Yesterday I went to visit the glass blowing place in Hawick, it is situated just behind Homebase on the outskirts of the town. The business is run by father and son and has been for many years.
As I approached the place, I was greeted with a warm, friendly welcome. The workplace is open to the public to view and ask questions while the items are being made. This was a new experience for me but I was absolutely amazed and the techniques used to create such gorgeous ornaments. I found out that the main furnace takes up to a week to heat up to the ideal temperature to melt the glass mix (which looks like small stones). The working temperature of the furnace is approximately 1115-c, while the melting temperature can reach 1260-c. After the glass is melted, it is then put in another heated oven so that it can be manipulated into various shapes. A large variety of coloured glass crystals are used within this process to add colour and shapes to each item. There are also a variety of tools used for cooling, shaping, adding patterns and cutting. The heat that you can feel from the furnace is incredibly hot and it glows orange. After each item is made, it is left in a kiln overnight to set.
There is also a small shop attached to the workplace where they sell a variety of items including :ornaments such as birds, sheep, hearts, and vases, lighting, hanging decorations, candle holders and paperweights, they also produced awards for various companies. They also informed me that they can also make items to order with colours chosen by the customer, i thought this was a nice touch so that each item can be made to suit the customers needs.
I would definitely recommend anyone to go and see this amazing art form.

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