The Process of Glassmaking The processes of glassmaking have
remained essentially the same since ancient times. The materials
are fused at high temperatures in seasoned fireclay containers,
boiled down, skimmed, and cooled several hundred degrees; then
the molten glass (called metal) is ladled or poured into molds
and pressed, or is blown (sometimes into molds), or is drawn.
The shaped glass is annealed to relieve stresses caused by
manipulation, then is slowly cooled. The glass, formerly
annealed on shelves in a melting furnace, is now usually carried
on rollers through annealing ovens (lehrs). Although today most
hollow vessels such as light bulbs or containers are machine
blown, fine ornamental hollow ware is still made by gathering a
mass of glass at the end of a long, iron blowpipe, blowing it
into a pear-shaped bulb, which is rolled on an oiled slab
(marver), shaped with tools, and then reblown, often into a
mold; the glass is reheated periodically in a small furnace
(glory hole). It is finally transfer