- Glassblowing is a technique that has been around for centuries. One of the most popular methods of glass forming, glassblowing is done by using a blowpipe (a hollow iron tube) to inflate a small piece of molten glass. A glassblower is a professional who has mastered all of the tools and techniques required for proper glassblowing. The techniques may have been around since around 50 BC, but actual information available on what exactly a glassblower does is limited. However, here are a few details to better understand this fascinating profession.
- Glassblowing can be traced back to have origins in Roman Syria. The way glass is made has stayed the same over the centuries, but the technique of glassblowing has evolved with the times. Glass is made from sand, lime, ashes and potash. Before glassblowing, glass was formed by wrapping hot glass materials around cores and molds. After 50 BC, the glassblowing technique became a popular practice and quickly spread from Roman Syria to other parts of the world.
- There are two types of common glassblowing. Off-hand blowing uses heat and a punty (iron or stainless steel rod) to mold glass. This type requires three different furnaces: a regular furnace to hold the heat, a glory hole to shape and manipulate the glass by heating and reheating, and an annealer to cool the glass to reduce thermal stress. The other type of glassblowing is lampworking. A punty and heat are also used in this technique. However, with lampworking an alcohol lamp and bellows are used instead of the furnaces. Lampworking is considered the old-fashioned technique, but is still primarily used for the created of glass beads, glass figurines, glass sculptures, test tubes and miniature glass items.
- Other than a heating source, blowpipe and punty, a glassblower needs other important tools to help complete the job. A marver is a hard, flat surface used as an area that glass is rolled onto after it has been collected by the blowpipe. Blocks are another common tool used by a glassblower to mold and shape the glass. The glassblower uses a workstation, or bench, to further shape the glass with hand tools. Other tools that are used are jacks (tweezers with large blades) to make detailed adjustments and shears to cut the glass.
- The first thing that a glassblower does is walk into the hot shop, where the tools and furnaces are situated loosely around the room into specialty areas. Several glassblowers uses different sections of the hot room and, to an untrained eye, it looks like a typical art class when the glassblowers get started on their tasks. Using precise calculation and form, the molten glass is heated into an almost liquid form. It is then collected in the blowpipe and blown into a glob by special glassblowers called blowing artists. The globs of glass are then placed on the marver to be rolled out. The blowpipe is used again to blow an air bubble in the flatten glass. The glass is now ready to be shaped. The glass is taken to the bench where it is molded and manipulated into the shape that is desired. The jacks and shears are used to put the finishing touches on it.
