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Author: Mag_Alef, Contributing Editor
 | This process could be repeated to build up layer upon layer, until the desired shape was produced. After annealing and cooling the vessel, the core was then removed. By the first millennium B.C., new methods of core-forming were used such as winding a hot trail of glass around the core, or dipping the core into molten glass.
Other popular techniques were: gathering chunks of glass onto heated rods and then reheating to melt it; sagging hot glass over a mold; fusing pieces of glass together; drawing cane; grinding and cutting cold glass; and using a potter's wheel to wind molten glass around a spinning mold. Lampworking, which got it's name through the use of the flame from a small oil lamp, was used to heat glass in later millennia, but was rarely utilized in ancient times. It is speculated that the ancients used a much larger flame source, perhaps an open fire pit or ceramic pot kilns, to work their glass. |
| THE GLASS REVOLUTION
Though popular today, it wasn't until 50 B.C. that glassblowing was employed as a technique. Around this time it was discovered that tubes of glass could be inflated by pinching shut one end, while heating a section of the tube and blowing into the open end. It's believed that Syro-Palestinians created the first blowpipe to use for inflating hot glass. It was likely made of clay, since this material was cheap, readily available, and remained cool enough to handle despite frequent heating throughout the glassblowing process. |  |
| The discovery of the inflatable property of glass, along with this new blowpipe tool, revolutionized the industry. The Romans were said to be particularly fond of blown glass, and began to set up glass centers across their empire. The result of this revolution was the commercialization of glass and ultimately the global expansion of the industry.
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REFERENCES Brass, Michael; "The Chemical Composition of Glass in Ancient Egypt"; The Antiquity of Man (online collection); http://www.antiquityofman.com/AE_glass.html Corning Museum of Glass; Resource on Glass (online collection); http://www.cmog.org/page.cfm?page=77 Root, M.C. with Mc Coy, L.A.; Wondrous Glass: Reflections on the World of Rome c. 50 BC-AD 650; Univ. of Michigan Press, 1980; http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/WondrousGlass/MainGlass.html Stern, E. Marianne and Schlick-Nolte, Birgit; Early Glass of the Ancient World; Ernesto Wolf, 1994 |
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| B i o g r a p h y | |
| While studying lapidary and silversmithing, Mag saw her first art glass beads in 1998, and was intrigued at the idea of working with molten glass. Nearly four years later, she's still captivated by the beauty and technical challenge of the medium. When she's not in her studio creating art, she can generally be found at her computer, buried amid stacks of books and files. Says Mag, "Art is my love, and research is my passion." Her favorite projects involve combining the two. | |
| E-Mail: info@blackdotdesigns.com Web Site: http://www.blackdotdesigns.com | |
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