HOW TO BLOW GLASS.
Although it is impossible to give any detailed account of glass blowing which would be practicable for small boys, yet a child can amuse himself for hours, by simply melting bits of glass and joining them together; or by melting small glass tubes and drawing them out to mere threads; or again, blowing them up into tiny balloons until their surface is as thin as a soap bubble and almost as fragile. These little tubes are smaller than the end of a pipe-stem, about four inches long, and made of very thin glass. A dozen can be procured for ten or twelve cents at any place where chemical supplies are to be found. A short tallow candle, held in a cheap tin candlestick, answers for the flame; and the tobacco-pipe, converted into the blowpipe just described, can be used in any of the experiments here given. Take a piece of a broken window pane, hold it in the left hand very near the candle flame, then holding the blowpipe so that the shorter end nearly touches the flame, blow steadily through the pipe-stem a current of air into the flame, which sends it upon the glass and soon reduces the part in contact with it to a red-hot melting mass; this can be worked into various shapes by forming it with the aid of pincers; or it can easily be joined to pieces of different colors, by holding the two together and turning the full force of the blaze upon them.
The little tubes may be heated in the same manner, and one end be closed air tight, by pinching it tightly while still hot; then, after heating the portion near the end to a red heat, lay the blowpipe aside, and, taking the tube away from the flame, blow into the open end with the mouth. If this is done quickly, before the glass has had time to cool, a pretty bubble or balloon is the result.
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