Molten crystal at a temperature of around 1150 C is gathered from the furnace on blowing irons which are hollow stainless steel rods about 4 feet long. The process of gathering is rather like picking up runny honey on a spoon and is achieved with a continuous turning motion. The amount of crystal gathered is determined solely by the skill of the glassblower and inevitably it will vary slightly from piece to piece. Once gathered the crystal is pre-shaped in a hardwood block to create an even and uniform “parison”. The blowing iron is thumbed out to let air into the parison and then mouthblown.

Wine glasses and tumblers are “mouthblown” into cast iron moulds to ensure a consistency of shape and size. However the weight may vary because of the gather, and, as the mould controls the external dimensions, a heavier piece will be thicker. A good glassblower should keep this variation to a minimum but it will be present to some extent in all hand-made glasses.

Once the bowl of the wine glass has been blown it is passed to the Wine Servitor, the most skilled man in the team, to have the stem and foot attached. A Bit Gatherer gathers a small amount of crystal from the furnace on a bit iron and passes this to the Servitor who “casts it on” to the base of the bowl and shapes it into the stem using tools rather like large tweezers, or a leg tool. Another bit is gathered and cast onto the stem to form the foot; size and diameter are controlled by the use of footboards.

Larger pieces such as decanters, bowls and vases are “free-blown” by our master glassmaker without the assistance of moulds. The final shape and size are achieved using only blowing and traditional glassmaking tools including newspaper soaked in water. The shape and size of each piece may vary quite apparently, particularly on very large items but every one is truly unique. The training period for a master glassmaker with this range of skills is around 9 years.