This is a new book designed as a "how to" manual for the beginner. The material (glass) is introduced first with its history, composition & sources. All the equipment & tools, required to work glass, are described in detail. The fundamental procedures are defined & clearly illustrated with ample practice exercises. The instruction of these procedures is reinforced with a ten lesson course arranged in progression. The experienced glassblower may want to use this format to train apprentices. There are step by step procedures for making over 65 different items. Preliminary techniques for making larger sculptures are described & profiles of some well known glass sculptors with examples of their work. Another example of the diversity of glassblowing is demonstrated in the story of Gerhard Finkenbeiner & his innovative developments to the Glass Harmonica. The section on blown glass tubing describes how the fundamental procedures areoften working with tubing. The instructions include a number of blown items including several Christmas ornaments. There are directions to show fifteen ways to decorate glass surfaces including glue chipping & the chemical silvering of glass. Where & how to market your glass items is also revealed. There is a complete directory of where to obtain equipment & supplies.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA 'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'This French Revolution epic is an overlooked classic' MELISSA KATSOULIS, THE TIMES 'No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . ' MARGARET FORSTER 'Perhaps we shall not see each other again. I will write to you, though, and tell you, as best I can, the story of your family. A glass-blower, remember, breathes life into a vessel, giving it shape and form and sometimes beauty; but he can with that same breath, shatter and destroy it.' Faithful to her word, Sophie Duval reveals to her long-lost nephew the tragic story of a family of master craftsmen in eighteenth-century France. The world of the glass-blowers has its own traditions, it's own language and its own rules. 'If you marry into glass' Pierre Labbe warns his daughter, 'you will say goodbye to everything familiar, and enter a closed world'. But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution against which, the family struggles to survive. The Glass-Blowers is a remarkable achievement - an imaginative and exciting reworking of du Maurier's own family history.

After glassblower Emmeline Dowell befriends troubled newcomer Allison McBride, she finds Allison's husband dead in her studio and her carefully constructed world shattered by the investigation.

Related Title: Laboratory Scientific Glassblowing: Advanced Techniques and Glassblowing's Place in History'If you are interested in learning about glassblowing techniques for scientific glassware, then this book is an incredible opportunity to learn from a master glassblower. Much of this information is passed down in person, and to have it available in a book such as this is a very rare opportunity that you should not pass up.'IEEE Electrical Insulation MagazineThis book explains and demonstrates the methods involved in scientific glassblowing. It describes elementary to advanced glass manipulation together with technical information on its safe use and development in the laboratory. Edited by Paul Le Pinnet (MBE), a scientific glassblower with over 50 years' experience in the field, experts in glassblowing are brought together to explain their methods and approaches used to produce a variety of glassware.Laboratory Scientific Glassblowing is a unique project which updates and develops the traditional art of glassblowing and brings it into the 21st century. New skills and materials are introduced, including descriptions of working with fused silica, on laser profile cutting and on the creation of artistic glassware in a scientific setting. Written specifically as a hands-on reference work, this book can be used as a step-by-step practical guide for practitioners and scientists as well as students and apprentices interested in the field.Contributions from: Michael Baumbach, MD of H Baumbach & Co; Paul Rathmill, Enterprise Q; William Fludgate, MD BioChem Glass (app) Ltd; Ian Pearson (Past Chairman BSSG), Editor, BSSG Journal; Gary Coyne, California State University USA; Konstantin Kraft-Poggensee, Former chairman, German Scientific Glassblowing Society; Keith Holden President of the Australian and New Zealand Glassblowing Society; Phil Murray, Churchill Fellow.

From the Back Cover: Studio time is expensive. Unfortunately, most glassblowing students still learn through a combination of apprenticeship and observation-a slow and inefficient method. The Art of Fire teaches you quickly how to manipulate the glass through a series of structured lessons and exercises, including: Safety exercises to prevent burns; Over 500 photographs and illustrations; Step-by-step instruction for all basic techniques; Fixes for more than 50 common problems.