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Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers

Wages
In 2015, the average annual wage in a Alabama was $23,310 with most people making betweeen $16,950 and $37,230
Wages by Industry
  • Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing $28,440.00
  • Rubber Product Manufacturing $28,040.00
  • Clay Product and Refractory Manufacturing $31,520.00
  • Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing $28,630.00
  • Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing $34,480.00
  • Plastics Product Manufacturing $29,910.00
Education Required
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Common Majors
  • no information available
About the job

Shape molten glass according to patterns.

What you'll do
    • Cut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels.
    • Design and create glass objects, using blowpipes and artisans’ hand tools and equipment.
    • Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash, or polish glass or glass products.
    • Operate electric kilns that heat glass sheets and molds to the shape and curve of metal jigs.
    • Place electrodes in tube ends and heat them with glass burners to fuse them into place.
    • Place glass into dies or molds of presses and control presses to form products, such as glassware components or optical blanks.
    • Repair broken scrolls by replacing them with new sections of tubing.
    • Spray or swab molds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass.
    • Strike necks of finished articles to separate articles from blowpipes.
    • Superimpose bent tubing on asbestos patterns to ensure accuracy.
Things you need to know
    • Production and Processing – Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Mechanical – Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • English Language – Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Customer and Personal Service – Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Administration and Management – Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Abilities you'll need to have
    • Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
    • Quality Control Analysis – Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
    • Operation Monitoring – Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
    • Operation and Control – Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
    • Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
    • Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
    • Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.