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| Blenko Milton, WV |
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| Tools of the Trade |
As I came upon Blenko Glass in Milton, WV I anticipated in which of my senses would be bombarded by all of this information. It's going to be hard beat this visit, because of the actual experience with the glass makers and the tools of the trade. As I came upon the factory floor I noticed that it wasn't as hot as I predicted. The only times that I felt the heat was when I was near a furnace or a glory hole. The one thing that stuck out to me are the instruments that were used to shape the glass.
In this picture there is a blowpipe collecting molten glass material from the furnace. This instrument is used to collect glass and is one of the many tools that can shape glass. The way this tool can shape glass is by blowing through the end of the blowpipe it will make the glass expand and become slightly thinner. This is probably the number one tool that a glass smith would need to handle glass.
The instrument that Chris is holding in his right hand is known as a block. This particular block is made out of cherry, because it is easy to carve and absorbs more water than other woods. The wood also must be green wood when carving because it remain water logged as long as the block remains in water. These blocks come in various sizes and shapes depending upon what glassware is being made. This particular block was used to make a water bottle. The block works by using the steam from the water to shape the glass, if water isn't present then it will create this cloudy area in the glass.
The instrument pictured here is known as a paddle. As with the block it also needs to be wet so that glass can be shaped properly. The use of this instrument is like the block, but its used for flattening surfaces. It was also used to drizzle water on the hot glass so that a break point could be made to transfer to another blowpipe or holder.
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| Water Bottle Mold |
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| Frog Mold |
Glass molds come in different shapes and sizes, as seen above with the water bottle mold and the frog mold. These molds can be made of steel, cherry wood, and clay. These mold are just like any other mold in which they are used to form the basic shape of the glass. Depending upon the glass maker the wooden molds can last up to a 100 years if well maintained and water is continually soaked within the greenwood.
These are only some of the instruments that a glass smith would have, for more information visit the links that I have provided. I hope to have videos of the glass making progress up soon, so come back for more information.
Websites
Great post Brian! I like the depth you have gone into in your descriptions. The wood mold used to produce our glass water pitchers was over 70 years old. I wonder if there is any appreciable change in the size and shape of the pitcher over that time period. I would theorize that there would be some change in the mold due to the continues charring of the wood.
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