Glass blowing is an ancient craft that has been around since the days of the Old Testament.
Blown glass can create many things – a beautiful ornament, a stunning light fitting or a practical dish or glass.
So what is glass blowing?
Basically it is the skill of creating shapes and objects in molten glass by blowing air into it. Master craftspeople can create everything from a wine glass to a statue.
Furnaces in a workshop heat the glass to make it pliable and then a blowpipe shapes and introduces air into the glass. The blowpipe is rolled on a special round table, called a marver, and has to be rotated constantly so it does not lose its shape. As soon as it starts to harden, the glass is placed back in the furnace until it becomes malleable again.
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If you’ve always been interested in watching glass blowing, then head along and watch E&M Glass in action. The team will be giving demonstrations of glass blowing in all its different forms and are real craftspeople. You will be talked through the various processes of shaping and introducing patterns, colours and designs and can ask questions. Unfortunately you won’t be able to have a go, but you can certainly ask questions on how to get started and what is involved.
Glass blowing isn’t something you can learn to do at home, for obvious reasons. However, E&M run various workshops from their studio in the Welsh borders, both for beginners and those who already have some grounding in glass blowing.
It can make an excellent creative hobby.
There are a few different universities that offer glass courses including Manchester, Sunderland and Plymouth. E&M often take on work experience students, usually from one of the universities mentioned.
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