Glassmaking

Equipment and tools

the workshop of the artisanal glass Master

Presentation of a simple workshop, used in particular during public demonstrations in valley of Bresle (such as for example at the time of certain operations to the museum of the glass traditions of the town of Have (76)), is composed approximately as follows:

a furnace made up of a whole of refractory bricks able to tolerate high temperatures obtained gradually,
a composition, i.e. the whole of the materials which, in fusion, will give glass. During the public demonstrations and for works which are not intended to be preserved, the glassmaker puts to melt of the fragments of ordinary glass.
a play of canes to blow metal and openings variable,
a Bench of glassmaker, i.e. a kind of broad seat out of wooden with a metal support on the right, support which the glassmaker will use to pose his cane and thus to work his Paraison (" drip of verre" in fusion " cueillie" in the furnace) while making roll the cane. During this operation of " roulage" , the glass Master fully uses all his knowledge of the relative viscosity of glass according to his temperature in order to model it as he intends it (to obtain a " vide" in the middle of the parison, to work a vase then for example, the glassmaker will blow in his cane then to make assemble the air. It is then possible to see the vacuum being formed at the time of the air flow. Several returns to the furnace to heat the matter are possible, like the glass Master can also rise and print a rocking movement of the cane in order to a share cool its work, in addition to balance it if need be).
Of the grips, that the glass Master uses for example for " serrer" a parison in order to obtain a collar of Vase for example, or for " attraper" glass and to work it, for example to carry out the legs or the mane of a small horse,
a kind of hawk out of wooden covered with wet newspaper, which allows the artist " lisser" its work, for example when he wants to materialize the bottom of a vase. Paper is wet not to ignite in contact with glass.
Of the enamels, i.e. colorings which the artist incorporates as it wishes it while rolling the parison above.
a device of annealing, i.e. a furnace calmer and used at greater length. Indeed, and to avoid the thermal shocks which would cause the break of final work, it is necessary to reheat it in order to stabilize it.

NB: the glass Master can use several canes. It is also interesting to see it separating work finished from the cane to be blown. It prints a dry movement of the wrist, which " casse" the junction between the cane and work. There remains then a mark known as " mark pontil". Not eliminated, this one recalls that work was puffed up by a glass Master.

Standard of glass

to be supplemented: the “compo” and its properties

Technical hot

to be supplemented: blowing with the molten glass

cold Decoration

to be supplemented: to cut out, sand, églomiser

History of glass

The man started to manufacture Verre approximately 5000 years ago. Glass was probably used for the first time in the ancient Egypt, where the articles out of glass were regarded as objects of Luxe, that one finds only in the tombs of priests and family members royal. In the beginning, to manufacture containers of glass, one recovered a core of Argile of glass melted, and one withdrew then this core when glass cooled. When the canes blower was invented towards 100 av. J. - C., the glassmakers could create larger containers in much less time. The new art of the Soufflage of glass spread in all Europe with the expansion of the Roman Empire.

great names of glass art and their works

One can, of course, quote most known, the famous vases Daum, Rene Lalique or Emile Galle, at one time when famous Vase S and Lampe S in molten glass was produced.

He is a more contemporary glass Master and of very high level also, the Belgian Louis Leloup, (crystal worked with the cane, blown with the mouth) to which a Japanese museum was dedicated to Kyoto. Born in 1929 in Belgium, Louis Leloup sublimated this prestigious matter which is the crystal. The artist initially passed by a long phase of acquisition and development of the techniques necessary to work the crystal. Its personal approach of glass art fills up admiration those which are likely to see its works, exposed in the whole world, or which had that, a few years ago, it to see carrying out a demonstration in valley of Bresle, cradle of artisanal glass and industrialist between Picardy and Normandy.

Collections

to supplement

To collect

to be supplemented: the old ones and modern the

To preserve

to be supplemented: a material surprising

Industry of glass

Pierre Mitchell (1687-1740), founder of the first glassmaking of Bordeaux in 1723, royal manufacture (1738),
Emile Fourcault inventive Belgian of the first process of drawing of the Window glass

Recycling of glass

The worn bottles of glass can be molten. The matter thus recovered makes it possible to manufacture new bottles. Glass can be recycled indefinitely without losing its qualities.

Glass can also be produced starting from Calcin (crushed glass) of recovery. The manufacture of glass starting from cullet of recovery saves raw materials and energy.

Before being remelted, glass undergoes various treatments: crushing, washing, elimination of the adhesives, labels, capsules, separation of glass and metals and elimination of the rejects (porcelain, stones…).

In France, glass is recovered to be recycled. The Germany chose another system of re-use: the Instruction. In this system the bottles are recovered whole, washed then re-used.

See too

External bonds

Encyclopédie of the techniques of glass
''' Vitrail Structures ''' - the site of the contemporary stained glass
''' Twelve lessons ''' of the art of the glassmaking, ''' a text impossible to circumvent '''
Verrerie of Bordeaux

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