Glossary

What each kind of hot-shop tool is, how and why it's used, and where it comes from, with sources. Each entry lists the tools of that type in the archive.

Jacks

JacksSpring-steel tongs with two blades, the main tool for shaping, necking, and opening blown glass.49
ParchoffiJacks with wooden blades, used wet to open and shape glass without marking it.16

Shears

Straight shearsScissor-like shears with straight blades, used to make straight cuts in hot glass.23
Diamond shearsShears with angled blades that close around the glass from all sides, for cutting it off in a round shape.25
Duckbill shearsStraight-cutting shears with rounded, slightly splayed tips that don't catch the glass at the end of a cut.8