Colonial Glassblowing Directions
- 1). Mix sand, soda ash, pot ash, and lime in the crucible in a furnace and let it melt. This can take up to nine hours in a furnace set at 2,350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2). Preheat the tip of a blowpipe (long, hollow rod) until it glows slightly. Put the punty in the fire at this time to let it heat, as well. The punty is the pipe that holds the glass when it is removed from the blowpipe.
- 3). Gather molten glass onto the end of a blowpipe by dipping it into the liquid glass. Roll the pipe gently to get an even ball on the end.
- 4). Roll the glass on a marver (steel surface usually attached to a table). This centers the glass on the blowpipe, as well as cools it slightly. This cooling promotes elasticity in the glass.
- 5). Gently blow air into the pipe to expand the glass and make a hollow center.
- 6). Use pincers (pliers used to stretch and squeeze glass), pucellas (tongs used to twist and stretch glass), and battledores (flat wooden paddles) to shape the glass. Gravity is also a handy tool, and can be of help when stretching out the glass into the desired shape. Return the glass to the furnace as often as necessary to keep it malleable.
- 7). Transfer the glass to a heated punty for the final detailing of the overall design. Once the piece is finished, use the pincers until the piece comes free of the punty.
- 8). Place finished piece in the annealing oven. This oven will slowly cool the finished product, gradually reducing stress in the glass and keeping it from breaking during the cooling process.
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