How To Blow Glass

Glass blowing art has been practiced since the olden times and amazingly, the processes involved in performing it has not changed since then.

Glass is made from oxides, specifically sand, and it is the other oxides present in some glasses that determines its hardness or softness. Although it is hardened liquid, glass has no melting point. When exposed to extreme temperature, glass will simply continue to soften. This makes heat an important element in glass blowing art.

One popular glass art is glass bead making. Glass beads are made from soda lime glass, a soft kind of glass that has a low melting point, making it easier to work with. The process of making glass beads is basically the same as making other glass works. The most notable difference is that, as I mentioned above, the material used for glass beads is soft and easier to mold. Also, glass bead making zooms everything down to a smaller scale. You use a smaller rod, smaller marver, etc.

With glass blowing art, you can make beautiful things other than glass beads. You can add colors, patterns and other decorative pieces to your creations. You also have to meticulously mold your molten glass. Glass does not really allow much room for errors. It is easy to see a botched glass job. There?s nothing worse than badly-shaped glass. It is hard to think of an explanation that will clarify why the rim of your glass vase looks like it is melting and flowing in one direction.

There?s a great book that can help all glass blowing newbies and enthusiasts out there. It?s called The Glass Blowing Bible. Check it out.