Hi guys!
Last week, I (Louise) attended a thoroughly enjoyable 1-day glass blowing course at The Glass Hub in Wingfield. This is a craft I've been itching to have a go at for many years, so I was very happy to see the gift voucher for it when I opened my birthday present from my husband.
The Glass Hub team are very friendly and welcoming. The two tutors for the day were Sonja, who has over 20 years of hot glass experience, and Sarah, who has many years' experience and also teaches lampworking.
There were four students to one tutor, and this was really useful as you were able to see the other students tackle the processes too - and learn from them. I was really impressed with our tutor, Sarah, as she has a very assured but friendly approach to how she teaches the craft; which can't be easy when you're dealing with people who have never handled very hot molten glass before or had any experience in this area.
The course started at 10 am, and we would be stopping for lunch around 1 pm and then continuing to around 4 pm. First, we were split into our two groups and then the format of the day was explained.
We were familiarised with the workshop, the larger pieces of equipment and the tools and safety equipment that we would be using. It all seems a little overwhelming at first, even for someone like me who has a ceramics background and is used to kilns and studios, but you soon get to grips with it all. We were also advised to keep drinking water and to stay hydrated during the day, especially as it was also scorching outside!
Even though it was, in any case, a very hot summer's day, the team did their best to ensure that there was a through draught, and they set up large fans at each end of the workshop - Sonja also provided some chairs and a parasol for some of the students´partners who had come along to watch.
Health & safety obviously plays an important role when working in this environment, and we wore kevlar arm socks, gloves and safety goggles.
The furnaces in which the pools of glass sit had been switched on at 6.30 am that morning in order for them to reach the sweltering temperature of 1300°C and therefore keep the glass molten. It took a while to adjust to the intense heat in the workshop, especially when you're standing directly in front of the furnace opening (glory hole) itself in order to gather or heat up the glass! But you soon get used to it - particularly when you're concentrating on what you're doing.
We were going to be learning first how to gather the glass on the pipe and also where to put the pipe once we'd finished using it. They have separate metal bins for clear glass and coloured glass. When the glass on the end of the pipe cools down in these it shatters off the pipe. The glass can then be reheated and used at a later time.
Once we'd tackled that, we would be going on to make a glass bauble, a paperweight and then finally, a vase. At the start of the workshop, you really can't imagine that you'll be going home with anything worthy of note, but it's amazing what you can achieve (with help from your tutor).
The day continued with a demonstration by Sonja on how to make a glass bauble to hang. There are various processes involved, including blowing the glass (this can be achieved either by blowing down the end of the pipe (as we're used to seeing in traditional glass blowing demonstrations), or attaching something they call a "noodle", which is a long pipe with a mouthpiece on the end; making it much easier to keep the glass rolling while you are adding air to the piece), then rolling the piece in coloured glass frit (I chose blue), and culminating in an extra piece of glass being attached to the top in order to make the loop. This video shows Sonja doing just that.
I don't think I did too badly at my first attempt to make a bauble. Sarah was a fantastic tutor. She instilled confidence and obviously helped out a lot when needed.
Sarah did most of the glass gathering in the furnace - a hot business!
Once you've made a piece, you then add it to the annealing kiln which is set to a temperature of 400°C. This allows the glass to cool down gradually so that it doesn't shatter. You have to remember that the inconspicuous grey metal box is also incredibly hot - so, best not to lean on it.
We then progressed to making our paperweight, which involved trapping air bubbles inside it. This was an interesting process which required you to prod three parts of the hot glass with a pointed metal stick in order to create the bubbles. I really enjoyed making this piece in particular. You also then rolled the piece in various colours.
Coloured glass is added by arranging piles of the glass frit on the marver (which is a table that is made of either metal, graphite or steel), and then putting the piece back in the furnace so as to melt the coloured glass pieces on to the main body of glass.
Again, once the paperweight was finished, it was put in the annealing kiln to cool down slowly.
We stopped for lunch, which we'd pre-ordered. A lovely wholesome mix of salad and wraps, and a rather naughty slice of cake afterwards! The Glass Hub provides you with tea, coffee and water throughout the day, ensuring you stay nice and hydrated.
The afternoon progressed with us tackling the final and most complicated piece of the day - the vase. Sonja demonstrated the whole process for us.
She first of all, gathered the glass on the pipe and then brought it to the bench.
Here, she combined blowing and forming to produce the required shape.
This video snippet shows Sonja shaping the glass. It's pretty tricky to remember to keep rolling the glass at all times, otherwise, it'll fall off the end of the pipe. There's also a lot of teamwork involved in making something like this, as you have to transfer the piece to another pipe midway so that you can then work on the other end of the vase.
We all then had a go at making our own vases. When you're shaping the glass using either the paddles, pads or blocks, you have to remember to keep them wet so that they don't stick to the glass.
I think it's generally safe to say that all the students had a fantastic day. I know I would love to do this again. Shame we live about 3.5 hours away, otherwise, you probably wouldn't be able to keep me away from the place! Thanks again to Sarah for being such a great teacher.
Keep crafting!
Our Etsy shop
Our YouTube channel
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by any companies we mention, nor are any of these links affiliate links, nor are we trying to sell you anything. The links are purely for your convenience if you are interested in anything we try or show you.
Last week, I (Louise) attended a thoroughly enjoyable 1-day glass blowing course at The Glass Hub in Wingfield. This is a craft I've been itching to have a go at for many years, so I was very happy to see the gift voucher for it when I opened my birthday present from my husband.
The Glass Hub team are very friendly and welcoming. The two tutors for the day were Sonja, who has over 20 years of hot glass experience, and Sarah, who has many years' experience and also teaches lampworking.
There were four students to one tutor, and this was really useful as you were able to see the other students tackle the processes too - and learn from them. I was really impressed with our tutor, Sarah, as she has a very assured but friendly approach to how she teaches the craft; which can't be easy when you're dealing with people who have never handled very hot molten glass before or had any experience in this area.
 |
| The workshop |
We were familiarised with the workshop, the larger pieces of equipment and the tools and safety equipment that we would be using. It all seems a little overwhelming at first, even for someone like me who has a ceramics background and is used to kilns and studios, but you soon get to grips with it all. We were also advised to keep drinking water and to stay hydrated during the day, especially as it was also scorching outside!
 |
| Some of the hand tools |
 |
| The bench |
The furnaces in which the pools of glass sit had been switched on at 6.30 am that morning in order for them to reach the sweltering temperature of 1300°C and therefore keep the glass molten. It took a while to adjust to the intense heat in the workshop, especially when you're standing directly in front of the furnace opening (glory hole) itself in order to gather or heat up the glass! But you soon get used to it - particularly when you're concentrating on what you're doing.
We were going to be learning first how to gather the glass on the pipe and also where to put the pipe once we'd finished using it. They have separate metal bins for clear glass and coloured glass. When the glass on the end of the pipe cools down in these it shatters off the pipe. The glass can then be reheated and used at a later time.
Once we'd tackled that, we would be going on to make a glass bauble, a paperweight and then finally, a vase. At the start of the workshop, you really can't imagine that you'll be going home with anything worthy of note, but it's amazing what you can achieve (with help from your tutor).
The day continued with a demonstration by Sonja on how to make a glass bauble to hang. There are various processes involved, including blowing the glass (this can be achieved either by blowing down the end of the pipe (as we're used to seeing in traditional glass blowing demonstrations), or attaching something they call a "noodle", which is a long pipe with a mouthpiece on the end; making it much easier to keep the glass rolling while you are adding air to the piece), then rolling the piece in coloured glass frit (I chose blue), and culminating in an extra piece of glass being attached to the top in order to make the loop. This video shows Sonja doing just that.
I don't think I did too badly at my first attempt to make a bauble. Sarah was a fantastic tutor. She instilled confidence and obviously helped out a lot when needed.
Sarah did most of the glass gathering in the furnace - a hot business!
 |
| Heating up the glass in the furnace |
 |
| Adding extra glass to make my loop |
 |
| Twisting the hot glass to make my loop |
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| Sarah opening the annealing kiln |
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| My completed bauble! |
Coloured glass is added by arranging piles of the glass frit on the marver (which is a table that is made of either metal, graphite or steel), and then putting the piece back in the furnace so as to melt the coloured glass pieces on to the main body of glass.
 |
| Rolling the hot glass into the coloured frit on the marver |
 |
| My completed paperweight! |
The afternoon progressed with us tackling the final and most complicated piece of the day - the vase. Sonja demonstrated the whole process for us.
She first of all, gathered the glass on the pipe and then brought it to the bench.
 |
| Sonja, gathering the molten glass from the furnace |
 |
| Bringing the glass to the bench, ready to shape |
 |
| Blowing the glass |
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| Using the jacks to shape the neck of the vase |
We all then had a go at making our own vases. When you're shaping the glass using either the paddles, pads or blocks, you have to remember to keep them wet so that they don't stick to the glass.
 |
| Shaping the hot glass with the block |
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| Shaping the glass using the jacks |
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| My vase! |
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| My vase with flowers! |
I think it's generally safe to say that all the students had a fantastic day. I know I would love to do this again. Shame we live about 3.5 hours away, otherwise, you probably wouldn't be able to keep me away from the place! Thanks again to Sarah for being such a great teacher.
 |
| The combined efforts of the students |
Keep crafting!
Our Etsy shop
Our YouTube channel
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by any companies we mention, nor are any of these links affiliate links, nor are we trying to sell you anything. The links are purely for your convenience if you are interested in anything we try or show you.
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