Marbles, Larry Zengel and Brett Young
Where Hot Glass Is Born
Want to know how we do it?
Yeah, we hear that a lot.
Fact is, we've got our art down to a pretty good science. That's how we can make unique marbles with uniform quality, and other vibrant glass pieces that captivate the eye and wake up the imagination.
We're guessing you haven't had the pleasure of seeing glass artists at work. Why not take a quick tour right here, and watch us make a little magic in just 10 steps.
1:
Larry taking a starting gather of clear glass out of the 80 pound electric glass furnace set to 2150 degrees
2:
Applying small chunks of color, called frit, to the surface of the hot gather of glass
3:
Reheating the glass in the gloryhole to melt in the color that was applied to the surface
4:
Larry applying a color wrap being held by Brett
5:
Larry using a block, made out of cherry wood and soaked in water, to shape a second casing layer of clear glass
6:
Larry using a blow hose and a tool called 'jacks' to shape the form that will become a bowl
7:
Brett standing on the bench with a bit of clear glass to create a foot that Larry is applying to the bottom of the bowl (left)
8:
Using a small bit of glass on the end of a steel rod, which is known as a punty, used to transfer the bowl from the blowpipe (right)
9:
Larry and Brett applying a small decorative bit of color, called a lip wrap, to the opening of the bowl
10:
Larry using jacks to open the mouth of the bowl;
This step will be repeated several times until the final shape is achieved
