How I got to glassblowing :)

This post does not have math equations in it, its more of 'dear diary' post. I have almost no artistic skills, at least not traditional ones. I like glass blowing, ice skating and love trains. Mainly because one involves high temperature physics/chemistry, next different physics than we (at least I) normally experience, and third involves physics of controlling million ton mass. In short, love playing with fire, ice and heavy objects. This post is about how I got into glassblowing. Have used initials of people for privacy purposes. 

I have been involved in glass for nearly 4 years now. It started with my obsession for trains, but did not want to spend my money on trains, so started trading blenko glass. Through that, came in touch with hillary, and started helping her out with blenkoproject blog, even made a website for them. The other blog listed as mine is actually hillary's. I just have admin rights to it. links below. 

Blog:http://herald-dispatchblogs04.blogspot.com/

Website: www.blenkoproject.org

I wanted to learn glass making, but the closest place I knew was corning. Although, they have short classes, they have them as 7 day crash course, and after that you cant practice. Seemed useless to learn an art that takes more than 10 years of practice to master in 7 days, and not practice. However, read many text books on glass making, high temperature physics, and colored glass. All technical, not artistic. But in glass making, biggest issue most people face is to learn how glass behaves at high temperature. 

Glass melts around 1500 C and if you cool fast below 700 C it cracks. So working range is usually between 800 and 1200 C, and as glass cools, its behavior changes. With in minutes it goes from gravy type of liquid to clear. And glass responds differently to heat and cold. For glass at 1000C, room temperature is cold. In fact, one of the techniques to cool the glass (marving) is to roll hot glass on steel table top (earlier it used to be marble) and make a semi-solid layer on top, so you can mold the glass. Its something like shaping a ballon filled with dense liquid. In fact, the way glass is removed from steel rod is using thermal shock, and not actually cutting it.

In short, was involved with glass for 3 years and was studying glass for 2 years. Was looking for a place to go and blow glass, but all were either too far or too expensive. I did fuse glass in my apartment, but theres only so much you can do in a microwave. About 6 months ago, there was a fire in state college (Waupelani dr), where some apartments got burnt down. And a person (C) was looking to raise money for them, and emailed on psu-community-garden workshop. I wanted to do something, but whom ever I asked was either involved with an organization or wanted to give bible with cash. So asked my friends and people on PSU-PD list serve, and got about 800. When I went to give her money, she told she likes glass. Then I went on my usual monolog, and she told about a place at PSU where people go and blow glass, and told I should check it out. So I did.

I emailed them, and they asked to shadow artists for 6 months, and said after that they will decide if they will teach me or not. I think this is their way to weed out people who are not willing to put in time or effort. I went there for a month, and then sent a thank you note to C. She got excited and wanted to learn too, so she started shadowing too. Yesterday was first time we got to work on our own. It wasnt easy. My mind is usually restless, and is filled with random thoughts. Sometimes, even I dont know what am talking, and thinking. But when I shadowed people, or was working with glass, it was blank. In fact, I dont even notice other people talking to me. How are you supposed to learn in a class something, when that something puts you in a trans. 

Any way, after many mishaps, made 2 snow men and 1 paper weight. I burnt my hand in the process, but not while making. After making the first snowman, got excited, and dropped my arm on hot steel rod. Thankfully, it was after making the glass. The rod was red hot when I started making.  She did the same too, made 2 snow men and 1 paper weight part. Not the hand burn part. Any way, it was fun. And because of shadowing, it was easy to pick up. The pieces are annealing now. Will get them soon, and then there will be another dear diary post. Not this long, mostly pics. :)