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Definition / Description |
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Annealer / Annealing Oven
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Oven that is used to cool the glass slowly.
The annealer sits at around 900 degrees Farenheight and is
brought down to room temperature overnight so that it does
not crack under stress.
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Assistant
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The Person (or People) helping the Gaffer
make a piece
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Batch
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Raw components to be melted into Glass
(Silca, Carbon, Lime…) Can be purchased through various
manufactureres, however many artists prefer to mix their own
batch in order to have greater control over things like purity,
color and melting temperatures
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Bench
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The bench is the center of the hot shoppe.
It is where the artist works a piece and is the where all
the tools are kept. The bench has two rails spaced on either
side going perpendicular to the seat, these rails are used
to roll the glass pipes on
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Bits
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Tiny amounts of glass that can be added
to a piece. (ie color, handles, stems, wraps)
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Blocks
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Wood molds that fit in the palm of your
hand to be used to shape the glass in the early phases of
the process
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Blowpipe
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A hollow steel rod, with a mouth piece
on one end which the artist blows through to expand a bubble
through the hot glass
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Cane
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Long thin rods of glass that are used for
color treatments & various decoration. Also used in the
making of beads and torchwork (also see latticino)
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Casing
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Applying an additional layer of clear hot
glass over previous gathers of color and design
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Casting
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Using a solid mold (plaster, sand…)
to either pour hot glass into or pack in solid glass to be
melted in a controlled oven
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Charge
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To fill the furnace with glass, depending
on the type of furnace this could take up to a few days
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Check
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A small crack on the surface of the glass
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Chill Mark
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An area on a hot worked glass piece, that
has become slighlty cracked on the surface as a result of
being over-exposed to steel
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Cold Work
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Using grinding wheels, wet sanders, a diamond
drills, U/V Glues… to shape, flaten or polish glass
at normal temperatures
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Color
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Available for sale from several manufacturers,
comes in either 1" diameter rods, powder, different size
frits (chips), canes, sheet glass….
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Cookie
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A small amount of hot glass dropped onto
the marver to be used as a foot
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Cord
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An imperfection in the glass showing as
either streaks, stones, or hazziness
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Crackle (French Crackle)
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Dipping a piece while hot into a bucket
of cold water will shatter the outside of the glass while
leaving the inside intact, thus give the appearance of cracked
glass
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Crucible
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The couldren (or bowl) that holds the glass
inside the furnace
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Crystal
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Lead based glass that is particularly well
suited for grinding and engraving
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Cullet
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Manufactured glassware that is unusable
as a results of chips, cracks and problems can be bought by
studio artists to be melted in their furnace as the primary
source of clear (or color) instead of using batch
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Day Tank
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A Furnace that can be used / charged daily
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Diamond Shears
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To evenly cut off a bit of glass, also
to be used placement of bits
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Didymium
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Protective eyeware worn by glass artists
have pink lenses to help cut down on the UV rays emitted by
the furnace and gloryhole
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Duckbill Shears
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Shears with an open edges, used to trim
the lip of a blown vessel
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Element (Annealer)
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The electric cord or piece used to heat
the annealer oven
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Feathering
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Dragging a thread across a hot piece of
glass thus creating a decrotaive effect similar to the top
of a Napolean Desert (MY FAVORITE)
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Flameworking
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Using a table top torch and cold canes
& tubes of glass in order to make a variety of glass objects
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Flash
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A quck reheat in the gloryhole in order
to keep a part of the glass from getting too cold
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Foot
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A round disc usually found on the bottom
of wine glasses, but can also be used on all types of vessels
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Frax (FiberFrax)
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Spun Ceramic instulaion that is used in
and around a glass studio, it is a white fluffy fabric, that
is unsafe to the touch and very hazerdous to breathe
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Frit
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Tiny chips of glass that can be used in
the coloring process
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Furnace
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Oven that holds liquid glass. Usually able
to be opened and closed as more glass is needed. Sits around
2200 degrees farenheight
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Gaffer
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The main team member of a glassbloiwng
team. The person in charge of the project
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Gargage
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an oven that sits at a hot enough temperature
to keep the glass moving, this allows atrists to create parts
that can be stored for use later in the process
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Gathering
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The process of collecting the liquid glass
from the furnace on the end of a blowpipe or punty. This is
done by slow rotation in the glass.
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Glory Hole
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Oven that is used to reheat glass as it
is being worked. Usually the front is open for easy acces
during the working of a piece. Sits around 2200 degrees farenheight
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Heat Shield
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Using a paddle or something similar placed
in between the working artist and the glass, providing a barrier
that the heat will not penetrate
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Jacks
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Large tongs that are used in order to create
score lines in the neck of a piece. It is the main tool used
by glassblowers and can be used to perform a variety of tasks.
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Kevlar Gloves
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High heat resistant gloves or big mittens
that are used to carry the glass from the knock off table
to the annealer.
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Knock Off Table
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A table that the artist uses as a rest
for a piece prior to putting it in the annealer. The table
is usually lined with Fiber Frax
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Kuglar Oven (Pick-Up Oven)
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A small oven similar to the annealer that
color can be preheated in prior to being used by the artist.
Kuglar is a popular brand of color
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Lampworking
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see flameworking
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Latticino
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Venetian cane that is used to decorate
outside of glass. The inside of the cane usually has intricate
designs which add to the overall design of the piece. AKA
Zanfirico
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Leaf, Silver / Gold
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Paper thin gold or silver that can be used
in surface decoration
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Lip
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The top edge of the piece. This is the
part that is opened with the jacks (The edge one would drink
from on a tumbler or cup).
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Maestro
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An italian glass master
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Marver
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A steel (or marble) table that is used
to shape the glass. The artist can roll the glass on this
table to achieve a variety of goals, most of which have to
do with shape.
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Moile
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The glass that is on the steel blowpipe
or punty
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Moile-Wrap
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a bit of hot glass that is wrapped around
the moile to keep it from breaking / cracking
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Murini
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Glass tiles and round tiles that are fused
together in glass coloration designs, usually they are quite
intricate
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Neck
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The edge of the piece that will be scored
and seperated when transfering the working piece onto the
punty.
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Newspaper
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Soaked newspaper the artist uses to grab
hold of the glass and squeeze in the shape they are looking
for.
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Optic Mold
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A steel or bronze mold that puts ridges
or other shapes into the vessel, Optic Molds are used early
in the process
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Overlay
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Putting color on top of other glass
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Pacioffis
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Wooden jacks used to open up large pieces
like bowls and plates
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Paddle
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A wooden tool used to flatten the bottom
of a piece
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Parison
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The small bubble and first gather
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Pasterelli
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A flat plate mounted on a steel rod that
can be used to hold latticino glass, sheet glass, murini and
glass components, while they are in the gloryhole
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Pick Up
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A 1" round by 1" high piece of
glass that can be encased with clear in order to give the
appearance of colored glass.
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Pipe Warmer
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a small gas oven that is used to preheat
the steel pipes; many glory holes have pipe warmers built
into the side
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Pot Furnace
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A furnace that the glass sits inside a
crucible which sits inside the furnace. If the Crucible breaks,
it can be easily replaced.
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Prunt
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Little decrotive bits
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Punty
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A solid steel rod that is used for bits
and for the transfer process of the piece from on the blowpipe
to the "punty".
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Pyrex
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A name brand of Borosilicate Glass usually
used by lampworkers
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Pyrometer
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High heat thermometer used to measure temp
inside furnace or gloryhole
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Reheat
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to heat the glass back to a molten state;
usually done in the gloryhole
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Seeds
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Small air bubbles found in glass that has
not been squeezed
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Slumping
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Using the annealer to over heat the glass
in order to get the glass to melt enough that it will take
the shape of a mold place below the glass
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Soffietta
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To be used to blow air into the piece when
on the punty, intended for adding shape.
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Squeeze
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The process of getting seeds out the glass,
by cooling the glass in the furnace and then reheating it,
the air bubbles are forced out the top of the glass AKA Fining
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Steam Stick
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a cone shaped piece of wood and is used
in place of a soffietta, instead of blowing the steam stick
uses the water soaked into the wood to creat steam which can
push the glass out
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Straight Shears
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To cut a straight line or bit
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Thread
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a thin wrap or spiral of glass that goes
around a vessel
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Threading Wheel
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A pipe rest that uses ball bearings to
spin the pipe evenly backward allowing the artist to evenly
apply a spiral down the piece.
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Tweezers
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To be used to pinch and pull glass
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Wax
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Bees Wax and or Carnuba wax is used to
coat the jacks so that they don't stick to the glass
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Wraps
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A string / spiral of glass that is added
on to the main piece. Can be melted into the piece or can
be left 3 dimensional
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Yoke
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A stand in front of the gloryhole that
is used as a support for the blowpipes. Using ball bearings
it allows the artist to turn the pipe easily with little effort
giving them a chance to regain strength.
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