# A study in glass - part two



## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Creating a delicate Blue Glass jug.









Preparing molten “Bristol Blue Glass” to be made into a delicate jug.
The material he has in his hand is no more high tech than damp newspaper!
Sometimes they use damp cardboard or pieces of wood for shaping tools.










Forming the top rim of the jug. (Note the burns on his arm!)










Forming the bottom of the rim









Flattening the base of the jug in preparation for transferring the jug to another ‘stick’ so that the craftsman can work on the neck & rim of the piece.










Attaching another ‘stick’ so that the work piece can be turned round









The neck is reheated and is being pierced open.









The neck and rim is being formed. The glass is still very hot and soft.










Attaching a gob of glass for making the handle.









The handle glass is drawn away to give it the required thickness and then cut to length.









The handle.









The tail of glass being lifted to form the top of the handle…










… and then twisted, shaped and attached to the body of the jug.










The handle getting a final shaping.









The creation is done.

The jug is still very hot and the stick is removed by a scratch and a gentle tap (black art) and an oxy-acetylene torch the soften what would be the sharp edge from the stick. The Jug is then placed into an oven at several hundred degrees F and slowly, over some hours, cooled to room temperature. This anneals the glass and removes the internal stresses. Without the annealing process, the glass will shatter.

After being privileged in watching and photographing this item being created by a very skilled artist, I can now understand why these handmade pieces are expensive. They really are works of art. No two pieces are the same. Each one has it's own unique identity.

And finally:









Reloading the furnace with the raw materials for tomorrow’s work. It takes overnight ‘cooking’ to ensure a proper melt and stable temperatures. 









The ‘Fires of Hell!’ 
Possibly one of the most challenging photos I have ever taken. The colour temperature was way down in the RED department. It was very brightly intense. I could only bear the heat for no more than 5 seconds…


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

A study in glass - part one is here


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

A beautiful set of documentary photos Donald ray: - All the pics are of excellent quality, both technically and aesthetically, I particularly like #6 & 7, where you can see the transition from red-heat to blue-glass as it cools.

I assume, from the reflections in the glass, that the factory was holding an 'Open-Day' or something? There appears to be quite a crowd sat watching :grin:


*Aside* - When Mrs WereBo 'inherited' her 'Wine-glass' from her mother, a bit of investigation revealed it was made in approx. 17th-century, though the expert couldn't say by whom or where it was made. 1 tip we did pick up on though, always look at the bottom of the object for the 'Snip-mark', that's a definite indicator that it's hand blown, rather than moulded :wink:

The antique glass











The 'Snip-mark'


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

I love the "magic" of heat and what transformations take place when materials are heated to high temps - firing solid fuel (gas, coal, wood) pottery kilns was always a buzz, even after a number of years. The same thing that made me want to do glass - that transformation from a solid to a liquid solid - got me when I started pottery making - seeing the difference in the material (clay) from when it was shaped, to dry, to fired and glazed. 
Your photos are awakening the old desire to play with hot things again Donald :laugh:


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## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

That was simply amazing! The way the glass turns colors. Thanks for posting and telling us the story!


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

There is a special name for the spigot snip mark under a hand made piece - I have forgotten it.

I must admit that I could watch that artist all day, the way he had total command over his material.

What I didn't portray was the apprentice feeding him with the stick loaded with glass so that he could concentrate on the workpiece. The apprentice and the artist were a team. Very few words spoken between them.

Yes WB, it was a special visit. We had German guests from our twin town. The Bristol Blue Glass company is one of the 'trips' we take our visitors.

I was sitting on the extreem left (as seen in the reflection) with the telephoto at 300mm and using a monopod...

I am releasing the full size pictures to the company for their advertising.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

I used to watch the glassblowers in Singapore copy items . . they would have a polaroid photo in front and use it to duplicate a work of art


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

I've only seen glass workers in Venice back in 68 at the young age of 16 .. went around the shops where they made the delicate glass animals ... they make it look so easy yet it must take years of trial & error to Master the manipulation at the right temperature without ruining the piece .. I know that it can be re-heated and reworked but they seem to do it all in a single movement .. Respect .. both to the craftsmen and the photographer who caught it all for us to look at and admire. ray:


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## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

Done_Fishin said:


> I've only seen glass workers in Venice back in 68 at the young age of 16 .. went around the shops where they made the delicate glass animals ... they make it look so easy yet it must take years of trial & error to Master the manipulation at the right temperature without ruining the piece .. I know that it can be re-heated and reworked but they seem to do it all in a single movement .. Respect .. both to the craftsmen and the photographer who caught it all for us to look at and admire. ray:


Well said!


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## Acuta73 (Mar 17, 2008)

Considering how many times I've melted glass, and how many times it wouldn't cool without cracking into a million shards...man that's impressive!

We have a lot of glass blowers on our coast here in Oregon (Why the coast? No idea.). Gives me chills to watch them turn a lump of molten silica into a work of art!


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Acuta73 said:


> (Why the coast? No idea.).


possibly coast=sand= silicon=glass


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