Tweezers
Also called pinze (Italian), pinse or borsee da pisegar (Murano)
Long spring tweezers for pinching, pulling, and placing hot glass.
What it is
Murano’s glass museum lists pinse (Italian pinze), tweezers, as the tool “used to pull, squeeze and shape hot glass”.[1]
How it’s used
Wikipedia sums them up as the tool used “to pick out details or to pull on the glass”.[3] They grab and pinch the glass, usually to stretch it, and for sculpting.[2] Points vary: BC Metalworking makes beaked points for grabbing and pulling, or a smoother flat point on request.[4]
History
On Murano the pinching tweezers were traditionally borsee da pisegar, from pisegar (Italian pizzicare), “to pinch”.[2] The Conciatore lexicon notes that the old borsee da pisegar curved slightly inward to a sharp point, as distinct from flatter pinse, though in the US both are simply called tweezers.[2]
Care
Tweezers made of high-carbon spring steel will rust if not looked after; BC Metalworking advises drying them after use and wiping on a thin coat of a natural oil such as linseed or mineral oil.[4]
Sources
Tweezers in the archive 29
| Photo | Tool | Maker | Sellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convex Tweezer, Extra SmallHand-forged convex-bladed tweezers from Murano with 220 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 3 | |
| Convex Tweezers, LargeHand-forged convex-bladed tweezers from Murano with 330 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| Convex Tweezers, MediumHand-forged convex-bladed tweezers from Murano with 300 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 3 | |
| Convex Tweezers, SmallHand-forged convex-bladed tweezers from Murano with 260 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| English 11" TweezersEnglish-style tweezers with slightly beaked forged tips and a lower-profile spring than classic Italian tweezers, for better balance. | Watanabe Glass Tools | 1 | |
| English 12" TweezersTweezers based on old English designs, with beaked tips like Maruko's. | Watanabe Glass Tools | 1 | |
| Extra Small Flat TweezersShort 7" flat tweezers for delicate jobs. | Jim Moore Glass Tools | 2 | |
| Flat Step-Down TweezersFlat tweezers whose tips step down to a fine point. | Jim Moore Glass Tools | 2 | |
| Flat Tweezer, Extra, LargeHand-forged flat-bladed tweezers from Murano with 360 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| Flat Tweezers, Extra SmallHand-forged flat-bladed tweezers from Murano with 220 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| Flat Tweezers, LargeHand-forged flat-bladed tweezers from Murano with 330 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| Flat Tweezers, MediumHand-forged flat-bladed tweezers from Murano with 300 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 3 | |
| Flat Tweezers, SmallHand-forged flat-bladed tweezers from Murano with 260 mm blades. | Carlo Donà | 2 | |
| Haystack 10.5" Tweezers10.5" tweezers available with bronze or stainless backs. | Watanabe Glass Tools | 1 | |
| Italian 12" TweezersLarge Italian-style tweezers with forged tips and a rounded interior spring, based on large Dinos. | Watanabe Glass Tools | 1 | |
| Kawasemi TweezersMaruko's Kawasemi tweezers in small, medium, and large. | Maruko Tools | 1 | |
| Large Jack Tweezers14" jack tweezers for deliberate wide lines, such as pre-cutting fingers and legs in sculpture. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 1 | |
| Large Tweezers15" forged tweezers for big work. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 3 | |
| Medium TweezersThe everyday 11" workhorse tweezers, forged from spring steel. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 3 | |
| Needle Nose TweezersTweezers with long, fine tines for intricate bits and tight radii. | Jim Moore Glass Tools | 2 | |
| Small Jack Tweezers11" jack tweezers for quick, fine lines like feathers and leaves. Also popular with lampworkers. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 2 | |
| Small Tweezers8" forged tweezers for goblets and small detail work. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 2 | |
| Soft Small Flat TweezersThe small flat tweezers in thinner metal for a softer squeeze. | Jim Moore Glass Tools | 1 | |
| TweezersHigh-carbon spring steel tweezers in five lengths, with standard or beaked tips. | BC Metalworking | 5 | |
| TweezersJim Moore's everyday tweezers in three lengths, with flat or concave blades. | Jim Moore Glass Tools | 5 | |
| TweezersMaruko tweezers in four lengths, with beak points that grab the glass or smoother flat points. | Maruko Tools | 2 | |
| TweezersGlassblowing tweezers made in-house at Novotný Glass in Nový Bor. | Novotný Glass Tools | 1 | |
| Tweezers, Small 7"Handmade 7" tweezers with finely finished points for sculptural work. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 1 | |
| “Martin’s” Tweezers13" sculpting tweezers designed by Martin Janecky. | Jasen Johnsen Glass Tools | 2 |
