Blowing
The first step is blowing the beads using a small glass tube. The tube is to be warmed up above a burner until the glass is totally soft. Then it is put into the form of the blowing machine. Air is blown into the glass with a small hose and the glass walls extend along the shape of the form. This way a row of glass beads called “klauče” is made.
The blowing looks easy but the blower needs to train for at least 6 months to be able to blow glass beads which do not pop during further processing. Currently, there are forms for glass beads from 3 to 30 mm and blowers usually specialize either in bigger or smaller glass beads. Good timing of all steps is essential. If the blower changed the size of the forms often, they would “spoil their hands”.