Fortunate indeed is the boy who receives a stock of glass tubing, a Bunsen burner, a blowpipe, and some charcoal for a gift, for he has a great deal of fun in store for himself. Glass blowing is a useful art to understand, if the study of either chemistry or physics is to be taken up, because much apparatus can be made at home. And for itself alone, the forming of glass into various shapes has not only a good deal of pleasure in it, but it trains the hands and the eye.

Glass, ordinarily brittle and hard, becomes soft and pliable under heat. When subjected to the action of a flame until dull red, it bends as if made of putty; heated to a bright yellow, it is so soft that it may be blown, pulled, pushed or worked into any shape desired. Hence the necessity for a Bunsen burner, a device preferred to all others for this work, because it gives the hottest flame without soot or dirt. The Bunsen burner, as shown in Fig. 1, is attached to any gas bracket with a rubber tube, but the flame is blue, instead of yellow, as the burner introduces air at its base, which mixes with the gas and so produces an almost perfect combustion, instead of the partial combustion which results in the ordinary yellow flame. All gas stoves have Bunsen burners, and many oil stoves.

If gas is not available, an alcohol lamp with a large wick will do almost as well. The blowpipe, shown in Fig. 2, is merely a tube of brass with the smaller end at right angles to the pipe, and a fine tip to reduce the size of the blast, which is used to direct a small flame. Besides these tools, the glass worker will need some round sticks of charcoal, sharpened like a pencil, as shown in Fig. 3, a file, and several lengths of German glass tubing.

To bend a length of the tubing, let it be assumed for the purpose of making a syphon, it is only necessary to cork one end of the tube and heat it near the top of the Bunsen flame, turning the tubing constantly to make it heat evenly on all sides, until it is a dull red in color. It will then bend of its own weight if held in one hand, but to allow it to do so is to make a flat place in the bend. The heating should be continued until the red color is quite bright, when the open end of the tube is put in the mouth and a little pressure of air made in the tube by blowing. At the same time, the tube is bent, steadily but gently. The compressed air in the tube prevents it from collapsing during the process.

To make a bulb on the end of a tube, one end must be closed. This is easily done by heating as before, and then pulling the tube apart as shown in Fig. 4. The hot glass will draw, just like a piece of taffy, each end tapering to a point. This point on one length is successively heated and pressed toward and into the tube, by means of a piece of charcoal, until the end is not only closed, but as thick as the rest of the tube, as in Fig. 5. An inch or more is now heated white hot, the tube being turned continually to assure even heating and to prevent the hot end from bending down by its own weight. When very hot, a sudden puff into the open end of the tube will expand the hot glass into a bulb, as in Fig. 6. These can be made of considerable size, and, if not too thin, make very good flasks (Fig. 7) for physical experiments. The base of the bulb should be flattened by setting it, still hot, on a flat piece of charcoal, so that it will stand alone.

To weld two lengths of, glass tubing together, heat the end of a tube and insert the point of a piece of charcoal in the opening, and twirl it about until the end of the tube has a considerable flare. Do the same to the end of the other tube, which is to be joined to the first, and then, heating both to a dull red, let touch and press lightly together as in Fig. 8. As soon as they are well in contact, heat the two joined flares together, very hot, and, pulling slightly, the flares will flatten out and the tube be perfectly joined. Tubes joined without previous flaring have a constricted diameter at the joint.

To make a T-joint in two pieces of tubing, it is necessary to make a hole in the side of one piece, as shown at A in Fig. 9. This is accomplished by the aid of the principle of physics that gases expand when heated. Both ends of the tube, which should be cold, are corked tightly. The whole is then gradually warmed by being held near the flame. When warm, a small flame is directed by the blowpipe from the Bunsen flame to a spot on one side of the closed tube. As it heats, the air within the tube expands and becomes compressed, and as soon as the hot spot on the side of the tube is soft enough, the confined air blows out, pushing the hot glass aside as it does so, leaving a small puncture. This is to be enlarged with pointed charcoal until it also flares as shown at B. This flare is then connected to the flared end of a straight tube, C, and the T-joint, D, is complete. Using the blowpipe is not difficult. The lips and cheeks should be puffed out with a mouthful of air, which is ample to blow a flame while the lungs are being refilled. In this way, it is possible to use the blowpipe steadily, and not intermittently, as is necessary if the lungs alone are the "bellows."

Illustration: Glass Blowing and Forming

Small glass funnels, such as are used in many chemical operations, are made by first forming a bulb, then puncturing the bulb at the top, when hot, with a piece of charcoal, and smoothing down or flaring the edges. Very small and fine glass tubes, such as are used in experiments to demonstrate capillary attraction, water or other liquid rising in when they are plunged into it, are made by heating as long a section of tubing as can be handled in the flame--2 in. will be found enough--and, when very hot, giving the ends a sudden vigorous pull apart. The tube pulls out and gets smaller and smaller as it does so, until at last it breaks. But the fine thread of glass so made is really a tube, and not a rod, as might be supposed. This can be demonstrated by blowing through it at a gas flame, or by immersing it in colored liquid. The solution will be seen to rise some distance within the tube, the amount depending on the diameter of the tube.

The file is for cutting the glass tubing into lengths convenient to handle. It should be a three-cornered file, of medium fineness, and is used simply to nick the glass at the place it is desired to cut it. The two thumbs are then placed beneath the tube, one on each side of the nick, and the tube bent, as if it were plastic, at the same time pulling the hands apart. The tube will break off squarely at the nick, without difficulty.

The entire outfit may be purchased from any dealer in chemical or physical apparatus, or any druggist will order it. Enough tubing to last many days, the Bunsen burner, blowpipe, file and charcoal should not exceed $2 in cost.