out to me how much less expensive it was to just buy beads when I had blown through several rods trying to make a set of eight matched in size.
Of all the hobbies I have gotten myself into over the years, this one is the cleanest and takes the least amount of space. The problem is what to do with all those beads. 
I assume you have seen things like this
that you can roll a bead on a mandrel over it to get a nice consistent round or bicone type bead.
many other styles
I got a little packet of murrini in my starter kit… I have already determined that some advanced murrini work is where my endgame desires are pointing me. So kiln…lapidary saw…lots of small stringers… The price of some of the murrini artwork I have seen on etsy makes me think it can be quite lucrative for those who are good at it.
Is there a size limit on what you can make with an average home setup?
Depends on how well you manage the heat base and the size of your torch. You can’t be working on a fiddly detail and not reheat the entire bead occasionally. It will crack or break and although you can “heal” the bead if it hasn’t fallen off the mandrel, it doesn’t always work and you don’t notice until it comes out of the kiln. I usually keep my focal beads to the size if a one- or two-dollar coin (I’m Canadian) because that is what I can comfortably manage. That said, the focal on the necklace displayed on the driftwood in my pictures is nearly the size of my palm so you can work pretty big if you keep an eye on things.
They might help. I hadn’t see some of those styles. Thanks for the link.
I have a few and use them, but my first instructor would not let us use any until we could make a decent round and bicone just using heat, gravity and a flat graphite paddle. Although I complained at the time, the ability is very useful.
Fun little update.
I have done a couple demos at SCA events over the last few weeks and I have drawn alot of attention. Everyone started asking very quickly if I would sell them and if so, how much. At the second demo I caved and said $2 each or 6 for $10.
30 min later I had $62 in my hand and many of my beads are gone. I have reinvested it in more fuel, about 4 pounds of glass rods and 4 more colors of frit.
Guess I need to get going on making more 
Also picked up this which should help with some production speed and consistency.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GHNQ5QC
I have seen videos of people making 3-4 beads very quickly using this tool, and it runs for 40+ hours on a couple d cells, maintaining my portable kit nicely.