Glassworkers

Table of Contents

Recruiting - Glassworkers

Our fief is recruiting new apprentices for our glassworking industry!

The work

The work of our glassmakers is incredibly prestigious and yet remains very mysterious and even mystical to many. Here is a detail explanation on how they go about creating the most exceptional glassware and magical instruments:

Preparation
Depending on the properties desired for the final glass product, a recipe is chosen and the raw materials are prepared accordingly:

See alchemy circles for example of recipes.

Ssee glass for list of additives and their effects.

Melting

The materials are mixed in a crucible that is moved into a furnace heated to 1,200 °C to melt its content.

The mixture is homogenised by stiring, while the worker chant to inject it with magic.

Finally, it is let to rest for a few hours or even days to bubbles to rise up.

Blowing
The "gather", a small mass of semi-molten glass, is picked up from the crucible with a hollow blowpipe. It is then shaped by:

Swinging it around in the air to elongate it

Rolling the blowpipe alongside the long armrests of a special chair.

Rolling the glass itself against the hard surface of a "marver".

Blowing inside the blowpipe to inflate the glass, resuling in a hollow mass called a "parison".

Putting it in a wet mould, with or without blowing it while inside.

Shaping
The parison is worked on directly using;

Shears to cut the glass.

Jacks to pull at or sculpt the glass,

Wet wooden paddles or the workers' hand protected by wet paper pads to press on the glass and create flat spots.

Wielding to attach additional parts (handles, feet...)

Reheating in a "glory-hole" furnace between 900 and 1,000 °C.

If necessary, the glass is tranfered from the blowpipe to a "pontil" to work on its other end.

Cooling
The glass is annealed, i.e. reheated then cooled down slowly in the annealer furnace from 400 - 500 °C to ambient temperature. This avoids stressing it by sudden temperature changes and instead increases its hardness and durability.

Cold processing

The glass is then ground, polished, or moulded to the shape required.

The surface of the glass can be inscribed with runes by scraping it with a diamond, burning it with acid, or inlaying it with enamel or gold.

Job progression

All apprentices begin their work in the "hot shop" as brats running erands. If you shows enough skills and dedication, you will be able to progress through the following posts:

Brat / Servitor
Carries the gather/parison to and from the furnace, swing the blowpipe around.

Gatherer
Gather the semi-molten mass of glass from the crucible.

Blower
Blow through the blowpipe to inflate the glass, a highly technical gesture.

The next step is to start actively using your magic while working with the glass:

Preparator
The person who prepare the mixture of raw material and chant over the cruciable. If they mess up, nothing else can be done to salvage the glass.

Gaffer / Bench master
The master glassmaker who shapes the glass. This is the post at which the most skilled glassmakers end their career, potentially experimenting with creating new types of glassware

Workshop leader
The boss who supervise several teams and only answers to the tower leader, the government and Lady Olénie herself.

Instead of becoming a gaffer or as an evolution from it, worker can also switch to the "cold shop" where they will work on perfecting the finished glass. The first step is always to work as a grounder:

Grounder
Ground and sand the glass to shape it and smooth its surface. The first step into the cold shop to get a good feeling for the glass.

Then the worker can choose to specialise in the drawing of runes on its surface with one of the following tehniques:

Engraver
Engraves runes with a hard material like a diamond head.

Burner
Draws runes in reverse with wax, then plunges the glass in an acid bath to burn unprotected areas.

Inlayer
Draws runes with enamel powders and fires them to form an enamel inlay.

A final alternative is to only work with the final glass products:

Mounter
Take the lenses, mirrors, prisms and other glassware created by their colleagues and combine them with the pieces created by our metallurgist to form incredible magic instruments such as a magicometre, spying device, or even just simpler everyday magic lenses.

Qualities desired

In order to become a successful glassworker, you need to:

Control & Focus
Not be the most magically powerful but someone with a very fine control over your magic and with great most focus, so that you can keep your full mind on the runes the entire length of the chants.

Obedient
To be able to follow orders well and the safety procedures no matter how bothersome they are—our lady has special fines for the people who endanger others with their careless actions.

Teamwork
To be able to work well with teamates without creating problems and drama. All bench masters vie with each other to attract the best workers, but if nobody wants you, you are effectively out of a work.

Perks

Such an incredible job of course comes with incredible advantages!

Highly respected job

Great salary

Great job progression

Cheap magic instruments

That sexy sexy magic stench at the end of the day
Working with strong magic always leave a trace, and while some delicate individuals hate the sensation, people with more refine taste know it for the "smell" of true power!

If you think you have what it takes, apply today to join our next batch of apprentices!
No requirements over than dedication, determination and devotion for glass!

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Related articles

The Fief of Glass

Territories The City of the Hundred Fiefs · The Fief of Glass · The Lady's Tower Politics Politicians (Lady Olénie, Dame Louise of Glass) · Political system (Lords and Ladies of the Fiefs, Lady Olénie's government, The Police of the Fief of Glass) · Problems (The ongoing Elantian civil war, Previous inhabitants of the Fief of Perfumes, Water sickness) Magic Dangers (Seasonal magic flood, Magical corrosion, Basement kraken) · Technologies (Tower wards, Ward pins, Tasty Treat) · Industry (Glass and Magic Lenses, Glassworkers, Runes) Culture Farming (Soulmates' wine, Painted magpie, Fungus for Plant Warfare) · Travellers (Trading caravans, Travelling healers) · Others (The Worship of the Imperial Family, Election of a Tower Leader, Spying Devices)