Glassblowing, Step by Step
At Jerpoint Glass each piece is individually made by hand at our studio in Co. Kilkenny. Using simple hand tools and 2000-year-old methods the team of skilled glassblowers transform flowing, red-hot, molten glass into beautiful Jerpoint shapes.
It takes eight minutes and two craftsmen to make one wineglass and up to twenty minutes for larger pieces.
This extraordinary process is outlined below.
Standing at the fiery furnace the glassblower takes a gather, or globule, of hot molten glass.
At his glassmaker’s chair, the master craftsman uses traditional tools to blow, balance and manipulate the molten glass into its desired shape.
With a bit iron in hand, the assistant goes back and forth from the furnace with globules of hot molten glass, which are added to the pieces to form a stem, handle or foot.
The glass is reheated in the glory hole and then cooled with air as it is being shaped; the temperature must be controlled carefully as the glass is very volatile at this stage. The master glassblower draws on his experience and creative instincts to determine the correct temperature and shape for the glass.
With precision timing, the assistant brings the puntil iron and attaches it to the base of the glass. The glass is cracked off the blowing iron at the cup end of the glass and transferred onto the pontil iron. The glassmaker then opens the mouth of the piece by hand. During this process a pontil mark is left on the base of the glass. The pontil mark is the tell tale sign of a truly handmade glass.
The glass is placed in a Leher, or cooling oven, which cools the glass slowly over night to anneal the piece, creating strong and durable glassware for you to enjoy.
Glassmaking is a twenty-four hour process. The following day the glass is ready for use once it has passed all of the Jerpoint quality tests.
Each Piece of Jerpoint Glass is Unique
If you look closely you will see that each piece of Jerpoint Glass is as unique as its maker, with its own personality and characteristics. Can you find this inherent feature in your Jerpoint Glass?