THe Glassworks toolbench archive

This is the beginning of what I hope will become a photo archive of glassblowing tool history - an expansion of the work I have already been doing on my @glassworks_toolbench instagram page since 2020. While much of this history has not been recorded in words, it has been preserved in steel. My goal is to curate a collection of photographs—and, when possible, stories—to start piecing together a larger narrative of the mutual implication of glassblowing and blacksmithing.

By examining this history, we can compare and contrast designs, explore potential reasoning behind key decisions made, and trace the lineage of craftsmanship as it has been passed from one maker to the next over the years.

I’d love for the community to share images and stories of glassblowing tools they’ve encountered or collected over the years. My goal is to curate these into a crowdsourced collection that helps build the bigger picture and can be used to educate tool users and makers of future generations.

-Jon Watanabe