|
May
09
|
Bob and Jen take a class at Nuesole Glassworks
by Bob Herzog and Jen Dalton, WKRCMon, May 6th 2024
Ali Fonda of Nuesole Glassworks in Cincinnati, OH
CINCINNATI (WKRC) – We like to keep things classy but today we are going to keep things glassy.
“One of the first things I talk to people blowing glass is that you will learn a lot of patience. It’s going to be really frustrating, those pieces often hit the ground,” said Ali Fonda.
Fonda is just one of the teachers at Nuesole Glassworks.
She says it can take years to master the art of glass blowing but no need to worry, if you come in as a beginner, she has you covered.
“We do all of the really complicated things until you really come and do it for a while.”
After a quick lesson, they are actually going to let us try our hand at glass blowing.
We are going to be making something called a witches ball, or a fairy orb.
With that we were ready to get to work, and of course safety first.
The gas powered furnaces clock in at more than a thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
We put on our protective equipment while Ali gathered a ball of molten glass on a long metal pipe.
The next step in this process is to create a perfect sphere.
Bob tapped away, providing the hot air as usual.
And while that was happening, Ali and Jen used a wooden tool that was soaked in cool water to create the sphere.
This is where the fun really started. With a sharp tool we stabbed holes in our sun catcher.
Ali told us to trust the process and that this would make the final design extra special. Not going to lie, this was a little violent.
After the stabbing was done, Ali took a blow torch to the orb and with one crack, our creation was freed from the metal pole and ready to go into a kiln where it would harden.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.