Watch more Glassblowing for Beginners videos: www.howcast.com/videos/465890-How-to-Marver-Glass-Glassblowing



Hello, my name's Todd Hansen. We're here at the Art of Fire Contemporary Glass Bowing Studio in Laytonsville, Maryland. We're at www.artoffire.com. I've been a glass bower for about twelve years now, I've got several different lines of glasswork that I work on, and I'll be talking to you about glass blowing. Molten glass on the end of a blowpipe is a really lively material. You'll notice that when you're watching glass blowers that we're always turning our pipes in our hands. Glass first comes out of the pipe from the furnaces around 2000, between 2000 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. And that's like having a blob of honey on the end of a broomstick. You've got to continually turn the pipe to keep it from just puddling off on the studio floor. Once you get the glass gathered up, keep it turning, take it back, you can shape it either by marvering or by using the blocks, but you always want to make sure you've got a good balance between your hands on the pipe. You've got a one hand over, one hand under - one hand over, the left hand usually acts a lever, and the back hand, the right hand, usually acts as the counterweight, so you've got a fulcrum, you've got a balance, and that allows you to carry the glass around the studio safely. Keep it in front of you, so you can see where you're going, and let everybody else know when you're walking behind them. A little situational awareness goes a long way. Know what everybody else around you is doing before you move from your bench, or your glory hole or the furnace, and you should be able to handle that pretty safely.

1. Introduction to Glassblowing
2. What Tools Do You Need?
3. How to Find a Class
4. How to Find a Job
5. How to Pick a Kit
6. How to Rent a Studio
7. Where Is the Best Glassblowing Museum?
8. How Much Do Glassblowing Artists Make?
9. Is Glassblowing School Necessary?
10. How to Use a Blow Pipe
11. 6 Tips, Tricks & Techniques
12. How to Shape Glass
13. 4 Glory Hole Tips
14. How to Use Puffers & Steam Sticks
15. How to Use Tweezers to Shape Glass
16. How to Use Jacks & Pacioffis
17. How to Use Diamond & Straight Shears
18. How to Get Started
19. History of Glassblowing
20. What is Glass Art?
21. History of Handblown Glass
22. Can Glassblowing Be Done at Home?
23. Glassblowing Safety
24. How Hot Does the Glass Get?
25. How to Pick Supplies
26. How to Dress for Class
27. How to Marver Glass
28. How to Decorate Handblown Glass
29. How to Use Newspaper as Heat Protection
30. How to Handle Hot Handblown Glass
31. How to Handle Fallen Molten Glass
32. How to Color Handblown Glass
33. How to Use Blocks & Paddles
34. How to Blow Glass with Todd Hansen
35. How to Blow Glass with Ed Donovan

Learn about glassblowing from pros Todd Hansen and Ed Donovan in these Howcast videos.