WI-GLS-001

Gathering, marvering, and annealing

Scope: hot glass worked on a blowpipe at the furnace, through the bench, and into the annealer. Applies to every piece leaving the shop, including the ones that should not have.

1. Preparation

1. Confirm the furnace is at working temperature. Do not gather from a furnace you have not looked at.
2. Wear eye protection rated for the furnace glow, and keep it on until the glow is no longer your problem.
3. Keep the bench dry and the path from furnace to bench clear. Glass moves faster than you expect.

2. Gathering

1. Rotate the pipe continuously. A stationary gather sags, and a sagging gather becomes an explanation.
2. Take only what the piece needs. Excess glass is a cost, a weight, and a future defect.

3. Marvering

1. Roll the gather on the steel marver to set the surface and shape the base.
2. Return to the furnace whenever the glass stops moving the way this instruction says it should.

4. Annealing

1. Transfer the finished piece to the annealer at once. Glass cooled unevenly keeps the stress and sends it back to you later.
2. Hold at the annealing temperature for the time the piece requires. Do not rush the cooldown. This is the one step where patience is the whole instruction.

Deviation from any step is permitted only if the deviation is written down, reviewed, and not done again without the review. The approver has not yet reviewed the deviation log. It is currently empty, which is either excellent or a problem.