There was a time, about a hundred or so years ago, when people used primitive tools and primitive equipment for blowing glass. Archaeologists believe the Ancient Egyptians were the first to employ this method.
Modern glass blowing supplies range from simple eye protection shades to extremely large and sophisticated contraptions like glass blowing machines. Frankly speaking, glass blowing is a risky and dangerous pursuit, and to practice it without access to or the use of these tools is highly discouraged. Glass blowing isn’t like painting or writing a book. As a glass blower you need very specialized tools and supplies, s you had better be prepared.
Glass Blowing Tools Checklist
Here are some sample supplies used in modern glass blowing:
Didymium lens shades: didymium lens has long been used to make glass blower shades and sunglasses. According to professional glass blowers, it is very effective in reducing strain on the eyes, especially when the glass blower is working the furnace. A pair of didymium lenses is also known to block UV rays.
Blowhose and attachments: the blowhose is just like its name says: the tool used to blow air into the glass work piece. Traditionalists and artistic glass blowers can’t go a single day without their blowhoses. Large-scale glass piece manufacturers, however, use heavy machinery to produce mass quantities of polished products in a short amount of time.
Graphite tools: graphite tools are your regular, run-of-the-mill forming and shaping tools.
How the Egyptians managed to craft such fine glass pieces without the aid of modern science is still something of a mystery, but let the scientists worry about that. Today, we have dozens of new glass blowing supplies at our disposal.