Glass is melted in a crucible at 2200 degrees. A hollow steel blowpipe is dipped into the crucible to form a gather. Air is added to the glass and addditional layers are gathered as the glass is worked and the shape is formed. The piece is transfered onto a solid steel rod called a punty. At this point, the final shaping takes place. Once completed, the piece is placed into an annealing oven to slowly cool over the next 24 hours.