Collection: Molten glass on wood

Molten glass is glass that has been heated to a high temperature so that it turns into a liquid state and becomes workable.

• The most common types of glass that are melted and made molten are soda-lime glass and borosilicate glass.
• Glass becomes molten at temperatures above 1100°C or 2000°F. It needs to be kept at this high temperature while being shaped and worked into glass products.
• Molten glass is highly viscous, like thick honey. This allows it to be shaped and molded in different ways.
• When molten glass starts to cool down, it begins the process of solidifying back into a solid glass form. This needs to happen slowly and evenly to prevent cracks and breaks.
• Skilled glassmakers use tools and molds to shape the molten glass into decorative and functional items like vases, bottles, dishes, marbles, and more while it is still in the workable heated state.
• Once the molten glass cools fully, the glass product retains its hardened shape. The cooling process can take hours or days depending on the size and thickness of the glass item.
• Working with molten glass is an ancient craft that requires great care and skill to shape, mold, and cool the glass properly. It continues to be used today by glass artists and manufacturers around the world.

Here are the key steps for making molten glass:

• Obtain raw materials - The main ingredients are silica sand, soda ash and limestone. Other additives can be used to modify qualities like color and clarity.
• Batch mixing - The raw materials are precisely measured and mixed together into a "batch". This ensures the glass has the right chemical composition.
• Melting - The batch is loaded into a furnace and heated up. Temperatures can reach over 2500°F to melt the mixture into a molten liquid state.
• Fining - Impurities are removed from the molten glass by adding fining agents like salt and antimony oxide. This helps clarify and purify the glass.
• Conditioning - The glass is heated and cooled slightly to homogenize it and make it workable. This prepares it for shaping.
• Forming - The conditioned molten glass is gathered onto blowpipes, puntys rods or into molds to be blown, pressed, cast or drawn into desired shapes.
• Annealing - Newly formed glass objects are slowly cooled in a temperature-controlled kiln to relieve internal stresses and prevent breakage.
• Inspection - The finished annealed glass pieces are inspected for flaws and breaks. Quality checks ensure they meet specifications.
• Additional steps like grinding, cutting, decorating and packaging may be done before the glass products are ready for shipping.

So in summary, the essential steps are weighing and mixing the glass batch, melting it at extremely high temperatures to make it molten and workable, then forming it into glassware before carefully annealing the products. Skilled craftsmanship is needed throughout the process.