Radleys has started its own training programme to address the problem of scientific glassblowing becoming an endangered craft.
Chemistry labs around the world are full of glassware being used for all manner of experiments. Glass has many properties that make it useful for scientific applications, such as good chemical resistance and being transparent and good for heat transfer. But despite the important role glass plays in science, the skill to develop the glassware is in decline and it has now been classed as an endangered craft by The Radcliffe Trust.
Becoming a skilled glassblower can take as long as a decade according to Radleys Workshop Foreman Paul Robson, who has been glassblowing for 40 years. Hisinterest in the profession goes even further back: “It was a demonstration with the scouts that kind of stuck with me. Later I attended a course at Braintree Technical College.”
He added of the craft: “It has been in decline because things have changed. The demand for glassware has declined due to alternative materials being available and new chemistry techniques being used. Training has changed too and there are no more courses at colleges. You have to go to a local company and learn on the job.”
Radleys hopes to at least partially turn this tide with its has own training programme. The company’s foundations lie in glassblowing and it is still an important part of their business.
Their first apprentice on the training programme – which will take between three and five years to complete – is Craig Joyce, who spotted the job by change. He said: “It looked really interesting. I’ve always liked making things and I like doing DIY at home. I originally worked as a workshop assistant for six months before I was offered the apprenticeship.”
Craig is now he is several months into the apprenticeship and enjoying using his new skill. He said: “I think it's amazing what you can do with glass and I really can’t speak highly enough of my mentor. I enjoy coming to work every day.”
Craig’s scientific glassblowing apprenticeship combines a detailed training programme with manufacturing items and components for sale. He routinely makes test tubes and adaptors and learning the skills to make more complex equipment such as jacketed coil condensers.
“It can be very frustrating if you don’t do something right. You can burn yourself, or the item you’re working on can easily crack, or break. You have to be patient, have your eye on the ball and pay attention to minute details.”
Craig is spurred on by the thought that the glassware he produces helps scientists all over the world do critical work. “I like to think what I’m doing makes a difference,” he said.
As well as working on orders from their glassware catalogue, Radleys deals with bespoke requests from scientists who need a specific piece of glass to help them solve a problem.
Paul said: “The bespoke requests are very technical – you have to be determined because it can take a long time to finish what you are making. You have to be a certain sort of person; perseverance and concentration are important. You also need to get your head around more technical aspects like engineering tolerances. Scientific glassblowing doesn’t leave much room for error. If you are not precise, you could end up producing a piece of equipment that isn’t fit for purpose, or is unsafe to use.”
Trainees start of by mastering basic techniques, such as joining two pieces of glass. Much of the process involves benchwork, which is done by hand with a flame. This gives them a hands-on feel for how glass reacts. They then learn how to put all that they’ve learnt together. Everything they make needs to go into an oven to be annealed at 570?.
Scientific glassblowers use the raw material Borosilicate, also known as lab glass, or Pyrex glass to laypeople. This is usually imported from Germany because they are world leaders in producing it.
A lot of Radleys glasswork involves making reaction vessels for pharmaceutical or polymer companies. Paul’s work as Workshop Foreman also includes managing health and safety, technical issues and quality assurance. He leads a team of eight glassblowers.
During his time as a foreman, he has noticed it has become difficult to find trainees. “There is so much scope for other things. Manual skills aren’t at the forefront of young people’s minds.”
But even with the rise of automation, the human touch is still needed for glassblowing. Paul said: “You can use machines for holding hot stuff but you still need a person to do the job.”
With Paul estimating that there are now fewer than 300 glassblowers in the UK, The British Society of Scientific Glassblowers is one of the places the small community can turn to for support. “They help if we are stuck and they have a good library of resources, including videos,” Paul said. At the society’s latest symposium, Radleys won best in show.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to become a scientific glassblower, and are interested in starting your career with us, Radleys are always on the lookout for talented people to join their expanding business, from trainees to expert glassblowers.
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