Glass: A Pocket Dictionary Of Terms Commonly Used - Corning ...

leniently), were immensely popular in America in the
second half of the 19th century.
Black bottle: A popular term for bottles of iron-rich dark
green or dark brown glass, the color of which protected
the contents. “black” glass was first made in England in
the mid-17th century.
Blank: Any cooled glass object that requires further
forming or decoration to be finished.
Blankschnitt (German, “smooth cut”): A style of engraved
decoration in which the relief effect is enhanced by
polishing the ground part of the intaglio. Blankschnitt
decoration is frequently found on glasses engraved in
the German city of nuremberg in the 17th and 18th
centuries.
Bleeding glass: See Cupping glass.
Blobbing: The technique of decorating hot glass by
dropping onto the surface blobs of molten glass, usually
of a different color or colors.
Block: A tool made from a block of wood hollowed out
to form a hemispherical recess. After it has been dipped
in water to reduce charring and to create a “cushion” of
steam, the block is used to form the gather into a sphere
before it is inflated.
Blowing: The technique of forming an object by inflating
a gather or gob of molten glass on the end of a
blowpipe. Traditionally and in modern furnace working,
the gaffer blows through the tube, slightly inflating the
gob, which is then manipulated into the required form
by swinging it, rolling it on a marver, or shaping it with
tools or in a mold. it is then inflated to the desired size.
in flameworking, one end of the glass tube is heated
and closed immediately, after which the worker blows
into the other end and manipulates the hot glass.
15