A long, hollow metal tube, usually made of steel or iron, with a mouthpiece at one end and a slightly flared gathering head at the other. The glassblower dips the heated head into the furnace to gather molten glass, then blows air through the tube to create a bubble, or parison. The pipe is constantly rotated on a bench or in the hands to keep the soft glass centered and symmetrical.
Keep turning the blowpipe while you walk back to the bench so the gather doesn't droop.
A cold blowpipe will cause the molten glass to crack and fall off, so the gathering end must be preheated in the glory hole.
Also heard as
- pipe
Related terms
Parison
A preliminary mass of molten glass gathered on a blowpipe before final shaping.
Marver
A flat, heat-resistant surface used to roll and shape molten glass.
Punt
A solid iron rod attached to the base of a glass vessel to hold it during finishing.
Handblown
Shaped by human breath and hand tools rather than automated machinery.