glass blowing

Blowing Glass at The Furnace

Posted on November 10, 2020

2019 making glass ornaments

As the girls are getting older I’ve noticed that our usual fun places to go aren’t as fun anymore. The museums, zoo and playground aren’t “cool” like they used to be. I’ve have to get extremely creative to find activities and new experiences for the girls to fill our school breaks.

Last November a friend of mine posted pictures on facebook making a blown glass ornament at a local glassworks called The Furnace. I was able to book us to make our ornaments right before Christmas.

Watching them pick out the colors, learn a new skill and being so proud of making something really cool was so much fun.

The girls wanted to learn more about glass blowing, so I booked the Glass Sampler workshop which is 3 hour class for Spring Break. Well then everything shut down because of COVID so we had to delay our class until October. The girls were finally able to take the class and loved making so many new things.

During the class the girls got to make both blown and solid glass. They started the class by walking through hot shop safety because you are right next to huge furnaces and glory holes (yes we giggle every time we say this.) For this class they get to make three different projects. The girls wanted to make a flutter bowl, paper weight and pumpkin.

The girls started their session making flutter walled glass bowl. First you pick out your colors and cover the molten glass with it. Then the fun begins! They used a paddle to shape the melted glass and the tweezers to create the flutters in the bowl. At one point the paddle caught fire which I guess is very normal because the glass is so hot.

Abby wanted to make a paper weight that had swirled colors made by twisting the molten glass. After twisting the colored glass to get the swirls, she got to use a wooden mold to make it smooth and round. After getting it off the punty she got to use a blow torch to smooth out the bottom.

Our blown piece were these cute pumpkins. After selecting the colors, our instructor blew into the punty and watching the bubble getting bigger and bigger was so cool. Making this blown piece allowed us to experience the fluidity of the material and to see how colors and patterns change as they move with an expanding bubble. The girls got to use a paddle and mold to make the rind of the pumpkin and the twirly vine.

While we were blowing glass, the owner, Corey Silverman was making these big beautiful light bowls to be sold at an art gallery. It took 3 people to help him make them because it was such a complicated process. Watching a master at work is always fascinating and they make it look so easy.

I highly recommend going and trying out these class if you have older children (10+ years.) Both instructors we had were really nice, informative and patient. I love being able to support a locally owned business and letting my daughters experience something new.

The Furnace, a glassworks is located at 11354 W 13th Ave Unit 6, Lakewood, CO 80215
303-274-0643 info@FurnaceGlassworks.com www.FurnaceGlassworks.com