Handblown pipes require attention and precision. Let's see the process of making and the challenges faced by glassblowers in the process of making a glass pipe.

1. HandBlown
GlassPipes
TheStoryBehindyourGlassPipes
THEPROCESS&
THECHALLENGES
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2. BenefitsofHandBlown
GlassPipes
Glassdoesnoteasilystain,chipordamage,makingit
oneofthebestchoicesforsmokingpipes.
Glasspipesdon’tabsorbtastesandodoursovertime
unlikewoodenpipes.
Theyareeasytokeepclean.
Whenblownproperly,theseglassitemslastmany
years.
Handmadepipesletyouhaveafullandpleasantdraw.

3. HistoryofHandBlown
GlassPipes
Glassblowingstartedin3000BCEforornamental
purposes.
Butuntilthe1stcenturyBCE,ithadnothingtodo
withpipes.
Earlierclay,wood,stone,Sepiolitewereusedtomake
smokingpipes.
Thoughwoodisstillbeingused,theyhavetheirown
limitations.
Thefirstglasspipewaspatentedin1977.
Buttheybecamepopularinthelate1990s.

4. TheProcessofHandBlowing
GlassPipes
Pre-heatglassinakilnto1100degreestomakeit
malleablebutnotliquid.
Insertablowpipeintothefurnaceintoaroundballof
glass,whichisthematerialtobeblown.
Oncecollected,rolltheglassonagraphiteslab
(marver).
Coloringifrequiredcanbedoneatthisstageby
dippingitintocoloredfragmentsofglass‘frit’togive
thedesireddesign.
Blowairintoahosewhilerollingtheglassandgiving
ittherightshapeandsize.

5. TheProcess
(cont.)
Removeglassfromthepointandreturntothehot
kilnforAnnealing.
Thisisanimportantstepandshouldbedonewith
care,asglasscanshatterifit’scooledeithertoo
fastortoounevenly.
Glassisslowlyloweredintemperatureandheldat
specificimportanttemperatureplateaus(1050&
960F)forspecificamountsoftime.
Thoughthisallowstheglassmatrixtoreform,many
smallanddomesticcompaniesskipthismost
importantstep.

6. Importanceofthe
glassblowers
Everyartisaneventuallydevelopstheirown
techniqueswhichmakeeachpieceuniqueand
individual.
Often,therearehallmarksofwhohascreatedeach
piece.Branding,whetherbyindividualnameor
company,helpsinidentifyingtheseartisanal
innovationsandcreativity.
Ateverystage,theglassblowerhastoremain
conscientiousabouttheformoftheglass—gently
guidingitintoitsfinalshapeandsize.
Thisisnottrueofmachine-made/blow
molded/stampedglass.

7. Challengesfacedbythe
glassblowers
Hand-blownglasspiperequiresanexpertartisanto
createasthereisonlyonechancetoformapiece.
Thetechniqueusedononemodeltoachievethe
desiredeffect,maynotworkonadifferentmodel.
Theglassreactsdifferentlytoconditions,which
meanstheartisanneedstoimprovisecontinuously.
Ifit’sblownimproperly,therearefewerchancesthat
thepiececanberecovered.
Losingapieceisahugewasteoftimeandmaterials.
Glassisalsodangeroustoworkwith.
Moltenglassisveryhotandleavesanastyburn.
Itcutstheskin,sometimeswithouttheartisteven
feelingituntillater.
SafetyprotocolsinplaceintheUnitedStatesvia
OSHAhelpensurethehealthandsafetyofartists.

8. WheretoBuy?
Forpipesthatarehandblownbysomeofthemost
talentedglassblowersoftheUSA,youcanvisitour
website.Allthepipesareuniqueintheirwayand
givesconsistentandsmoothexperiencetothe
blazerslikeyou.