A workstation for glass-blowers

In order to make a single goblet out of glass, you need five to seven experienced glass-blowers, a lot of lung power and a seven-stage process. Working at extremely high temperatures, the glass-makers pass the workpiece to one another from step to step. That’s what we call «teamwork» in glass-making lingo.

Here’s how it works: The first glass-blower uses a blowpipe – which was invented more than 2,000 years ago, by the way – to pick up a lump of molten glass from the working trough. By continuously rotating the lump, it is possible to divide it evenly before exhaling to blow it into a small sphere – the «parison» or bubble. Then the glass-blower adds another layer. They once again dip the pipe into the molten glass in the furnace, removing another lump of the glowing material. Again, this material is divided before the shaping process begins. Depending on the intended product, the glass is either free-blown or moulded using cast-iron or pear-wood moulds.