Fused Glass Panels

Blown glass has found its way into many homes, hotels and offices as a decorative table-top piece, ornaments, jewelry and many other ways. It is now a fast growing hobby, with innovations and updates making it easy for the workers and small-scale industries.
Materials like limestone, sand, etc are used to heat the raw materials inside the furnace, heating it up to more than 2000 Fahrenheit. Once the glass is formed and is in a molten state, a blowpipe is used to shape it. The blowpipes measure to a length of about five feet and the molten glass is placed at one end to be blown into shape from the other. The shapes may be blown to make a whole item or decorative pieces to be used to make patterns in bigger panels of glass.
Two methods of creating blown glass articles are the most popular ones. One method has the glass-blower place a blob of fused glass on the end of the blowpipe and air is blown. Blowing is done from different angles and directions and the item is shaped by the artist with his hands, tools and molds. Lamp working, the second method, involves the use of a flame from a torch to soften the glass. The artist shapes up this softened portion using his hands, tools and molds.