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The vast potential of glass

Glass types

The following and other glass types are used in the glassblowing shop:

  • Quartz glass
  • Duran/Pyrex
  • AR glass
  • Transitional glass for metal fusing

It might be possible to order other types of glass, depending on the task.

Workmanship

Most of the work is done hands-on using a propane/oxygen flame, reaching up to approx. 2500 degrees Celcius. The glass setups are formed by fixating the glass rod or glass tube and using the flame to mold the glass.

Large-scale assignments are made on a special lathe with a capacity of ø250 mm tubes and 20L flasks.

Glass assignments

Glassblowing assignments include making glass setups for research and educational purposes, inventing new glass constructions, repairing existing glass setups, cutting of glass, cleansing of highly contaminated glass panes, as well as offering guidance and advice on glass and heat stability, acid/base resistance and pressure limits.

Examples of glass setups:

  • Quartz dewar
  • Micro electrodes with 10µm platinum filament and 5µm gold filament acting as a screen, melted between two layers of glass
  • Vacuum lines, i.e. a customized double-glass system with vacuum and nitrogen
  • Cold traps
  • Glass coolers for accumulation of organic vapours
  • Purpose-built micro glass equipment for small-quantity distilling
  • Sealings with optical lenses in quartz cells
  • Optical duran cells with windows containing cerium or rubidium
  • Cerium-containing laser lamps with krypton gas
  • And much, much more