How to Blow Glass Balls
Blowing glass balls is an old art form with countless possibilities for creative design. Colors are added to the inside of the glass ball by adding bits of colored glass called frit. If you attempt to blow glass, you must be able to withstand high heat. Though the process isn't easy, you'll be able to create your own one-of-a-kind blown glass balls.
Things You'll Need
- Broken pieces of colored glass
- Pie tins
- Glory hole
- Crucible
- Rod
- Hot plate
- Wet paper towels
- Block
- Butter knife
- Kiln
Instructions
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1
Separate the broken bits of glass by color into separate pie tins.
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2
Turn the heat up to the glory hole so that it reaches a maximum of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A glory hole is a very hot furnace that has a door that opens to the front.
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3
Turn on the crucible to turn the glass inside into a molten form.
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4
Stick the rod into the glory hole to heat it up. Quickly use the hot tip to pick up some glass from inside the hole. Spin the rod quickly, breaking off the string of glass attached to the rod.
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5
Dip the rod with the molten glass into the various colored broken glass to create a design. Set the rod on top of a hot plate to keep the glass from shattering. Put the rod back into the glory hole so that the colored glass will melt into the ball of molten glass.
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6
Remove the rod from the hole and spin it on top of wet paper towels to create a round shape. Put the rod back into the crucible one last time to gather more glass.
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7
Stick your rod in and out of the glory hole. Take the rod to a bench and use a spoon-shaped wooden tool called a block to shape the glass ball. Keep wetting the block to keep it from sticking to the glass. Continue back and forth a few times from the glory hole to the bench to shape the ball with the block. Allow the glass to cool a bit.
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8
Cut the ball gently off the rod, using a butter knife. Put it into a kiln to harden.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water while you work.
Protect your arms and hands up to your elbows from the heat by wearing long socks or long gloves.
References
- Photo Credit glass ball image by Ravenid Magnus from Fotolia.com
