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GlassBlowing Mini-Field Trip To Pakenham
April 9th, 2006, Sunday Afternoon, Somewhere in Upper Pakenham....
A mysterious force drew hot glass lovers from near and far, across many borders, to O.S.C. Glassworks. It was a beautiful sunny April afternoon, with over 20 people piled into a converted garage, with a Balrog in it. 13 brave souls stepped up to do battle with the fiery beast, and all came away successful, except for David and Kevin, whose balls blew out at the bottom, creating "Art" for their window. The successful 11 all made Glass Balls, with a little assistance from the Owner/Operator, Chris Van Zanten.
Chris began with a description of all the components in his studio, kilns, tools, torches, furnace, safety issues, etc. He then demonstrated how various blown glass shapes, balls, rondels, and glasses are made.
One by one, after signing their waivers, paying their hard earned after tax dollars, and donning their safety glasses, raw rookies became glass blowing afficionados.
It took about 15 to 20 minutes per person to make their glass ball, with Chris pausing to consume the occasional cold beverage, as he was the one standing in front of the furnace the most. Later in the day, he demonstrated how "Teardrops" and Craquel Balls are made, and they were raffled off to the remaining participants.
After trying it, glass blowing is like golf. To be good at it, you should practice often and play regularly. It is quite a physical endeavor, as the 52" stainless steel pipe with a very hot and soft blob of glass on the end of it must be constantly in motion, in all three dimensions. One lapse of concentration or handling error , and you have a mess.
OSC does offer a 2 day Glass Blowing Lesson, with more advanced levels available to those wishing to pursue this ancient art form. For details, contact them directly at 1.613.623.5222