The glass
is then re-heated, placed in a mold and blown until it takes the
shape of the mold. More heat is added and the final shape is set
by the blower, after which water is sprinkled on the neck where
the pipe is connected causing the glass to crack. This area is
expertly tapped with a paddle and the glass is broken off. From
here it goes to a finisher who removes the sharp edges
and added any decorative accents required. Don Thornton was just
finishing a bowl and came over to talk. "All this is done
with frequent trips back to the furnace to keep the glass in a
workable state" he explained. The glass will then be taken to a cooling area
where it will take four to five hours to cool down slowly with
fire being applied in reduced amounts both overhead and
underneath. Should the glass be allowed to cool down too quickly,
it will fall apart. Glass blowing is still an art and
imperfection is everywhere as evidenced by the large bins of
broken glass out back. Each bin sorted by color so that it can be
added back into the fire when needed.
The story of Blenko glass began in the 12th century.
During that relatively peaceful period between the dark ages of
barbarism and the bloody wars of the Reformation, a measure of
order and civilization had returned to Europe. the all persuasive
influence of the Church played a major role in the recovery and
as if in gratitude, massive cathedrals were erected as monuments
of praise and worship. Workers and craftsmen for every possible trade made their
contributions to that effort. and a very important part was
played by the gilds of master glass-blowers who fashioned the
stained glass which visually presented the great themes of
Christianity. In an era when poor people could not read or write,
these stained glass windows constituted a biblis pauperum, a
Bible of the poor. The type of glass blown by medieval craftsmen tended to be uneven in
surface and to contain seeds or bubbles and other imperfections. As years went by, more glass makers labored to
remove these apparent defects. Ironically, it was the
irregularities of this medieval glass that gave it its unique
beauty. Glassmakers began to realized this in the last half of
the 15th century and new efforts were made to produce antique
glass similar in quality to the early products. This tradition of
hand blowing glass in the ancient methods has been preserved for
generations by the Blenko family.
*** THE END ***
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