Glassblowing

Glassblowing is the technique of creating glass objects by dipping the heated end of a blowing pipe into molten glass, turning it, and then inflating the glass like a bubble. Glassblowing has been around since 50 B.C. and was probably invented in modern Lebanon or Syria by Romans.

Comparatively, the technique of making glass is quite old. It was theoretically discovered by accident around 5000 B.C. by Phoenician sailors who used blocks of soda instead of cooking stones on which to place their cooking pots. The soda and sand turned to molten glass as the heat increased.

By 1500 B.C. Egyptians were making small bottles by attaching metal rods to silica paste cores. The cores were dipped into molten glass and later removed.

Cristallo was the name for the clear, thin glass that Venetian glassmakers created around 1450 A.D. through the addition of soda-lime to the basic recipe. The 1800's ushered new developments such as the hand-operated split mold, and the age of mass production ended the necessity for blowing all bottles and glasses individually. Today, the art of glassblowing is still practiced in many fine glassworks in Sweden as well as in many private glass studios.

The glowing glass is then brought to the bench where it is formed with wooden tools called blocks until it is symmetrically shaped, and the first air bubble is blown into the glass. Next, the glassblower casts the glass in the mold and blows through the pipe to give the glass its optique, or pattern that gives it shape.

When the cup or bowl is formed, the glassblower fastens a new clump of molten glass on the end and forms a leg. The glassblower's skill and touch give the leg the right length and elegant design which he forms freehand. When the leg is finished, an assistant comes with another glass lump on a smaller pipe called a pontil. The piece is removed from the original pipe and the edge is polished.

With wine glasses, after the last stage, the glass is finished. With vases or other specialty items, he may alter the rim of the glass by reheating and pressing it onto a form. The finished piece is then broken off of the pontil.

When the glass is removed, the base is heated to remove marks or imperfections, and the piece is placed in a special oven to cool. Glass must be cooled very slowly to keep from cracking. This process, called annealing, can take as long as 6 to 8 hours.

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