| Click here for NEW Glassblower.Info School/Class/Studio/Artist Geographical Search with 32 Criteria! |
|---|
|
The glass paperweight (shown above) may not be the most exotic ever made, but it was made by me, and in a rather unique way...
In my travels through eBay, I look for unique metal items which are strong enough to withstand the 2000 degree heat of molten glass, and might be used to shape or manipulate the glass. There are relatively few choices - cast iron, steel, and bronze (which is stronger and harder than any other common alloy except steel). So, on eBay I find this really old antique (early 1800's?) bronze flower iron ("silk flower mold"), made by Molla Tool Corp, in New York City. Out of the ten billion (10,000,000,000) web pages in the entire Internet, exactly 4 web pages (in English) contain information about "Molla Tool", which gives you some idea of the rarity of these molds.
This www.patented-antiques.com by Larry and Carole Meeker state this information: I find it exciting to find an antique tool which has not been used for decades, and give it a new purpose (making glass paperweights), far different than its original function.
Tony Patti |