DALE CHIHULY

How Glass Is Made

Glass is hard and solid but starts as liquid. There are many different methods of making glass. It can be pressed, cut, moulded or formed by glassblowing.

First, the glassworkers mix sand, soda and lime in a melting pot. This mixture is called a batch and becomes as thick as honey when it’s hot. The batch is heated to over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about as hot as a volcano. When the batch is ready, a hollow metal rod, called a blowpipe, is dipped into the monkey to get a clump of glass.

Next, the glass is shaped using callipers or small glassworking tools, cut with shears and rolled or flattened out over a bench. The glass is coloured using very condensed colour rods, powders or frit (small pieces of glass) to achieve different effects.

Then, the glassblower twirls the blowpipe while blowing into it. The hot air makes the clump grow into a bubble.

While the glass is being shaped, it has to be reheated in a furnace, called a gloryhole, or with a blowtorch. If it cools too quickly, it will break.

When the piece is finished, the glassworker puts it into an annealing oven where it is gradually cooled over several hours to several days.

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