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Glass Blowing Class in Centralia, WA

By Franklyn Gallup of FriendlyBank.net

I remember as a kid going with my family to take a tour of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY. I was amazed at the things they were doing there. They had one 200 inch mirror (almost 17 feet in diameter) for a large refracting telescope. I think the one they had on display was the first attempt which didn't make it. That's how I remember it anyway. You know how things are always bigger than they really are when you are a kid.

I was also amazed by watching the glass making where they were making shapes and blowing glass into marvelous shapes. Swans, dogs, ducks and all kinds of things seemed to magically appear.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw a sign on the sidewalk which said "Glass Blowing Demo" right here where I live in Centralia, WA. I naturally made some time to check it out.

I found a place to park and grabbed my camera.

I was just in time to see the last two demonstrations for the day. They had no problem with my taking pictures of the process.

The first piece they made was a paperweight. They had one kiln that was super hot. It looked a lot like the pictures you see of steel mills with that bright orange color in there when they quickly opened the door. They allowed it open just long enough to dip a long pipe into the liquid glass in the bottom.

They pulled out the pipe with a glob of hot orange glass about the size of a baseball on the end. Once it had cooled just a bit they rolled in on a stainless steel table. This smoothed the glass out to a more concentric form with smooth sides. The glass cooled down as they were rolling it.

One the glass had cooled down to the point that is workable they stuck it back in a smaller kiln which seemed to be smaller and not quite as hot as the first kiln. It sill had the bright orange color to it. They repeated this process about eight times. They would heat the glass, work it to shape, and then reheat it again so they could work with it some more.

It seemed to me to be an art to know just how long go heat the glass each time and how far to put it in the kiln. I imagine this is something you learn from experience.

During one of these working intervals they rolled the glass in what looked like sprinkles you would roll onto an ice cream cone. This gave the glass color. Other times when they were working it they would cut the glass with tin snip looking scissors. This created the design inside the paperweight.

I think the paperweight took about 10-15 minutes to get it to the desired appearance. Once it was where they wanted it one person took gloves looking like over-sized oven mittens. He held the mittens in front of the kiln for a few minutes like you would warm your hands in front of a fireplace. These gloves were used to catch the glass when it broke off. When it came time to separate the glass from the pipe they heated the fracture point with a propane torch and just tapped the pipe and it broke off into the gloves. He then carried it back to a cooling area.

The second piece they make was more like a drinking glass. It involved much of the same process as the paperweight until they actually blew through the pipe while the glass was hot to make it hollow. While they were working this glass they would roll the pipe on what looked like armchairs on a chair make out of steel. the one person would sit between the arms and roll the pipe back and forth allowing gravity to evenly work on the glass so it would be symmetrical as it cooled.

They also used a wooden ladle which resembled a scoop you would make out of a gourd to shape the glass as they rolled it.

They opened up the top of the glass with what looked like a giant set of tweezers. Shaping it, reheating it shaping some more. rolling, reheating... until they had the desired result.

I took pictures all the time. After the demonstrations I took pictures of some of the finished projects in front of the store. Even the lights hanging from the ceiling were decorative glass globes.

I asked about their classes that they offer. Students of the local college can earn college credits from taking their class as well. They offer senior discounts as well and encourage couples to take the class together.

There is usually four students and two instructors to each 5 week class. They offer 5 hours of studio time for each week. Week 1 is paperweights. Week 2 is cups. Week 3 is plates. Week 4 you learn to make bowls and week 5 is your choice.

Once you complete the beginners class an intermediate class is available.

For more information visit their website at Central Glass Works

The tweezers move back and forth on the board rest as the pipe is rolled much like a lathe

Another glob of glass on another pipe is attached to what will be the bottom of the glass

After the first pipe is broken off the tweezers open up the opening in the top of the glass

A second person catches the piece as it breaks off with the over sized oven mitts..

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Some of the finished products created by glass blowing is mind blowing. Very artistic stuff much of it, I lack the patience I'm afraid for doing anything 'arty`.

I was impressed with the skill and patience these people had as they worked with the glass. I am positive it is not as easy as they made it look.

I have tried glass blowing in the past but don't have the lungs or cheeks for it. It is very difficult to understand how something so delicate is created in such heat and with such speed.

I could feel the heat as I was taking pictures. I think the depth of field made his hand look a lot closer than it actually was. I had the zoom on the camera at full magnification.

It is a pretty amazing process.

I saw this done once many eons ago. I wonder what the scrap rate is? One mistake and.... I suppose they could always turn it into costume jewelry -- or something.

There was a galvanized wash tub full of broken glass where they were working. I think it can melted down again into liquid glass in the first kiln.

For my next Intel... You have to wait and see

Glass blowing is truly an art. I once interviewed some glass blowers for an article assignment I had back when I was writing for magazines and so forth. It also requires an amazing set of lungs to handle all that blowing. Love the pictures.

Yes it is a lot of work and they have to remember not to inhale

Thanks for the comment.

You brought back my childhood. I also visited the glass works at Corning, New York and, to my child's memory, your description sounds exactly like what I saw way back then. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

I don't remember seeing you there

Thanks for the nice comment.

My wife is watching a western movie getting some more ideas for her next book. Some guy just got really upset because he thought the guy said "Jews" instead of "juice". He got really upset saying, "No Jews... No Jews!!" Ah the old west.

Very interesting details of glassblowing. There was a place in Central Oklahoma, where they did glassblowing. We went there several times, with our children, about 40 years ago. It was just as you described it and was very interesting.
The kids loved it, and we enjoyed it very much.

marycarol May 6, 2010 17:22

How interesting. I would love to take a class in glass-blowing. It would be so neat to make useful and beautiful things out of glass!

Janet Jenson May 6, 2010 18:29

Glass blowing is indeed a fasinating art, Franklyn. I've always wanted to give it a try, but never got to it.
You described the process as I remember it and your series of images are great.
Thank you for sharing.
Best wishes.
Frederick

frederick May 6, 2010 19:11

I've never been there but it sounds interesting. I have seen a glass blowing demonstration. I've been trying to get to a local stained glass factory that's about an hour from my home to take a tour...but it hasn't worked out yet.

My wife used to do stained glass. It is very time consuming. As I watched her assembling stained glass and cutting the glass I realized I could use the same technique in my goldfish inlay.

Thanks for the fascinating description of glass blowing. I wonder how old this craft is and where it originates from.
I wouldn't mind learning to do this. However, I am sure that I would not be happy about the heat which is part of its manufacturing process.

tozcal2008 May 7, 2010 14:42

Thank you for writing this wonderful account of glass blowing. Will and I visited a shop in San Antonio, Texas a few years back. I was impressed by the minatures some of the workers were making. The things I thought were amazing were delicate horses, harps and ships. Of course I wanted at least one of these creations. I didn't think they would make it home in one piece so, sadly I never purchased anything.

Laraine May 8, 2010 02:55

I love handmade glass works. I once watched a glass maker work on spun glass miniatures and table top pieces. He made glass ships with sails, carousels, wedding cake tops and more.

I also viewed a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture in the San Antonio Central Library. It was breathtaking.

It is mesmerizing sometimes to watch people do amazing things with glass.

I am not sure if I would want to go sailing in a glass ship or not. It definitely would have a spectacular underwater view.

I think it is but it is also a lot of work and patience.

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