Tools and Terminology
Glass Melting Furnace
Glass Melting Furnace
Glass Melting Furnace
A heavily insulated chamber that produces temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees.
Yoke
Glass Melting Furnace
Glass Melting Furnace
A rolling device on which the glass worker rests their pipe while reheating glass at the glory hole.
Pipe Warmer
Glass Melting Furnace
Pipe Warmer
A place where the pipes and punties are preheated prior to using them.
Punties
Glory Hole
Glory Hole
These are solid rods designed to transfer hot glass around the studio or for adding bits of colored glass to a project in process.
Glory Hole
Glory Hole
Glory Hole
A chamber inside the furnace used for heating and reheating glass. Here Larry is dipping a punty into the glory hole to create a gather of molten glass.
Blowpipes
Glory Hole
Blowpipes
Hollow tubes generally made out of stainless steel about 5 feet in length with a diameter ranging from ½“ to 2”. They allow the glassblower manipulate a gather.
Gather
Gather
Gather
A gather is a portion of hot glass spooled onto the end of a hollow blowpipe. Also used as a verb: To gather glass on the end of a blowpipe.
Marver
Gather
Gather
A large, smooth, preferable stainless-steel surface on which hot glass may be rolled back and forth to shape and cool the piece.
Gaffer
Gather
Gaffer
This is the person who is shaping the glass on the end of the blowpipe. The Gaffer tells the blower when to blow.
Blocks
Wet Newspaper
Tweezers
These are carved wooden ladle-like tools that enable the glassworker to shape hot gathers. They are kept wet to prevent them from cracking and burning.
Tweezers
Wet Newspaper
Tweezers
This tool is used to pick the hot glass, twist it or guide other tools to or from the bubble.
Wet Newspaper
Wet Newspaper
Wet Newspaper
This is exactly what it sounds like: a bundle of wet newspaper that is used to shape hot glass. The glass actually rides on a thin layer of steam which prevents it from sticking or from leaving unwanted marks on the glass.
Jacks
Annealer
Annealer
These tools are used for sculpting glass, typically for adding a neck to a bubble or to cut lines into the workpiece.
Annealer
Annealer
Annealer
A 925 degree insulated oven in which glass objects are placed after completion. At the end of the day the heat in the oven is gradually reduced to relieve thermal stress in the glass. Without annealing, glass would break while quickly cooling to room temperature.
Shears
Annealer
Shears
This tool can be used to cut hot glass, to guide other tools, or for pulling and cooling hot bubbles. The are many variations of shears, all of which serve different purposes.