Essential Studio Equipment

Glass blowing requires a specialized studio and should only be attempted under professional supervision.

Equipment Purpose
Furnace A furnace that holds molten glass at around 2000°F.
Glory Hole A reheating chamber used to keep the glass workable.
Annealer A kiln used to slowly cool the finished piece, preventing it from cracking.
Blowpipe A hollow steel tube used to gather and inflate the glass.
Jacks A tool used to shape the glass.
Shears For cutting the glass.

Basic Terminology

Term Definition
Gather A ball of molten glass collected on the end of the blowpipe.
Marver A flat steel plate used to shape the gather.
Punt A solid steel rod used to transfer the piece from the blowpipe.

The Basic Glass Blowing Process

Step # Action Notes
1 Gather molten glass from the furnace. -
2 Marver the gather to shape it. -
3 Blow a small bubble into the glass. -
4 Reheat the glass in the glory hole. -
5 Shape the glass using jacks and other tools. -
6 Transfer the piece to a punty. This allows you to work on the top of the piece.
7 Finish the piece and place it in the annealer. The annealing process can take many hours.