Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers

Place glass into dies or molds of presses and control presses to form products, such as glassware components or optical blanks.

Spray or swab molds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass.

Heat glass to pliable stage, using gas flames or ovens and rotating glass to heat it uniformly.

Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers.

Blow tubing into specified shapes to prevent glass from collapsing, using compressed air or own breath, or blow and rotate gathers in molds or on boards to obtain final shapes.

Operate electric kilns that heat and mold glass sheets to the shape and curve of metal jigs.

Determine types and quantities of glass required to fabricate products.

Set up and adjust machine press stroke lengths and pressures and regulate oven temperatures, according to glass types to be processed.

Record manufacturing information, such as quantities, sizes, or types of goods produced.

Shape, bend, or join sections of glass, using paddles, pressing and flattening hand tools, or cork.

Design and create glass objects, using blowpipes and artisans' hand tools and equipment.

Place electrodes in tube ends and heat them with glass burners to fuse them into place.

Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash, or polish glass or glass products.

Repair broken scrolls by replacing them with new sections of tubing.

Develop sketches of glass products into blueprint specifications, applying knowledge of glass technology and glass blowing.

Superimpose bent tubing on asbestos patterns to ensure accuracy.

Cut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels.

Strike necks of finished articles to separate articles from blowpipes.

Place rubber hoses on ends of tubing and charge tubing with gas.