Blowing pipes & punties
With an advanced industrial workshop specializing in metal, housed in the same building as the wood mold shop, we are able to produce our own blow pipes, rods, and punties, like a classic mold and tool shop for glass making!
All our pipes and punties are made to order, but in order to cut down the lead time, we keep a selection of standardized parts in stock – ready to be assembled according to your order.
However, the beauty is that we will deliver whatever you need. Whether it’s a wider, heavier walled pipe or a larger pipe head – it’s all possible, it just requires a little longer for production.
There are some choices you will need to make for your order:
Stainless or iron/steel
Carbon steel – good grip, stiff, strong, and the head absorbs heat nicely. Carbon steel heads work especially well for blowing pieces that have fairly short work time, such as certain tableware glass or, generally, pieces that will later have their top edges finished in the cold workshop. Another advantage to carbon steel pipe heads is that the glass moil can really take a bit of bashing, and can be knocked off of the head after finishing the piece using a piece of square stock steel.
As for the main body itself, some point out that the carbon steel will rust. Of course, you can always clean off any rust from the outside of the pipe body, but not the inside, and if the rust causes itsy bits of the metal to fall off and find its way into the glass, it can cause bubbles or contaminate the glass. So of course, keep the carbon pipes/punties in a warm and dry environment at all times, and then there will be no rust.
Stainless steel – for glass blowing where each single piece takes a longer investment of time or the glass gets re-heated repeatedly many times, then stainless steel is the better choice. Cleaning off the cooling glass leftovers can either be achieved by putting the pipe in a dry metal bucket until the glass is cool, cracks, and falls off by itself; or you can, factory-style, hook up the mouthpiece to a forced air blower and leave the pipe in water for a faster rotation of the pipes.
Body/rod
Body/rod For standard dimensions, you have the choice of 16 and 20 mm diameter, both with a wall thickness of 2 mm. Length comes in a standard of XX but can be supplied in any length between XY and ZZ.
Head/nozzle
For standard dimensions, we carry 25, 30, 35, and 40 mm diameter at the widest point.
Mouth piece
Mouth pieces are machined separately and then attached to the pipe, whichever is your personal preference.
Plastic, white – has a softer feel to it, and some people like that. One has to be a bit careful not to damage the plastic mouthpiece. Don’t lean the pipe towards a hot surface, or the mouthpiece might melt. If you need to put the pipe down on the floor, keep a tile on the floor, so the mouthpiece doesn’t get scratched. It’s been said that if things go wrong, any type of metal mouthpiece could chip your teeth, while a plastic mouthpiece would only knock your teeth out (worst-case scenario).
Brass – if you prefer to go all metal, our mouthpieces are made of brass. And here’s a fun fact – brass impedes bacterial growth. For real! It’s called the oligodynamic effect, and it’s the metal ions in brass that have a toxic effect on molds, spores, viruses, and other living cells.
Why we don’t offer these options for mouthpieces:
Carbon steel – it will blacken your lips. If your lips are a bit dry and chapped, the black won’t come off that easily.
Stainless steel – one of the components in stainless steel is nickel. Fine if you’re not allergic, but not a great choice if you are.
Order
Send an email with your request to Karl, and you’ll get a price quotation in return.