What is a Blowpipe?
The term “blowpipe” can refer to several different things, but for the purpose of this wiseGEEK article, we will examine the blowpipes used in the manufacture of glass. While hand-blown glass is no longer as abundant as it once was, thanks to the development of automated machines and mold, the art of blowing glass has been retained in some communities, with artisan glass pieces sometimes fetching a very high price at the market due to their unique and hand-made nature. In glass making, a blowpipe or blow tube is a critical tool. It consists of a very long, slender pipe with a mouthpiece on one end. To use the blowpipe, a glass maker first preheats the tip, and then dips it into a vat of molten glass to pick up a chunk of glass for working known as a gather. Then, the glass maker gently blows into the blowpipe, inflating the gather to create a hollow glass piece. Using an assortment of tools, the glass maker can shape the glass piece on the end of the blowpipe, periodically reheating th
The term “blowpipe” can refer to several different things, but for the purpose of this wiseGEEK article, we will examine the blowpipes used in the manufacture of glass. While hand-blown glass is no longer as abundant as it once was, thanks to the development of automated machines and mold, the art of blowing glass has been retained in some communities, with artisan glass pieces sometimes fetching a very high price at the market due to their unique and hand-made nature.
