Glassblowing is a 2,000-year-old craft that doubles as a live demonstration of materials science, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics. Most glass used in studios is soda-lime glass, primarily silicon dioxide (SiO₂) mixed with sodium carbonate and calcium oxide. At room temperature it behaves like a brittle solid. But once heated above roughly 1,900°F (about 1,040°C), the material enters a working range where its viscosity drops dramatically and it flows like an extremely thick liquid. That transition is what makes shaping possible. A glassblower gathers molten glass from a furnace on the end of a hollow steel blowpipe. Air blown through the pipe forms a bubble inside the viscous mass, while constant rotation counters gravity so the glass doesn’t slump or fall off the rod. Tools, gravity, centrifugal force, and heat gradients all become part of the shaping process. Temperature control is everything. The glass repeatedly moves between the furnace, a reheating chamber called a glory ho...