Glassblowing is a glass forming technique which was devised by the Phoenicians. It can be traced to approximately 50 BC.
Glassblowing or glassforming entails inflating the molten glass creating a bubble, or parison. This is done with the aid of the blowpipe, or blow tube. Inflation refers to the expansion of a molten blob of glass by introducing a small amount of air to it. A person who blows glass is called a gaffer,glassblower, or glassmith.
The two primary methods of glassblowing are as follows:
Free-blowing
Mold-blowing
Free-blowing is accomplished by blowing of short puffs of air into a molten portion of glass which is congregated at one end of the blowpipe. Mold-blowing is accomplished by putting A glob of molten glass on the end of the blowpipe which is then inflated into a mold.
The mold may be carved wood or metal.
MATERIALS AND APPARATUS
One of the most important components in successful glass-blowing is the glass that is used. There are two general varieties of glass: Lead
glass and soda glass.
Lead Glass is not often used, except in the little drops of special glass used to seal platinum wires into the larger tubes. It is softer and more easily fusible than soda glass, but has the disagreeable property of turning black in a few seconds unless it isworked in a strong oxidizing flame.
Nearly all of the soft glass on the market is a soda glass. Occasionally part of the soda is replaced with potash. Most of the hard glass is a potash glass.
Qualities that are most needed in glass for ordinary working:
(1) Moderately low working temperature,
(2) No air bubbles, striations and irregularities,
(3) Proper composition, so that the glass will not devitrify or crystallize when handled at its working -temperature,
(4) Capability to tolerate rapid heating without cracking.
Some of the things Laboratory Glass Blowing Involves:
Cutting the Glass.
Drawing Out a Tube.
Constricting a Tube.
Flanging a Tube.
Rotation of the Tube.
Joining Two Pieces of Tubing, End to End
Making Tee Tubes
Joining Two Tubes of Different Diameters
Blowing a Bulb in A Tube
Sealing a Tube Through another Tube
Closed Circuits of Tubing.
Making Spirals
Sealing Vacuum Tubes
This can be done with much simpler tools right in the laboratory.
There are many old texts in your library or available on the internet that describe these more primitive techniques.
Three Furnaces Used by Glassblowers:
Called The furnace, containing a crucible of molten glass.
The “Glory Hole” used to reheat glass.
The annealer to slowly cool the glass.
Tools Used bin Glass Blowing:
Blowpipe
Punty
Marver
Jacks
Paddles
Tweezers
Shears
Bench
Blocks
Patterns can be applied to blown glass by rolling the molten glass in powdered color or larger pieces of colored glass. Patterns can be
made by using rods of colored glass or by using cross sections of colored rods. One of the most complicated caneworking techniques known as ‘reticello’ involves making two bubbles from cane, and twisting each one in an opposite direction and then putting them together and blowing out the final form.
What is Glass and Glass Blowing?
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The Beauty of Running a Glass Blowing Business | Business Ideas
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