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A flashback from the Corning Museum demo last year made me rethink my bench setup | Glassblowers - Librear

A flashback from the Corning Museum demo last year made me rethink my bench setup

I was watching a guest artist at the Corning Museum in New York work on a complex goblet. They were doing a tricky color wrap, and their punty rod just... slipped. The whole piece swung and hit the edge of the marver. It didn't fall, but the sudden jolt caused a major crack in the stem. The artist stayed calm, but you could see the focus it took to save it. It made me realize my own punty connections at my home studio were not as secure as they could be. I got lazy about checking for tiny bits of glass or dust on the rods before attaching. Since then, I wipe every rod end with a damp cloth before I even heat it up. It adds maybe ten seconds to my process, but the peace of mind is huge. Has anyone else had a near miss that made them change a small habit like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

bethjackson5mo ago

Oh man, that's a solid tip. I started doing a quick visual check for any shiny spots on the cold punty before I even grab it. If it looks dusty or has a tiny chip, I hit it with the sanding block for a second. That extra grip makes all the difference.

lucasr415mo ago

My studio teacher drilled that sanding step into us freshman year.

felixb254mo ago

Hang on, did any of you ever try wet sanding instead of dry? I know it sounds weird for glass, but hear me out. When I was learning, I used to get these tiny little glass dust spots that were basically invisible until they cut your hand. If you give the punty a quick scrub with a wet sanding block, the water catches that dust and you can see exactly where the rough patches are. Plus it keeps the block from gumming up with glass powder. Might be a total waste of time for some people, but it saved me from a few nasty surprises.