How Laboratory Glassware is Blown in the UK!
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Alec Steele Blacksmith 2022 - บันเทิง
Today we’ve learned that the line between “laboratory glass” and bongs is a thin and blurry one
😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m a chemist and in college there was an apparatus that looked like a bong. Just to mess with the prof I said excitedly “it’s a booooooooooong”. She had to leave she was laughing so hard.
Almost any aparatus with a percolator could be used as a bong
Pyrex glass vs orange juice bottle and a length of garden hose - pretty much the same (allegedly) 😂
I gotta be frank, my b setup has some chemistry gear in it😭 all the fittings are the same and some parts work great for catching ash and cooling the smoke
"We're not engineers, we're craftsmen". And bringing honour to the name, sir!
But why not both? I think they ARE intensely skilled craftsmen, engineers, and artists!
architect´s designs could not be build without engineers and engineers could not design builds without craftsmen. Craftsmen are the building blocks of design
@@dan725 I think this is what Adam savage has always pushed to get A added to STEM, That is should not be Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics but Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics
Theyre magicians
@@TheDevilWAH The only problem with that is that not all art is the same. You can't compare what these guys are doing to say someone who draws caricatures for a living... you know?
Probably the most interesting video I've seen this year! Great to see their craft, and their passion for it!
Fully sat forward on my chair watching the glass getting a hole poked in it!
Same here
you pot head.,
When worlds collide
Me too
As a glass blower it’s so cool to see someone so excited about the crafting process of glass. This guy sits in his shop every day with not a lick of recognition. I bet he was stoked
We was stoked 😂
When we put things out of the shop it’s a small creation of ours that we made
A lot of care goes into our glass
Thanks for the understanding
They really do deserve more recognition. As a stoner, I love my glassware.
👍✌@@Mint_drake
As a chemist, I'm extremely happy to see that video and see how glassware is made, that's so cool 😮🤯
Same here, I never knew. Made me kinda sad about the glassware that I have broken but value it a lot more at the same time.
@@swierda8174 lol yeah I exploded a condenser once because I had the water pressure too high. That was an exciting pop!
There's a video on att archives about the last glass vacuum tube blower for the telephone network
I had no idea this much labor went into making condensors etc... I always wondered. I will be more careful!
@@adampope5107 Could have been poop... nothing like testing untreated water ;)
More industrial shop visits, please. The first video of yours I watched was the when you went and poured metal at a foundry. Good stuff.
Exactly subbed just for this! Find craftsmen and get a look into thier world! Epic!
DEFINITELY - I absolutely love to see how things are created...!!!
The one where he made a chair with his dad was also really cool
And longer!
Excellent and interesting content. Thank you Alex.
In our university every bigger chemistry facility had their own glassblower. It was always interesting to have a chat with those guys when you wanted something specific made. Their craft is unique and enables a lot of researchers to do their work.
Sounds like something right out of a Rothfuss book. Super cool.
@@fartpunch3937 A lot of tradecraft really is as close to magic as anything ever gets IRL lol.
@@Nevir202 what's tradecraft
@@stevethea5250 Cambridge dictionary online: the skills and methods used by someone doing a particular skilled job
@@Nevir202 TY, DIFFERENT TO THEIR "CARFT?
I'm a chemist and I can tell you these guys are wizards and more importantly, they're keeping alive a dying art. At a certain point I genuinely thought about looking into becoming a chemical glass blower but there wasn't a way for me to really get into it because a lot of the places in the US want you to already have experience with glass and can sometimes be fairly unforgiving.
I used to do this for a living. Had the pleasure of meeting this guy when he came into the workshop to deliver some of his work.
I miss doing this so much. It feels like magic. There was an old timer in the small team I worked in. He had been doing it for close to 50 years. The things he could make would blow your mind! Dude literally made a helicopter for fun. The detail was astounding and the rotor blades even spun!!
why did you stop? (genuinely curious)
we have a group of glass craftsmen at the lab I work at and it is a dying breed. He isnt kidding when he says he will take anybody who is genuinely interested. There are so many custom glass tools that need to be made for science, and so few who still have the skills to do it.
@@DabzFace I was going through a tough time which unfortunately resulted in things between me and my manager getting heated and us falling out. It's a painful memory and I miss it every day. Still got a collection of some of the stuff I made including condensers like the one featured in the video
@@flippiousfloppious that’s unfortunate, sorry to hear that. Didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I always wondered what the market is for stuff like this, I thought maybe that had something to do with it.
@@miclowgunman1987 It's one of my great regrets that I didn't try and get an apprentiship with the scientific glass blower at my college. By the time I realized that I _could_ have, he'd already retired.
As a research chemist, I've had the pleasure of working at a university that employed a top-notch scientific glassblower. He used to work at a glassware company making stock pieces, and now he does custom work for the researchers in the department. It's an absolute pleasure to see this work getting promoted on this platform. And he's right - they need more people! There aren't enough scientific glassblowers to satisfy the demand of researchers. I can't think of a better ad than this video. Much appreciated!
It's true there aren't enough glassblowers, but there also is a lack of glassblowing jobs to meet demand. Most just buy catalog glassware that is imported from India/China.
Also, for research places where they NEED custom stuff, it's very common for the glassblower to need to justify their position constantly to the board instead of a lot of positions that just need to come up with a budget for their department. It's a big reason why university glassblowers are slowly disappearing in the states.
Still remember a story that a university got rid of their glassblower, but when a German researcher was hired, he said he refused to work for a place that didn't have a dedicated glassblower. Well, they suddenly were able to justify bringing back the glassblower all the sudden that was a money sink to them.
I once worked for a company that took three years to recruit the right glassblower as they needed to be able to blow a really complex vessel a couple of times a month. Several experienced people had trials but couldn't do it to the right standard. In the end they found someone who could do it and had to put him on an large salary plus bonus plus pay his moving costs to ensure he stayed long term. Likely he was the highest paid glassblower in the UK back then and had equivalent status to a couple of experienced folks with Ph.D.'s in the company. I never did see the vessels that had to be blown, but the senior management spoke of his skills with reverence and did a great deal to ensure he was kept happy.
@@Pesmog where do I sign up ? I can do everything in this video. All day, everyday . I Own a litton HSA from world war 1 that I work everyday.
Suprised there aren't machines TBH.
@@dianapennepacker6854 There are. a lot of the stock pieces they work with are machine-made. But anything more complicated - and especially anything that isn't cylindrical, tends to need human hands at some point.
3 minutes in and i can tell these glass blowers really really enjoy teaching the craft. Kudos to those two for giving us all the opportunity to learn something new!
it brings me sincere gratitude to hear them say that they are willing to teach and are eager to teach. could you imagine if everyone were so eager to share their talents; we would want for nothing.
🙏well said❤
It's awesome to me because sadly here in the states a lot of glass blowers I know are stuck up "secret tradesmen" and "masters of a dying art" according to them but most of them are not willing to teach anybody anything for fear of competition. I wanted to learn but nobody in my area was willing to teach. Not unless I wanted to fork out a bunch of money. I ended up learning another trade instead.
@@666Dahereticwhich is quite ironic. On one hand, they are complaining that no one is willing to learn and continue their art (which I believe is obviously not true), on another hand, they are refusing to teach anyone who is interested in learning such art (the true reason why no one is interested anymore)
This craft has spawned an incredible art over the last few decades and I’m proud to be a part of it. Borosilicate flame working is my lifetime passion for over 20 years now.
Can you make a giant unbreakable one so we can put Trump in it and send him to space?
you should upload videos of your work!
In graduate school I made a vacuum manifold for mixing gases at low pressures, complete with multiple mixing bulbs with valves, cold fingers for distillation, and metal-to-glass transitions for attaching gas supplies and the vacuum pump. Learned lathe and hand work with both oxy-acetylene and hydrogen-oxygen flames (for some quartz work). Some of the most fun I had in school.
There was a news piece here in NZ about silicosis, my ears pricked up because it was a major concern (if you got lazy with respirators) when I worked in a copper smelter using silica for flux. Do you guys have adequate protection in your trade?
@@mitch3384 it’s a big concern and a must for any glass blower to have adequate ventilation.
I've been a glassblower for 25 years, and watching the watching the skills of these craftsmen always amazes me. Thankyou!
What kind of glass do you blow? Venetian or pipes? Or a venetian pipe?
@@Gr3nadgr3gory 😂
Shoutout to the host, what an awesome explanation of everything and super polite and patient.
So kind thank you
These gents are amazing. Not only are they incredible craftsmen, they are kind, gracious teachers. Having done a tiny little bit of glassblowing I can tell you what they do is far, far from easy. I hope folks are inspired to join the trade after watching them at work.
I want to build a mini version of one of those lathes. Magnetically coupled sides and maybe running on a foot pedal. That's so cool.
If you plan on a smaller hobby-scale, I can recommend just using two stepper-motors. Then you can also easily do differential turning and make twisted sections. I also have a 3d printed self-centring chuck, that uses graphite electrodes as inserts in the jaws of the chuck. I have the blender/stl files if needed. I should mention this is from my mk1 lathe, I'm currently in the process of designing mk2, but that one will use a laser-cutter and wood, if you'd rather wait for that.
Also really enjoy your videos!
@@JKKnudsen That makes a lot of sense! It's not like you need much force for working glass.
@NightHawkInLight as a chemist, love your work man. The white paint video was awesome, keep it up🙌 Also ever tried using EM pulses to make plasma like you did in your rubies video? Electromagnetic coupled plasma, instead of microwaves
@J Knudsen thats a good idea, what will you synchronize your motor with? Microcontroller?
@@tysonty5989 I used an Arduino with two step-sticks. And an old wah-wah pedal to control the RPM, and a potentiometer for the differential. Both going to the analogue ports on the Arduino.
You know what I love most about this video? Just how genuinely excited and enthused Alec is to be there watching these guys make glassware, it’s not like a lot of other “visit” videos on TH-cam where the creator is just sort of present and feigning interest, this is genuine almost child like joy and wonder of a new and different skill
Yeah, I loved that "American kid seeing potatoes in the field (or a live goat) for the very first time" excitement too... I mean, very much... differently.
I know, I'm an old grumpy knocker, can't help it ;-b
There's a great chance you already follow him, but if you want more of that infectious enthusiasm, I highly recommend Destin Sandlin over at SmarterEveryDay. He's gotten to meet all sorts of people from all sorts of disciplines and it's this same happiness and joy every time.
As a Laboratory Technician with 20 years' experience, I've long wondered how stuff like this, that I use every day, was made. Thank you for showing me. Fascinating.
If I lived in the UK I would jump all over an offer of training like that. This is pure artisan craftsmanship. Lovely work, chaps.
Where ever you live, there are likely glass shops, and even if not, there's almost certainly going to be some obscure craft that needs craftsmen.
These kinds of things, you don't learn by school, you don't learn by hobby, you learn by apprenticeship. Find a business that does obscure work, and ask them if they will teach you while you work.
Especially if you are still young, they are usually willing to buy a lottery ticket on you turning into a true craftsman with decades of experience and service to the company, so they'll put in the effort to train workers.
2:44 The moment in time when Alec realizes he's been making twisted Damascus all wrong and needs one of the machines.
As a former lab tech, I've always wondered how these people things got made. Thanks for showing, incredible craftsmanship!
Do you now wonder why someone would waste so much time on making a graham condenser? The most useless of all condensers
@@74KU Nile Red just put a hit out on you for that.
I hate lab techs
@@mzaite what a liebig
My Uncle was one of the Glassblowers @ Monash Uni - This brings back fond memories of visiting and watching him work over the years...
I was a glass blowers apprentice years ago
(tube bender)
Glass is a really kewl substance to work with, but I can say this - it bites quickly and very hard at those temperatures, lol
Great video, thank you all 🙂👍
I think you guys are a great team for this sort of video. You've been in production long enough that you know exactly what to look for and what to add. You are able to find people who can explain their craft in a way that you know the audience will appreciate, and let them use their own words, but are familiar enough with explaining things via video that you know when to chime in with questions and clarifications, all while filming and editing it in a compelling and approachable way.
If the whole blacksmithing thing doesn't pan out, you have a promising career as documentary filmmakers!
Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@AlecSteeleIt reminds me of the Guy Martin series a while back. Fascinating, and you can connect with other craftsmen on a level of substance and understanding due to your personal experience in a way that someone who was just a film maker could never do. Definitely keep doing more of these :-)
Not gunna lie that’s probably the most interesting thing I’ve seen on this channel! Glass blowing is so cool! Watching how he manipulated the glass to make it do what he wants was mesmerising 🙂
absolutely loved the video! people letting each other speak and looking at an art form together.
These guys are so warm and welcoming, explaining their process while working on pieces. Absolutely good energy from these folk!
At my former chemical university we had an in-house glassblower workshop that employed about five glassblowers. The things those glassblowers were able to make were incredible. And they could also easily repair much of our glassware if something broke which saved us a ton of money.
They told me that pyrex is quite easy to work with. But to work with quartz, one needs even higher temperature and quartz goes really quickly from solid to completely molten. That type of work apparently requires a lot of experience to get right.
Having toolmakers on site who can make you weird custom tools must be such a nice thing to have in any workplace.
And similarly, having a job as a toolmaker where people you know constantly come to you with new unique pieces they want made instead of doing all serial standard pieces must be a great workplace as well.
Worked in my university organic chemistry lab. Always wondered how all the glassware was made!
Of all the "how things are made" that I've watched on here over the years, all there has been a lot of them, nothing comes even close to this. My eyes thank you for this gift.
What a stud of a craftsman and artist! He did all that work WHILE TALKING!
As a Chemist, I use this sort of glassware all the time, and I always find it fascinating to watch how it's made. This piece was a fairly simple one compared to others that I've seen, and the planning and forethought that is needed to get to the end product is incredible.
I love how the artist gets excited during the episode. It's almost as if he was afraid that Alec wouldn't be enthousiastic about the whole process
Glass is such a crazy interesting material! And then the craft of the workers. Two careers ago when I was working in a lab, we admired our instrument makers for their skills!
this is one of the most beautiful art forms, bringing old school glass and mechanical precision to help craft the world of sciences! awesome video guys!
This is so surreal, I subscribed years ago because I got into blacksmithing myself but after a while I realized I didn't wanna do it as a job so I became scientific glassblower and now you upload THIS!
They need to get you on TV going around to places like this and interviewing them just like this. You're good at talking to people and this stuff is something I never would have known about without this video.
In the age of TH-cam I wonder if he needs to work with TV, bigger crews sharing income, more organisational needs, ad breaks for income and needing to fill a whole program or series line instead of little one shots like this.... When he's already got the audience here and no issues with networks etc then why not
Totally agree. Very personable and respectful of the craft.
I could sit and watch these guys at work all day. Watching glass act like that is magic
i just love seeing a couple of craftsmen chilling together and talking about their craft. So interesting!
Love that you are promoting and sharing craftsmen work. The world need those skills to be continued.
I’ve always wondered about the glasses that glass workers wear and this was a brilliant demonstration on how they work….thank you for that!!
this was such an awesome video to watch. Not only did I get to see a craftsman work, I got to see another craftsman appreciate their work at the same time. fascinating work
Glad you visited such a generous person in industry, showing his skills, knowledge, experience and allowing you to get hands on the system. Perfect!! Keep making such more informative content.
🙏❤️❤️🙏
Great video, I have recently retired after 48 years from the trade and now I've moved home and have set up a small workshop in one of my outbuildings. I worked for a medical device company for 25 years and when they moved back to the States, I set up my own company (BioChem Glass Apparatus ran for 23 years)and my previous employers hired my own company to continue manufactering for them. I was also the Chairman of The British Society of Scintific Glassblowers for seven years. I now make artwork and consult with others to help out when needed. Regards Will Fludgate
I've been glassblowing for 8 years. I love seeing you explore the industry. Also, the way he was breaking down tubing made me jump XD. I was taught to use my ribcage to apply pressure if needed, to avoid cutting up my hand if it breaks wrong. More commonly, with big tubing, I'd put a very small score mark. Then, I would put a small flame to one end of the mark to crack it to give clean ends with minimal cleanup. But it's absolutely fascinating to see our brothers across the pond in action!
My grandfather was a lab glass blower in the 80s. He retired from Dow Chemical Freeport TX. He went to work for a local company that made lab glass for Dow. He also made alot of beautiful glass art. All glass ship in a bottle, colored glass roses and all kinds of other things.
Sounds like he was a master in glass that’s for sure
We try to follow in those steps ❤
They Are Genuinely So Happy That A Younger Person is So Fascinated & Asking Questions That Actually Have Substance…
It’s true
A little like when grandchildren come around to say hi 😂
Thanks to everyone involved in making this.. a real insight into something I had no idea existed...
As a fellow glassblower, I appreciate this a lot. ❤
Glass blowing is such an insane dark art. So much fun watching them do their work.
Nothing more amazing than watching expert craftsmen doing precision tasks. They made it all look so effortless
I love seeing other crafts. And Alecs enthusiasm makes the art so more exciting. But that is insane to see glas made like this.
Thank you for sharing and teaching!
he was so awkward at the open then he started doing his work and he suddenly felt much more confident and relaxed and rightfully so i might add what an absolute boss
It's awesome to see how much he enjoyed this
Yes these men are true craftsmen. Ive played with glass and it is very difficult to avoid cracking it.
stepping out of your expertise and having your mind blown by experts in a completely different craft is such a satisfying and humbling learning experience. Wish i had the time to do it more often.
Dalibor Farny's Nixie tube video from six years ago is another fabulous example of technical glassblowing. I've done some glassblowing over the years, but the effortless expertise of those guys is just joyous. Brilliant video, thanks Alec and Jamie.
Wow! That is amazing that someone loves the art so much they'll even train/teach possible competition in the same market!
I’ve always wondered how glass blowers make these kinds of detailed instruments. I’ve seen how pipes and bongs are made and that’s fairly straightforward, but I could never wrap my head around how they make coils that go inside of things like condensers. Absolutely fascinating.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these episodes where you’re showcasing these wonderfully skilled and hardworking everyday guys doing their magic!! You’re a wonderful host, interviewer, and presenter coupled with wonderful camera work, editing, with great music to capture it all!! I LOVE THIS CHANNEL SO MUCH!!!!
I love when Alec goes to other crafts industries to visit and show off what they do. Not everything is all computers and robots. Even where those things are used there’s a hard worker keeping it all rolling 👍
Something about this art that is magical. I know these two are among most talented in world but glass blowing just seems to work so efficiently. Awesome 👌
When I was in my undergrad my chemistry dept had a Laboratory Glassblowing course. A great skill to have on top of taking Advanced NMR and Advanced Organic Synthetic Chem and tons of undergrad research. Great for getting you ready for your PhD
That was amazing. Wish I lived in the UK still. Would definitely love to learn that. And he was clearly a master of his craft. To learn from him would be incredible
Awesome video Alec, thank you for taking us along. I found it very educational and entertaining.
As a nuclear chemist who has worked with a custom scientific glassware fabricator...and also has a blacksmith shop at home...this is truly special! Fantastic video Alec!
I remember going into University of Nottingham's Engineering faculty and seeing the technician make a custom glass apparatus in person for my project. They work those like magic.
Those guys need a TH-cam channel. I would love watching them.
Yes! I have always wondered how lab glass was made.
Love getting to see how this is done! I work in a chemistry lab, and there is no one our lab loves more than the glassblowers we work with- it's a massively underappreciated craft, but we rely on them to be able to do our jobs, and because our jobs keep everyone else safe, everyone relies on these glassblowers!
Ayo for real, when I see you, I see that little bit of unbottled excitement that has been tucked away in my soul because too many people thought my curiosity was annoying. You're so amazing, Alec. Thank you.
This was pretty cool to see. Nice change of pace. Tools are similar but the processes are pretty different.
These guys are so wholesome, it warms my heart.
When I was a kid interested in chemistry I would heat small diameter glass tubes in a small flame and bend them or close an end or pull out a fine tip nozzle. From that experience I can tell you that glasswork is not easy. For example in blowing a bubble it takes some pressure to get the bubble going but once it starts you have to decrease the pressure quickly or it will easily grow too big and burst. I admire people who can do this kind of work and appreciate how much time they have spent in learning their skill.
as a chemist, i´ve always wondered how these were made
I find people who work with glass to be like magic craftsmen. Idk why but the whole craft has always both fascinated me and blown my mind. So glad that this video popped into my reccomendations today 😮😊
I did a class in college, intro to scientific glassblowing. I made many things, not as cool as this but I did make a much simpler liebig condenser. I loved it so much. If I lived in the UK, I'd love to work here. What a blast
One of my buddies is a Salem alum, and had a real badass shop. He has like, 3 or 4 carlisle lathes of various sizes, and makes a good living as a glassblower. He doesn't make that much strictly scientific stuff anymore, instead mostly focuses on distillation and fermentation apparatus, and heckin' expensive bongs!
This is one of the most incredible episodes you've put out. You have a really great way of sharing your enthusiasm through the camera and being able to focus on what parts of the process are so amazing. It's funny when I was seeing how he joined the inner coil to the outer tube at the ends, it looks SO similar to how you treat clay on a pottery wheel when you're trying to do similar things. So interesting to see how many different fields/ materials share techniques.
I could watch this for hours. Its always fun to learn something new. Ive watched something similar to this before, it was nice that they let you give it a try as well. Another great episode. Like that huge steel plant you showed not long ago. Definitely have to do a Steele/Glass guys collaboration project. That would be awesome
I have waited so long for this to get to the top of my playlist. I work in a research lab and I see these instruments daily. Now I have a little bit of understanding about how they are made!
This guy is super skilled and passionate about his work, i love to see it. Hes basically welding and machining glass its so cool
Thanks we enjoy what we do
That was absolutely enthralling. Would love to see you showcasing more 'at risk' trades and crafts.
I've always wondered how the condenser coils were made, thanks for the amazing video demonstrating two master craftsmen!
I wondered too, but it eludes me for what this piece would be used. Usually the coil is connected to the water in and outlets of a condenser. So that the liquid condenses on the coils and runs back down into the vessel. Here the water in and outlets were connected to the mantlet.
This to me seems more like you want to cool down a liquid, that runs through the coil.
Okay you could use this as a condenser too, but all the twists of the coil will make it almost impossible that something comes out at the top.
Yayyyy so happy to see this episode, I began watching your videos as I was learning glassblowing. Loved the way you broke down and walked through every project in blacksmithing. Love seeing you in the glass world!
I’m 61 and that was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much Alec.
Anticipating a BANGER video here as always, I love me a bit of Glassblowing!
These guys are true artisan’s, not the people who throw paint at a canvas and say they are. THIS. This is true art. These guys are badass!
A true master of their craft making it look so easy
Awesome! I love your resent side stepping into other crafts. Thanks for that!
I clicked so fast my thumb made a sonic crack
Hi bro click on the link and see
Lame
This is sooo very much lovely to look at how they create this nice piece of equipment. And it reminds me of my attempts to blow glas in chemistry lessons. Very good video - also it showed me why those experts wearing this special glases (never knew this).
Absolute madness. I imagined work like this was done with computers and machines and it's all the more satisfying knowing it's not!
As someone who worked with them and has wondered how such a feat is possible, I am quite pleased and in awe to know the answer now.
It makes sense when you think about it, but it's still wild to me that they make glass coils on a lathe pretty much exactly the same way you'd make a lathe-wound metal spring, only with a blowtorch
...and also it's glass
Those glasses that remove the orange glow are magic to me.
Heating up only a small spot and inflating the piece with air from the inside to push out small dents in places where you can't get any tools in is such a brilliant idea.
And totally obvious once you see someone do it.
Craftmen like these guys are absolute magicians
As a chemist, I am incredibly in debt of glass blowers. They make the science possible!