The glass is melted in a furnace of 2100 degrees. The furnace is powered by electricity. When the pot in the furnace is empty the process of filling it up again is called batching. Scoops of about 4 cups of glass are poured into the pot at a time, every 20-30 minutes. To completely fill a pot it can take anywhere from a full day to a couple of days. It depends on the life of the elements that govern how long the temperature comes up again after each scoop of glass is added into the pot. The newer the element bars the quicker the temperature comes up. The life span of the elements is anywhere between 6 months to a year. Once the glass is first melted & the furnace temperature climbs to 2100’ it stays on 24 hours a day. The furnace is rebuilt when the ceramic pot inside needs replacement, about every 12 to 18 months. A glassblower gathers the glass out of the furnace with a blowing pipe of about 5 feet long. The pipes are made of stainless steel and are hollow inside. If it is a solid pipe it is called a gathering rod. The pipe is dipped into the pot of melted glass and turned quickly to gather the glass on the end of the pipe. The glassblower then rolls the glass to shape it on a metal table called a marver, this is called marvering the glass. The glass needs to be kept hot while it is being worked. A glassblower reheats the glass in the glory hole, it is about 2350’. The glass is reheated about every 30 seconds to 1 minute. The glory holes are operated by propane in our studio. Color or a design are added to glass, it may look orange due to the high temperature, as it cools it will regain it’s intended color. Glass is shaped and designed by air, heat, gravity, centrifugal force, wet newspaper, cherry wood blocks, metal molds, or a variety of other tools. Glass pieces may take anywhere from 2 minutes to 60+ minutes to complete. The larger or more detailed design the longer a piece takes. Hand blown glass is often worked from both ends; it may start out on the blowpipe and then be transferred (broken off) to another pipe to work the opposite end. When a glassblower is done working a piece, it is put away in an annealing oven. These ovens are set at 950 degrees. Depending on how thick the piece of glass is, it takes 24 to 72 hours to cool off very slowly. If the glass cools too quickly it will shatter or crack. The final step of glass blowing is the grinding work. Diamond wheels and polishing pads are used to finish the pieces. The glass blower then signs it and it is complete.