On Wednesday I decided to check out my sister's evening glass blowing glass at
Redmond School of Glass. In the above photo she is just at the start of her project. A small amount of glass is put on the end of a stick that is hallow so it can be blown into.
These benches are set up so that you can roll the bar back and forth while you shape the glass. A person can crouch at the end of the pole to blow into it as needed to expand the project.
During the process the project is expanded by either blowing in the pipe and by adding small amounts of molten glass.
Now the shaping is occurring using damp newspaper. During this process you are always continuing to roll the project to keep it symmetrical and keep gravity from pulling it lopsided.
Continuing to roll, and the project is expanding from blowing on the end of the pipe.
The scoring is in prep to transfer this project to another pipe.
Flattening the base of the project before transfer.
Still being flattened with a wood paddle.
The pipe being held to the base of the project also has molten glass. The project will be broken off at the score mark on the original pipe and then balanced on this new pipe.
Now that it is attached to the new pipe they will break it at the scoring line.
In the above photo the project is now on the new pipe which leaves the hole that was on the previous pipe for blowing air into now accessible to widen the project open.
Final shaping and smoothing with wet newspaper.
After a little more final smoothing the project is then taken off the pipe so it can sit until it is ready to go home.
On Wednesday I decided to check out my sister's evening glass blowing glass at Redmond School of Glass. In the above photo she is just at the start of her project. A small amount of glass is put on the end of a stick that is hallow so it can be blown into.
These benches are set up so that you can roll the bar back and forth while you shape the glass. A person can crouch at the end of the pole to blow into it as needed to expand the project.
During the process the project is expanded by either blowing in the pipe and by adding small amounts of molten glass.
Now the shaping is occurring using damp newspaper. During this process you are always continuing to roll the project to keep it symmetrical and keep gravity from pulling it lopsided.
Continuing to roll, and the project is expanding from blowing on the end of the pipe.
The scoring is in prep to transfer this project to another pipe.
Flattening the base of the project before transfer.
Still being flattened with a wood paddle.
The pipe being held to the base of the project also has molten glass. The project will be broken off at the score mark on the original pipe and then balanced on this new pipe.
Now that it is attached to the new pipe they will break it at the scoring line.
In the above photo the project is now on the new pipe which leaves the hole that was on the previous pipe for blowing air into now accessible to widen the project open.
Final shaping and smoothing with wet newspaper.
After a little more final smoothing the project is then taken off the pipe so it can sit until it is ready to go home.
