Description
Glass blowing for beginners with Jon Lewis This would make an amazing gift! Jon Lewis offers glass blowing tuition for beginners. In the fully equipped glass hot-shop the students will learn all about the ancient and magical craft of glass making. All of the glass which the students make can be taken home when cooled overnight. They can be collected or posted to you. The environment of glass making, the heat, the furnaces and the manipulation of molten hot glass combine to give an intense and exciting experience. You will learn to work with glass in its molten liquid state by using traditional techniques and tools. The glass is melted in a crucible in the glass furnace at about 1100 degrees Celsius. At this temperature the glass is liquid. The glass is "gathered", wound onto the blowing iron like honey. The blowing iron must be turned continuously or the glass will drip onto the floor. Glass blowing is all about turning the iron and shaping the glass by using gravity, heat and of course your breathe to inflate. There are also traditional tools to shape the glass. Glass making in this form has changed very little in technique in the last thousand years. The lesson will start with a brief description of the workshop, equipment, tools and safety considerations. We will start by making small marbles. This is to help you get used to the tools, turning the blowing iron and experiencing hot glass at your fingertips. Through the lesson you will move on from making your first marbles, to quickly progressing to making your own colours which you will use to make a gorgeous swirling paperweight. After lunch students progress blowing your first bubble with an added loop to make a bauble. By the end of the lesson you will have made a finished translucent coloured vessel. Everything you make will be put into an annealing kiln which will slowly cool all the glass work overnight. Once cooled you will be able to keep all the glass pieces you have made. You should wear sensible work clothing, jeans are good, leather shoes or trainers. It will get hot in the workshop! Most weekdays are also available on request. Numbers of students: we require 2 students for the day to go ahead, but sometimes accommodate 3 as a family or friends group per session
What's included in the price?
Materials included. please bring your own drinking water, we have no drinking water on tap. Hot drinks and snacks provided throughout the day Each single session is 6 hours long with a lunch included (pizza cooked in the kiln). Please inform us of any dietary requirements on booking.
Duration
1 day
Cancellation policy
Easy - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts
Maker
Suitable for
- Adults
- Seniors
- Teenagers
- Hearing impaired
- Public transport
- Daytime (weekdays)
- Engagement, birthdays & anniversaries
- Weekends
- Suitable for beginners
- Parking provided
- Stag dos
- Hen dos
- Intermediate level
