The techniques created to make glass by hand approximately 2000 years ago are still used today. Malleable when hot but swiftly cooling to become rigid, molten glass must be manipulated with precision and dexterity.
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Mouth Blown or Machine Made?
Glass can be made in a number of different ways – mouth blown, machine made or pressed. All methods rely on the plasticity of glass when hot and its rigidity when cool. Handmade glass is made by mouth blowing molten glass whereas pressed glass is made by pressing molten glass into a mould. Blown glass can take almost any shape and has superior clarity, irrespective of whether the walls are fine or thick, while pressed glass is almost always tapered in shape with dense walls. We work primarily with mouth blown glass for its endless transformational potential and utilise the consistency that machines provide to create selected ranges at scale. Machines offer precision and uniformity, ideal when producing large volumes and sets, however have limitations in terms of design and finesse.
With handmade glass, no two pieces are ever the same. Inconsistencies occur naturally, sometimes imperceptibly, which makes each piece unique.
We prefer mouth-blown glass as this offers exceptional quality and seemingly endless possibilities for transformation. When the material can be manipulated by hand, experimentation with form, colour, texture and weight become possible. Our experience with the material allows us to experiment with different techniques, pushing the boundaries of hand production. Quality, shape and size are always consistently maintained at capacity however with handmade glass no two pieces are ever identical.
Glass Craftsmen
Training to be a glassblower can take up to five years. The craft demands excellent coordination, perpetual movement and intuitive timing. Glassblowers work in teams and it can take up to eight people to create any given product. The time taken to make each piece varies with complexity and size. Each person is responsible for a different element of the process and trains for several years to refine and perfect the specifics of their craft.
A glassblower heats a gather of glass
The glassblower inflates the gather of glass
Raw Materials
Our mouth-blown glass is made from three ingredients: silca (quartz/sand), lime and sodium; glass containing these ingredients is commonly known as soda lime glass. The raw materials are heated in the furnace to about 1500°C until molten, the consistency of thick treacle, and white-hot. During this process, occasionally small air bubbles may get trapped within the molten glass. This is a natural part of the handmade process, making each piece unique. For our recycled collections, locally-sourced clear jars and bottles are sorted, washed, crushed and heated in the furnace until molten.
Barrels of raw materials prepared for the furnace
Discarded bottles, jars and waste glass
Moulds & Tools
Moulds are made from wood or metal and have hinges and handles to facilitate opening. Wooden moulds are handmade from locally-sourced timber, cut to size and turned on a lathe to shape the internal cavity. Metal moulds are more expensive than wooden moulds but can be used indefinitely, and are selected where the item is made in large quantities or 100% precision is required. Moulds and wooden tools are soaked in water to prevent the wood burning and cracking when in contact with the hot glass. Metal tools are also used where a precise detail is required, for example scissor-cutting the rim of a jug or vase.
Only a few hundred pieces can be blown from a wooden mould as the molten glass slowly wears the wood away, gradually altering the shape of the object.
Locally-sourced wood prepared for moulds
Wooden moulds
Gathering, Shaping & Finishing
The blower dips his blowpipe in the furnace to gather a small amount of molten glass. He blows to create a hollow sphere that can be shaped by hand and then blown into a bespoke mould. Experience is crucial to correctly judge the amount of glass required for any given item - a large or cased glass piece may require additional gathers of glass. Wooden cups and paddles may be used to form the initial shape; constantly turning the blowpipe to ensure an even distribution of glass. Various techniques have to be carried out when the glass is still hot and at varying stages of pliability before it cools and solidifies. For example, the rim of a vase can be cut with metal scissors, the stem of a wine glass can be drawn, and separate pieces of hot glass can be added to the body and shaped to create handles or feet.
Glassblower inflates a gather of molten glass
All of the techniques carried out when the glass is hot involve continuously rotating the glass on a metal blowpipe. This ensures that the hot glass does not collapse but remains evenly spread when molten and that the various additional elements added when hot - handles, feet and stems - are well aligned.
One of the most skilled finishing techniques is to scissor cut the rim of a large object, such as a jug or vase. The top edge of the glass is reheated until pliable and then trimmed with metal scissors to produce a thick, rounded, rim.
A glassblower scissor cuts the rim of a vase
Scissor cutting the rim of a decanter
Once the product is finished, it is annealed: a process of slow cooling in a controlled manner in order to reduce stress and strengthen resilience.
Finishing by Hand
Some decoration such as hand cutting and painting is performed when the glass is cool. The rims or entire body of a piece may be hand painted using paints containing precious metals such as lustres in various colours, gold and platinum. To paint the rims, each glass is placed on a turntable. The painter gauges the correct amount of paint required then holds the brush against the rim while spinning the turntable. No masking is required to create the fine, even decoration due to the skilled hand eye coordination of the decorator. The paint appears semi-transparent when applied and changes to a reflective finish when fired. For hand-cut decoration, the engraver marks the glass with the pattern to be cut. The patterns are cut by hand against a spinning diamond wheel. Careful judgement is required to ensure the correct pressure, especially when decorating fine-walled drinkware. Decanter stoppers are individually hand ground to fit perfectly with the neck of their corresponding decanter.
Hand painting the rim of a champagne saucer
Grinding a decanter stopper
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