We use glass in countless household and industrial items, and most of the time we don’t even realise it’s there. We use it in our cars, buildings, light bulbs and wine glasses, but few people know exactly how glass transforms from raw materials into the functional molded end products. Lets take a look at the required procedures for making glass.

1.) Sand is well known to be the main ingredient in glass, although other materials are needed. The most common form of sand used is called Silica, and this is combined with specific amounts of soda ash and limestone. The amount of each component used has quite a big impact on how the glass turns out, and additional elements are often used to alter density and colour etc. For example, a glass blower might add a small amount of red dye to the mix to make pink champagne glasses.

2.) Around 1700oC is the temperature that the mixture is heated to. When it reaches this temperature it forms a fluid liquid and all the added elements blend into one. This heat is very difficult to achieve and requires powerful specialized furnaces. Traditionally the glass mix was heated in coal-powered furnaces, however electric furnaces are increasing in number all the time. When the glass mix is in a molten state, it can easily be manipulated and sculpted or blown in to specific shapes. This is a skill that takes years to master and is very easy to get wrong.

3.) After the glassblower has shaped the piece, it is then allowed to cool down. This is a very important step as the rate at which the glass cools has a large influence on the refractive index of the glass and the density of the glass. For example, whisky glasses are often cooled slowly as this makes them less susceptible to scratches, although the refractive index is slightly lower than other types of glass