How to become Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher in 2024

Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher Shape molten glass according to patterns.

Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher is Also Know as

In different settings, Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher is titled as

  • Gaffer
  • Glass Bender
  • Glass Blower
  • Glass Lathe Operator
  • Glass Tube Bender
  • Glassblower
  • Neon Glass Bender
  • Neon Tube Bender

Education and Training of Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Education Required for Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

Training Required for Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher in different industries are

What Do Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher do?

  • Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers.
  • Record manufacturing information, such as quantities, sizes, or types of goods produced.
  • Heat glass to pliable stage, using gas flames or ovens and rotating glass to heat it uniformly.
  • Blow tubing into specified shapes to prevent glass from collapsing, using compressed air or own breath, or blow and rotate gathers in molds or on boards to obtain final shapes.
  • Set up and adjust machine press stroke lengths and pressures and regulate oven temperatures, according to glass types to be processed.
  • Shape, bend, or join sections of glass, using paddles, pressing and flattening hand tools, or cork.
  • Develop sketches of glass products into blueprint specifications, applying knowledge of glass technology and glass blowing.
  • Determine types and quantities of glass required to fabricate products.
  • Place rubber hoses on ends of tubing and charge tubing with gas.
  • Superimpose bent tubing on asbestos patterns to ensure accuracy.
  • Place electrodes in tube ends and heat them with glass burners to fuse them into place.
  • Strike necks of finished articles to separate articles from blowpipes.
  • Spray or swab molds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass.
  • Cut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels.
  • Place glass into dies or molds of presses and control presses to form products, such as glassware components or optical blanks.
  • Design and create glass objects, using blowpipes and artisans' hand tools and equipment.
  • Repair broken scrolls by replacing them with new sections of tubing.
  • Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash, or polish glass or glass products.
  • Operate electric kilns that heat and mold glass sheets to the shape and curve of metal jigs.

Qualities of Good Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

  • Air compressors
  • Annealing ovens
  • Cutting wheels
  • Dial calipers
  • Digital micrometers
  • Drill presses
  • Electric kilns
  • Engine lathes
  • Glass blowing pipes
  • Glass knives
  • Glass lathes
  • Glass saws
  • Glass tongs
  • Grinders
  • Hand held magnifiers
  • Holding clamps
  • Induction heaters
  • Lapping wheels
  • Laptop computers
  • Meeker burners
  • Personal computers
  • Polariscopes
  • Polishing wheels
  • Precision files
  • Precision rulers
  • Propane torches
  • Protective respirators
  • Safety glasses
  • Safety gloves
  • Safety goggles
  • Sandblasters
  • Shears
  • Spot welders
  • Tweezers
  • Vacuum ovens
  • Vacuum pumps

Technology Skills required for Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finisher

  • Billing software
  • Inventory control software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Outlook