Glassmaking terms

By allycat on October 16, 2012

CANNA
The blow-pipe: a basic tool in glassmaking. It consists of a tube, perforated from end to end, approximately 140 to 150 cm. long and 2 to 4 cm. in diameter. One end is slightly conical to assist blowing, whilst the other is sometimes thickened. The blow-pipe (discovered towards the 1st century A.D. in Syria it would seem) is used to blow glass, which is taken from the pot and “wound” around the thickened end. Blowing takes place whenever hollow objects (vases, bottles, etc.) are required. In old inventories blow-pipes are sometimes referred to as ferri buxi, hollow rods. They are also simply called ferri.