Swans

Swans

Set Up:

-         Blow tube

-         File/glass cutter

-         14 or 13mm tubing or any large tubing

-         Mats, graphite paddle

-         Matches

-         Towel

-         Screen, wet/dry sandpaper

-         Color

-         #3 tip

-         Cork to fit 14 mm tubing

-         Food coloring/beaker

Swans (14 mm tubing):
      Remember:  Hot glass looks the same as cold glass!!  Don't burn the top of your bench, put your hot glass on the ceramic mats. 
     DO ALL YOUR WORK OUTSIDE THE FLAME!!!!  Use the flame to soften your glass.  Keep your glass rotating in the flame, for even heating.

The swan is a continuation of the bulb in the center of the tube, from last Mondays (25 June) lesson.
 
 Draw out a color for the eyes.

  Heat one side of the bulb, remove from the flame, and place it on the graphite paddle and blow.  (This flattens the bottom.)

      

  Make the tail by pulling one of the ends of tubing.

       Don’t remove this yet, you need it for a handle!!

  Make the neck and head by collapsing the other side of the tube and drawing it up into a neck.  

  Draw out the beak but don’t remove the tubing.

  Add the eyes.  

  Remove the "handle" from the tail.

       

  Once the swan has cooled, remove the excess tubing with a file.  (Score the glass with the file and snap off the excess glass on the beak.   
USE YOUR TOWEL TO SNAP OFF THE GLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Smooth out the beak with a wire screen and sand (ground-glass) with wet sandpaper.

           
   Fill the swan with color water by heating the bottom of the swan with a cool flame.  Use a tweezers to hold the swan.  While the glass is still warm, hold the beak in the colored water.  As the bottom cools, it will draw in the liquid to fill it’s belly.  Continue heating and filling until the belly is almost full.
      

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