Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 135: Freehand Glassblowing
Speaking of which, this was Owen’s very first attempt at glassblowing.
Before the molten glass cooled and solidified into a brittle state, he needed to blow it into the desired shape.
After that, the shaped glass would be knocked off the blowpipe and placed into an annealing kiln for annealing. This step was to prevent what’s called “cold explosion.”
During the shaping process, the glass undergoes intense changes in both temperature and form. Such changes leave behind thermal stress within the glass.
This thermal stress reduces the strength and thermal stability of the glass product.
If cooled directly at room temperature, the glass could easily crack during cooling, or even later during storage, transport, or use—that is the phenomenon of cold explosion.
Annealing, therefore, means holding the glass at a certain temperature range or slowly lowering the temperature for a period of time, in order to eliminate or reduce the thermal stress to an acceptable level.
Only after these steps can a finished glass product be obtained.
At first, Owen thought the blowing process would be easy. In the end, he underestimated the skill required.
The glass bubble he produced was lopsided and crooked, with uneven wall thickness.
No matter how he adjusted, the glass eventually solidified into that misshapen form, a complete failure—not even worth sending for annealing.
The failed piece looked suspiciously like some unspeakable waste product expelled from the human body.
Staring at the glass object he had blown, Owen fell silent. Clearly, glassblowing demanded a certain level of technique.
Perhaps he should have asked Jita to make a mold first—blowing into a mold would surely be much easier.
He really shouldn’t have been so arrogant, trying freehand blowing on his very first attempt.
Fanny leaned over to take a look. She forced herself to maintain a calm expression and said,
“Well then, my lord, I believe you now—glass really is made from sand.”
“Pfft! Hahaha—”
In the end, she couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
“But what kind of shape is this supposed to be? It’s hilarious! Hahaha—”
Seeing this, Mapel frowned deeply and snapped back in displeasure:
“Fanny, what do you know? This is an artwork! Lord Owen made it like this on purpose!”
She said that because she remembered once seeing a strangely shaped glass item being auctioned as an art piece, eventually bought by some rich man for a high price.
Alright, Mapel, thank you for defending me—Owen felt touched.
“Ahem!”
Owen coughed lightly.
“Fanny, I’ll need you to remelt this for me in a bit. Do you still remember the exact magic output you used earlier?”
“Of course I remember.”
Fanny nodded.
Owen knocked the failed piece off the blowpipe, tossed it back into the crucible inside the kiln, and left it to Fanny.
Since there was no mold, Owen no longer intended to challenge freehand blowing. It was simply a waste of time. He needed to find someone skilled in glassblowing.
Back when Owen had remelted household glass to make experimental apparatus, he had asked someone to help with the blowing.
That man had figured it out after just one try, easily blowing the glass into the desired shape and producing usable laboratory equipment.
That experience was what had given Owen the dangerous misconception that glassblowing was easy to master.
Taking Mapel with him, Owen hurried to the machine workshop.
Upon hearing that the lord had arrived, Jita quickly set down his work and came to greet him.
“My lord, what instructions do you have for me this time?”
“I’ve come to borrow someone.”
“Borrow someone again?”
At that, Jita showed a troubled expression and scratched his messy hair.
“Oh? Don’t you have enough manpower here?”
Owen asked.
“Didn’t I tell you to recruit more apprentices?”
Hearing this, Jita explained:
“It’s true, I’ve recruited several new apprentices, but their skills are still not proficient. The ones you want to borrow are mostly apprentices who have been with me for a long time. If they leave, my work here will slow down.”
Now that he mentioned it, Owen realized it was true. Not long ago, he had already borrowed two apprentices to operate the machines that produced shells and casings, which had already affected Jita’s progress.
“Ah, well…”
Owen thought for a moment, then said:
“Jita, this new task of mine is quite important. You can give the newer apprentices more chances to practice. It doesn’t matter if things go a bit slower—once they get the hang of it, their speed will naturally improve.”
“Haah—”
Jita let out a helpless sigh.
“Alright then, my lord. Who is it you want to borrow this time?”
“Rob.”
“Please wait a moment.”
With that, Jita turned and shouted loudly toward the back:
“Rob! Get over here, quick!”
“Oh—! Coming!”
A young man with freckles scattered across both cheeks came jogging over in a hurry.
When he saw Owen, he bowed nervously.
“Greetings, my lord.”
“Rob.”
Jita patted Rob on the shoulder and reminded him:
“The lord has an important task for you. Make sure you do your best.”
“Mm! Mm!”
Rob nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick.
“I definitely will!”
“Then come along quickly, Rob,”
Owen urged.
The three of them hurried back to the glass-melting kiln. By this time, Vannie had already remelted Owen’s failed piece, and a uniform, bubble-free molten glass had once again formed in the crucible.
“My lord, you’re finally back. Quickly, come check—has it reached the right state yet?”
Fanny asked anxiously.
Owen leaned over to take a look, then nodded.
“It’s ready.”
Hearing that, Fanny finally withdrew her magic and stepped aside in relief.
Owen then picked up the hollow iron tube and handed it to Rob.
“The rest is up to you, Rob.”
Taking the tube, Rob looked into the crucible at the molten glass and exclaimed in realization: “Oh! So this is about glassblowing? That’s simple enough.”
As before, he dipped the tube into the crucible to gather the glass, then rolled it on the marver.
Before starting to blow, Rob turned to Owen and asked:
“My lord, what kind of glassware would you like me to make?”
“A flat-bottomed flask,”
Owen replied.
“Understood.”
Rob nodded, drew in a deep breath, and began blowing into the other end of the tube while smoothly rotating it. His rotations were steady, the glass bubble he formed was evenly thick, and it came out as a perfect sphere.
Next, he continued to rotate the tube at a steady pace, using iron tongs to quickly pinch out the shape of a bottle neck. He then swiftly touched the end of the neck with a bit of water, making the glass there cool rapidly. Immediately, he tapped it off, shaping the mouth of the bottle.
Then, using the tongs to grip the mouth, he carefully drew the neck out longer. The outline of the flat-bottomed flask was now essentially complete.
Finally, he knocked the flask off the blowpipe, pressed its base flat on the marver, and placed it into the annealing kiln for treatment.
The entire sequence of movements flowed smoothly without the slightest pause—clean and seamless from start to finish.