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Step 5Shape your glass in preperation to pop a bubble!
Now that you have your glass, with a color, it's time to put a bubble in it, but first, we have to make sure everything is centered. If anything is off center, the bubble is liable to blow out in all manner of awkward or distorted shapes. The goal in blowing this out is to have a nice smooth circle we can use to shape the final object from. Since our final goal was a circle, this made it a bit easier.
Shape your glass so that the molten blob is even all around the pipe. and the portion that is hanging off the end of the pipe is centered. Like checking pool stick on a pool table for straightness, you can lay your blow pipe on pipe rollers or a marver (with the glass hanging off the end of the table) and roll it, while watching the tip to see if it waves up and down as you spin it. If the tip waves, things aren't on center. (it's a good practice to do this before you start working to ensure the pipe you're working with is straight). If you roll your pipe, and the glass hanging off the end rolls even, everything is lined up properly.
To get the piece in shape here, a wood block was used. Wood blocks remain in water when not in use. Leaving them out of the water causes warping.
Sitting at the work bench, rolling your pipe steadily, take a wood block out of your bucket of water with your right hand (dump out any water in the block - you want it damp, not pooling). Roll pipe with your left hand (if you're left handed you might have to rearrange the glass shop as most are made for right handed people). Place the wood block horizontally next to your piece, lining it up before you make contact.
When you're ready, apply a soft, even pressure with the wood block on the glass. Keep the glass centered on the wood block, and the wood block horizontal, always rolling the pipe. As you roll, move the wood block with the pipe. If done right, you'll have a nice rounded smoothed piece of glass. Don't push to hard your you'll push all your glass back on the pipe, and you don't want that.
If your glass loses too much heat while you're blocking, take it back to the glory hole and heat it back up!
Shape your glass so that the molten blob is even all around the pipe. and the portion that is hanging off the end of the pipe is centered. Like checking pool stick on a pool table for straightness, you can lay your blow pipe on pipe rollers or a marver (with the glass hanging off the end of the table) and roll it, while watching the tip to see if it waves up and down as you spin it. If the tip waves, things aren't on center. (it's a good practice to do this before you start working to ensure the pipe you're working with is straight). If you roll your pipe, and the glass hanging off the end rolls even, everything is lined up properly.
To get the piece in shape here, a wood block was used. Wood blocks remain in water when not in use. Leaving them out of the water causes warping.
Sitting at the work bench, rolling your pipe steadily, take a wood block out of your bucket of water with your right hand (dump out any water in the block - you want it damp, not pooling). Roll pipe with your left hand (if you're left handed you might have to rearrange the glass shop as most are made for right handed people). Place the wood block horizontally next to your piece, lining it up before you make contact.
When you're ready, apply a soft, even pressure with the wood block on the glass. Keep the glass centered on the wood block, and the wood block horizontal, always rolling the pipe. As you roll, move the wood block with the pipe. If done right, you'll have a nice rounded smoothed piece of glass. Don't push to hard your you'll push all your glass back on the pipe, and you don't want that.
If your glass loses too much heat while you're blocking, take it back to the glory hole and heat it back up!
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