MY PORTFOLIO

MY PORTFOLIO

By day I Blow Glass,
By night I Design and Build Websites,
on the weekends I Build Guyver Armor.
(and mow my lawn =)

GLASS BLOWING
When I tell people I blow glass they often say, "Oh yea, I saw someone at the mall (or at a festival) doing that, making those cute little animals out of glass with a torch" ......... sorry wrong answer. That is NOT the type of Glass Blowing I do. I do Traditional or Old World style Glass Blowing, which is the pinnacle of ALL art forms. Period.

Glass Blowing of this style requires a minimum Apprenticeship period of 6 to 8 years.

Below are a series of Video Clips in "REAL VIDEO" format which I created for my Glass Website. They show the steps used to create one of our most popular pieces, the Sparking Lamp. You will need the REAL PLAYER software installed on your computer to view the movies. If you need the software to view these movies click here.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO CLIPS

STEP ONE: THE GATHER

This clip shows the first steps for making the oil lamp. Inside the Furnace there is a large pool of Molten Glass. With a long hollow steel tube called a "blowpipe" the glass is first "Gathered" or wrapped upon the end of the pipe. (similar to gathering honey with a dipper) Next the glass is "blocked" or rolled in a rounded steel mold. This will help to shape the gather into a uniform ball than can then be dropped down into an "Optic" mold. This will create a ribbed texture upon the surface of the Glass. The Glass is then rolled upon the "Marver Plate" (a large smooth Steel Slab) to make sure it is positioned properly on the end of the blowpipe. Next air will be blown through the blowpipe into the glass to create a bubble inside.

STEP TWO: BLOWING & SHAPING

In this clip air is blown through the blowpipe into the glass to create a bubble inside. Then using a Carbon Paddle and a pair of Steel "Jacks" the Glass is shaped to form the body of the Sparking Lamp.

STEP THREE: APPLYING THE FOOT

This video shows the foot being added to the body of the Lamp. First the blowpipe it turned upright and an assistant brings over a small gather of glass from the furnace. The gather is then dripped onto the end of the body section and cut off. Now the blowpipe is rested back on the bench and a device called a "Clapper" is used to shape the molten blob into a smooth round foot. A Carbon Paddle is then used to insure that the foot is level so the lamp will stand straight when completed. Now the assistant will bring over the "Punty" or "Pontil" rod, which is a steel rod with a small bit of heated glass on the tip. This rod will be attached to the bottom of the foot. Next the top of the piece (the narrow area where it is attached to the blowpipe) is chilled and the piece is broken free from the blowpipe. The Lamp will now be taken to the "Glory Hole" which is a re-heating chamber used to heat/soften the glass back up. (if the temperature drops too low too quickly the glass can and will crack)

STEP FOUR: APPLYING THE HANDLE

In this Video clip you can see the final step in the process, the application of the Handle. After re-heating the top of the lamp the piece is brought to the finishing bench. It is smoothed out from where it was broken off the blowpipe and the opening in the end of the piece is sized to be sure that the wick will fit properly when the piece if finished. Now the assistant brings a slightly larger gather then previously brought for the foot, which he will first roll across the Marver Plate. (as shown in the first clip) By rolling it on the Marver he elongates the blob into a cylinder of molten glass. The cylinder is then turner on end and dripped onto the body of the Lamp. The excess is then cut away using a pair of steel sheers. Quickly the free end of the attached cylinder is grabbed with a pair of really, really big tweezers. Then in one quick, smooth motion the end of the cylinder is stretched, curled and anchored to the foot of the Lamp. As the handle cools it is given the desired shape using a small Graphite Rod. Once the handle has stabilized the finished piece is snapped off of the Punty and placed into an "Annealing Oven" (a slow cooling or tempering oven) where it will remain overnight while it slowly cools down to room temperature.

If you have any questions or comments regarding anything seen here please feel free to email me.

ALWAYS UNDER
CONSTRUCTION

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FOR FURTHER DATA....