I finally understood what my old teacher meant about 'listening to the glass' after a chat with a lampworker at the Tacoma market.

She said she waits for the 'sigh' when a gather is ready to be worked, which made me realize I've been rushing my heating cycles for years.

4 comments

4 Comments

davidw102mo ago

Hear that in pottery too. The clay talks if you listen.

julia_carter612mo ago

My old ceramics teacher in Tucson always said the first crack tells the story. I had a bowl warp once because I rushed the drying. The sound it made was a faint, dry click, not the solid thump good leather-hard clay gives. That click was the clay saying it dried too fast on one side. Now I always cover my pieces with plastic for an extra day. It really does tell you what it needs if you pay attention.

stellat4617d ago

Yeah totally. I started tapping my greenware before trimming. A high ping means it's ready, a dull thud says wait. Saves me so much cracking.

jake7472mo ago

That reminds me of my grandpa talking about listening to wood when he carved. He said green wood sounds different than dry wood.