Glassblower
A glassblower is an artist who uses heat and tools to shape molten glass into vessels, sculptures, and decorative pieces. This craft has been practiced for centuries and requires great skill and experience.
Glassblowers use various techniques to create pieces, such as blowing, hammering, and working with color. They must have a good understanding of the properties of glass and the tools used in the process.
The glassblower must also be able to work quickly and precisely to ensure that the piece is not permanently damaged by the heat. The pieces created by glassblowers can be extremely complex, and the process is considered an art form.
Glass is one of the most versatile materials available to man and is made from the cheapest materials on earth - sand. Although glassmakers had been making glass since the cradle of civilization, it was not until the late 15th century that they began to produce, among other things, better lenses for eyeglasses, the first microscopes, and scientific equipment.
Broadly speaking, the development of glassmaking and glassblowing took place as follows:
3000 B.C. - the first glassmaking was discovered when someone lit a fire in a place where the sea used to be and the soda and silica in its sand melted to form drops of glass
300 B.C. - mold pressing was introduced by pouring molten glass into a lower mold and an upper mold was pressed into it, thus shaping the glass
1st century B.C. - the invention of the blowpipe and glassblowing began
12th century - colored glass was first used
14th century - crown glass - flat window glass - was first used
15th century - clear glass, which was not actually very clear
17th century - plate glass
1675 - flint glass led to the discovery of the glass known as lead crystal
1884 - Jena Glass containing borosilicate - now known as Pyrex
1909 - safety glass
1918 - laminated glass
1952 - float glass
Many new types of glass were developed, such as laminated glass, thermal resin glass, and glass fabrics. Some glassblowers shape and attach hot glass to other objects, forming pedestals and handles.
Glass is for everyday use and the trend is increasingly clear that people enjoy owning beautiful glass objects, whether it is a small elephant blown by a glassblower in an outdoor market, or a magnificent glass sculpture.
There are endless opportunities in this career and even people who are not very artistic but enjoy working with glass could work in the manufacture of glass instruments for scientific apparatus, or work in the glassblowing industry.
The two main areas within the glass industry are:
- The manufacture of flat (float) glass, mainly for the construction industry;
- The manufacture of glass products, mainly domestic and scientific glassware;
- Glass workers operate and control machines to make molten glass, and press or blow it into molds to form or shape glass products, for example bottles, jars and glasses, as well as insulation and fiberglass products.
Glass workers may perform the following tasks: process chemical and glass raw materials; handle glass fibers to form a continuous length and then produce a usable product for the customer.
They check conditions such as temperatures, pressures and gas compositions by adjusting furnace valves to regulate the temperature of molten glass according to production specifications and the adjusting screws, air valves, turntable speeds and plunger timing of glass pressing machines.
They also need to identify, correct when possible, or report faults in processing equipment, as well as oil and clean the machines. They perform quality assurance activities and prepare written operating records.
Finished products are checked for faults, defective items are separated and good products are packaged for
distribution.
Glass workers can specialize as foundry operators, glass machine assistants, glass makers or glass handlers. With experience and sometimes with more advanced training, it is possible to become a team leader, supervisor, sales representative, estimator or technical specialist.
Where does a glass blower work?
- Glassware manufacturers
- Glass blowing industries
- Manufacturing and packaging industries
- Glass traders and processors
- Self-employment, with enough experience, initiative and capital, you can start your own business
