Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

How glass is blown

A gather of molten glass on a blowpipe is inflated and shaped while it is still soft.

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From the opening

Glassblowing starts with a gather of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe, rolled into a skin, and inflated so a bubble becomes a hollow vessel. The glass is a very thick liquid while it is hot, and it stiffens as it cools, which is the window in which the shape has to be made. The opening covers a gather wound on a blowpipe, air inflates the soft bubble, and jacks and heat shape the form.

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Inside

A gather wound on a blowpipe
Air inflates the soft bubble
Jacks and heat shape the form
A punty finishes the mouth
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Glassblowing with a blowpipe and gather
The punty and the glory hole

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How glass is blown

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk