Jacking

Once the final gather has been taken and the piece is starting to take form, it is important to prepare the glass to eventually be removed from the pipe. The bubble inside the glass piece begins where the end of the blowpipe touches the glass; this is called the neck of the piece. Eventually that neck will be the top opening of the piece, also know as the lip. Here the artist uses jacks to create a score line in the neck of the piece. This score line will need to be redefined through out the process. The jacks are the primary tool for glass artists. Shaped like a pair of tong-like scissors with a flat handle, jacks are used for shaping, opening the lip, applying bits, and various other activities.