BLOWN GLASS HURRICANES

Glass has existed since the beginning of time. It was first found in nature as obsidian formed when rocks and sand fused together under the terrific heat of volcanic action. Today scientist disagree over the earliest man-made glass, but the art of glass blowing was discovered in the Sidon - Babylon area some time about 250 B.C. The long metal tube used in the process has changed very little since then.

Mouthblown glass is produced by a glassblower blowing a long cylinder of molten glass called a muff. When the glass has cooled, it is cut along its length and then reheated so that the cylinder can be opened out into a flat sheet. The glass is generally referred to as handmade "antique" and is the best for making quality stained glass windows. The apparent "imperfections" in the glass - bubbles and reams - cause movement when looking through it. Each piece is unique and the thickness of glass will vary considerably from sheet to sheet as well as within each sheet. The density of color will also therefore vary.