Supplies For Glass Blowing
SUPPLIES
Glaskolben. Frit and Powders, Bullseye or Uroboros. These are
available in a good assortment of colors.
Ornament Caps and Loop Sets.
These are available in 10 or 17mm size and gold or silver color.
COMPATIBILITY
Glaskolben has a Coefficient of Expansion (C.O.E.) of “89” which makes it compatible with Uroboros
and Bullseye “90” glass frit and powders. Any other glass with a different C.O.E. will cause the finished
ball or shape to fracture from stress.
GLASS BLOWING AN ORNAMENT
Blowing an ornament with Glaskolben is easy. However, it takes
practice to get the feel of the glass as it softens in the flame.
TO START:
Light the torch and adjust the flame back from a sharp point. A broader flame
is better. Select a Sealed End Cylinder and introduce it into the back of the
flame i.e. away from the torch.
Rotate it as it is brought into the hotter area
of the flame.Continue to rotate until the cylinder is glowing red and starts to
reduce in size or collapse.
However, do not let the neck end of the cylinder
get as red or the cylinder will be hard to manipulate.
Remove it from the flame, held vertically, then give it a quick snap to align
the cylinder. Blow steadily into the blowpipe end to a full ball, while rotating.
(See illustration.)This is where you must “get the feel of the glass”.
Overblowing can cause a blow out.The ball must be annealed at this point.
See separate annealing instructions.
ELONGATED BLOWN SHAPE
To make an elongated shape follow the same procedure as in blowing a
ball. Rotate the cylinder in the flame until it starts to glow a red color. Then
use tweezers to pull the end as far as desired while blowing and rotating.
Immediately put the ornament in an annealer.
BLOWING INTO A MOLD
Pre-warm the mold in the flame. Prepare the cylinder in the flame as you
did in making a ball. As the cylinder softens, place it into the pre-warmed
mold.
With blowpipe in the mouth, blow hard to allow the hot glass to fill
out against the mold walls. Open the mold and remove the molded shape.
Immediately go to the annealing process.Mold blown ornaments are
typically painted with Pebeo Vitrea 160 colors.
ANNEALING
Annealing is the process whereby we toughen brittle glass by heating and slow cooling. Each
manufacturer’s glass may have a different annealing range. In the case of the Glaskolben, the
annealing temperature is 950°F [510°C]. There are different methods of annealing:
VERMICULITE
Placing a blown shape deep in a container of vermiculite warmed on a hot plate, serves well.
However, care must be taken to be sure that the red glow has faded before placing it in Vermiculite.
Otherwise, it may stick to the glass.
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