How To Blow Glass

New to glass blowing? Well, before you try to learn the process of actually blowing glass, you first have to know the essential glass blowing supplies you will need.

First, you need a good blowing pipe. It is usually five feet long and one to two inches wide, but you can get smaller pipes for smaller glass pieces. A blowing pipe has a mouthpiece on one end and you gather molten glass with the other.

You?ll dip your blowing pipe into a kiln that is filled with molten glass. A kiln is your glass-melting furnace that can be powered either by electricity or gas. A kiln can be large and very expensive. But if you are planning to start blowing glass in your own garage, you can get a pot furnace which is smaller and can be used to melt glass.

You will also need a glory hole where you can insert your blowing pipe when you need to reheat molten glass. Okay, that can sound a little, well, never mind. A glory hole is a second furnace that can be turned on and off, depending on the need to reheat the molten glass.

Next, you will need a flat, fireproof surface called the marver where you can flatten and shape molten glass.

You also have to have an annealing oven where you can cool glass. Glass can crack when it is improperly cooled down.

It is important to have ventilation equipment in your work area. Glass blowing involves excessive heat and a lot of gases, so you must ensure that your work space has a good exhaust system.

See the complete list of glass blowing supplies in The Glass Blowing Bible, a comprehensive glass blowing manual that contains everything from glass blowing processes to safety measures. Get one now!