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Glassblowing is the art of forming a hollow glass object out of a ball of molten glass using a hollow tube and by gently blowing air down it. This ‘bubble’ is then formed and shaped using tools and molds before it cools. That sounds simple enough, but now let’s examine the process more thoroughly.

Glass Blowers At Work
Glassblowers sit or stand at their workstations stations, often constructed with two parallel, flat topped and horizontal metal beams. These bars support the blow tube while it is turned or spun to control the shaping of the heated, viscous glass to the required form. A specially designed chair is commonly used, which also stores the hand tools required by the blower as well as his molds and the maver. The maver is a flat steel plated work area used for working, rolling and squeezing the cooling glass. Traditionally this maver was made of marble, from which its name is derived, however its requirement is that the molten glass does not stick to the surface. During the actual process, one continually alternates between heating the glass in a furnace and working on the shape of the heated glass using molds and by pinching, bending, flattening or stretching parts until you have achieved your required shape.

A traditional glassblowing workshop will have a vast array of equipment. Some of the essentials include one or more furnaces for melting the glass, the crucibles which the molten glass is contained within, and two types of steel rods. These steel rods are referred to as blow tubes or punts and are either hollow or solid. It is with these that one 'gathers' the required amount of molten glass, depending on the size of the object one wants to create, from a crucible. For the actual glassblowing stage one would select the hollow tube or blowpipe, as it is also referred to. If one is merely creating a solid form of glass one may use as the solid rod normally called the punt, (though these names are interchangeable). At this stage one initially pre-heats the end of the blowpipe, dips it into the molten glass in the crucible, and then gathers a ball of molten glass on its end by rotating the tube. This is done somewhat In the manner of gathering honey or syrup from a jar using a stick. This blob of glass is actually called a 'gather'.

Glass Gathering Shape
For further manipulation and creation or sculpting of more delicate shapes, a variety of tools may be used including tweezers (referred to as jacks) and specialized glass scissors or shears. These are used specifically for cutting the glass as if cutting paper card, or sometimes for creating indents and notches within a glass design. Another type of glass cutter, usually called hawk-bills or diamond shears, are for chopping off circular sections of hot glass. Again they can be used for grasping parts of the creation and slowly stretching and bending the forms into specific shapes, such as the neck of a swan. A high degree of coordination between tool manipulation and wrist movement is required for this; the dexterity, skill and experience of the glass blower is clearly reflected in the precision and beauty within the lines of his creation.

Wads of newspaper pre-soaked in water are kept to hand and used in the initial stages of shaping the glass as it is being rotated and spun on its rod by the blower. Paddle-like shaped modeling tools and hand held molding blocks are also commonly used. These are typically made of wood and also have to be soaked and stored in water until needed.

Apprentices Required Here
Complex creations are generally made from several gathers of molten glass that are then joined together. A blower may often have an apprentice as an assistant to help while he is working. The assistant fetches additional gathers of glass from the crucibles, which could be another color or type of glass. The assistant may also heat or reheat parts of a project by using one of many auxiliary burners; typically he would use one known as the ‘glory hole’. The assistant’s involvement depends on his or her skill, but would initially require that he be on hand to pass specific tools to the blower as and when asked.

Annealing - The Importance of Slow Cooling
An important aspect to consider when making a glass object from more than one piece is the build-up of internal structural and surface tension and stresses within the glass. This occurs when using different types and colors of glass or attaching several pieces of glass together created at different times and at different temperatures. The solution is by using a slow cooling process referred to as annealing.

Let’s Make a Wine Glass
Imagine a wine glass. You have a bowl, a stem and a base. The bowl will be formed by the glass blower gathering and blowing a balloon and removing the excess. A stem is then made from a second gather using a solid punt. It will be molded and shaped before having the excess cut off using the hawksbill or diamond shears. The base can be created from a third gather and is added to the end of the stem. Now, in order to make the rim of the glass, you attach the base of the wineglass to a punt using a small blob of hot glass. You next have to cut off the top of the balloon; then fire and shape the rim in the glory hole (still holding it with the punt). After that, the punt is knocked off and the base is finally ground and smoothed when the glass is annealed and cold enough to handle.

Hallmarks of Glassblowing
The art and sign of a master glassblowing artisan is to achieve the near perfection with his objets d'art. There will always be a slight 'defect' or punt mark on whatever one is making, say, the base of a handmade wineglass. This is like the hallmark for hand blown glass that clearly identifies and separates it from the mass produced, factory made glassware you buy in Wal-Mart and the like.

Visiting Venice and Murano - the Cultural Epicenter for Glassmaking
If one were to visit Venice, it is well worth taking a trip to the world renowned Murano glass factories. If you happen to see their glass blowers at work; from the speed at which they mold and fashion the glass, you might think that making a Murano chandelier is easy. In fact their work has evolved over many centuries to reach its level of present sophistication. Italian glass artisans are highly skilled and have undergone many years of apprenticeship. Many of the factories are family owned, famous for their specific designs that have been passed down from father to son for centuries.

The Author:

Julian Pollock follows in the footsteps of his fore-fathers with his interest in artistic pursuits. He is a successful and creative web publisher, and editor for chandelier-mall.com which includes information about crystal and wrought iron chandeliers, amongst many others.