Seminars

The American Scientific Glassblowers seminar is a lecture or presentation from one or more people to symposium participants. They last ½ day to full day seminar. Full day seminars include lunch.

We invite you or someone you know to share a seminar. Please fill out the proposal application and share your expertise in glass.

Introduction to Quartz Working
Monday June 26th
6:00pm - 9:00pm,
Location: Hotel General Howard Room
Instructor: Bob Singer

This seminar is a basic introduction to Quartz techniques, for a more advanced seminar be sure to register for Fundamentals of Quartz.

This seminar is designed for glassblowers new to working with quartz. This is a 3 hour long seminar that will touch on safety, handling, and cleaning of quartz. This seminar will also discuss what is bloom and how to remove it, basic operations such as flattening the end of a tube, attaching side arms, and attaching quartz windows to the end of a tube.

Safety - Focus on Chemicals commonly used in the Glassblowing Laboratory including Gas Cylinder safety
Tuesday June 27
8:00am - Noon, Location Sacajawaea Room
Instructors: Ron Bihler and Doni Hatz

This session will cover the basic chemicals glassblowers use including gas cylinder safety in the Glassblowing Laboratory. The chemicals might be for cleaning dirty glassware or for prep work for glassblowing projects. We will discuss safe handling techniques including proper storage, handling of chemicals, proper protection, documentation, and waste disposal. There will be an emphasis on Hydrofluoric Acid safe handling.

Ron Bihler - Began his scientific glassblowing career in 1982, working for Rocky Mountain Scientific Glassblowing until 1992. In 1992, he established Technical Glass Inc. located in Aurora Colorado. He specialized in custom quartz and borosilicate products including quartz optical cells and engineering. He developed processes for CNC machining of glass and construction of optical cells with high quality fused silica AR coated optics. He continued the operation of Technical Glass Inc. until 2009 and then merged with Precision Glassblowing of Colorado. At Precision Glassblowing he is the current CEO and heads up the R&D department. Ron has developed, and expanded process for glassblowing, CNC machining, laser cutting and drilling of quartz, ceramic and glassy materials. Ron has been part of the ASGS since 1993, has been president, hosted 2 symposium and assisted on several others. Has taught in the Joe Gregar Jr seminar program, presented numerous papers, posters, taught several seminars and received the Helmet E. Dreschsel and J Allan Alexander memorial awards.

Doni Hatz has a degree in Scientific Glass Technology from SCC. Her first job opportunity was with AA Pesce Co in Pennsylvania during college, then a full-time job at Union Carbide Corporation, NY. A few years later moved to State University of NY at Stony Brook working with Rudy Schlott. She is presently at Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio for last 31 years. She has been active in the ASGS holding many positions. While she makes reactors during the day she creates floral and Venetian inspired glassware in her own time.

Color Fundamentals
Tuesday, June 27th
8:00am - Noon
Location: Hotel General Grant Room
Instructor: Jahnny Rise

In this seminar, learn the color fundamentals needed to bring your color project to life.

Jahnny Rise is a self taught flame worker of 26 years. From 2005 to 2015 Jahnny has been the color tester for the 2 biggest color makers in Borosilicate; Glass Alchemy and Northstar. He loves teaching and sharing, and is excited to share his expertise in this Color Fundamentals workshop for the ASGS at the 2023 Vancouver symposium.

Opal Encasement in Dotstack Design
Tuesday, June 27th
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Hotel General Grant Room
Instructor: Julia Leigh Strait

Shown in this seminar will be encasing synthetic opals into borosilicate glass as well as dot-stack technique/design with color on hollow tubing. The two methods will be combined to create a solid pendant. Q&A open during/after demonstration.

Julia Leigh Strait has always been interested in the arts, beginning in the hot shop doing soft glass in college as a prerequisite for another major. Her college professor led a ten day study abroad trip in the Czech Republic that was fortunately a part of & it and it was life changing. Summer of 2010 back in the states, Julia began her major as a glass artist studying kiln forming & cold working. That discipline, took her from her home town post-graduation to Fort Worth where she taught beginning-intermediate kiln forming & cold working. Meeting her now husband, Randall Strait, at this studio got her behind a torch & taking borosilicate classes. Ten years plus later being at the torch, the focus of her dotstack work is to create colorful patterns within a pattern of dots. Julia's inspiration comes from nature & grateful that it is endless and always a factor in working with repetitive sequences.

Why Did It Do That?
Wednesday, June 28th
8:00am - Noon
Location: Hotel General Grant Room
Instructor: Erich Moraine

Basic glass physics and fracture analysis to explore the cause of a failure and potentially how to avoid it. How do cracks form? Why do seals fail? What is repairable and how? How to evaluate strain and it's potential for initiating failure. Please bring stories and examples of broken scientific glass to share, this will be a collaborative seminar.

Erich Moraine is a 1979 graduate of Salem Community College. He has worked both as a production and research glassblwer at a series of glass positions including WA Sales, Aldrich Chemical, University of Nebraska, R.J. Brunfeld, and now self-employed as Wild Rose Glass where he provides scientific glassware design, cunsulti, fabrication and repair services. Erich has been active in the ASGS since 1980 having recently stepped down as chair of teh Midwest Section. He remains active in the scientific glass community offering workshops, seminars and demonstrations at regional section meetings as well as national symposia. He is the father of tree amazing adult daughters and has a small shop next to his country farmhouse in southeastern Wisconsin.

Vacuum History, Science & Technology
(The Theory and Practice)
Wednesday June 28
8:00am - 5:00pm
Location - Sacajawea
Instructor: Gary Coyne

This seminar will cover the history of humans creating a vacuum, the physics and laws of vacuums (without the math), pumps used to create a vacuum, traps used for keeping your vacuum system clean, gadgets used to determine what your vacuum is, leak detection, vacuum system design, and what to ask the customer when the customer asks for a vacuum system.

Gary Coyne was a scientific glassblower for over 40 years, 32 of which were at Cal State, University, Los Angeles. Gary has held many offices in the ASGS, including Section Director, National Secretary, and President. He has written numerous papers that have been presented at the National Symposia, as well as written many articles that appeared in Fusion. He is the author of The Laboratory Companion. Gary has been retired for the past seven years (and has never been busier).

Fundamental of Quartz

Wednesday June, 28
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Hotel General Grant Room
Instructors - Ron Bihler & Bob Singer

This seminar will discuss Quartz and it’s unique properties. Discussions on what is quartz and applications, handling, processing , and cleaning. Demonstrations to include, sealing a flange to a tube, lamination, installing and working with Frits, direct sealing of optical windows, cutting tubes lengthwise.

Techniques of Glass to Kovar Seals
Thursday June 29
8:00am - Noon
Location: Hotel General Howard Room
Instructor: Victor Nunn

Details outlining the proper procedures to prepare Kovar for glassing will be presented, followed by a demonstration of the steps needed to successfully seal glass to Kovar. Both 8250 and 7052 sealing techniques are planned.

A master at his craft Victor Nunn is a respected member of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society (ASGS). Blowing glass since 1981, fashioning some of the world's finest glass-to-metal seals, including stainless steel directly to Pyrex. Passionate about integrating scientific glassblowing principles with artistic applications, Victor enjoys working with local artists whenever his schedule permits.

Elayne Ashley / Co - Chair

Elayne is a Scientific Glassblower living and working in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. Elayne studied Scientific Glass Technology at Salem College as well as Fine Art Glassblowing and Ceramics at Jacksonville University. She worked for Precision Electronic Glass and various other production glassblowing and quartz companies before joining the Chemistry Department at Georgia Institute of Technology as the Scientific Glassblower. She is currently the Scientific Glassblower and Quartz Materials Specialist for Helion Energy, a company working to produce a Fusion energy machine.

Elayne has attended many international conferences including the Glass Art Society, the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers, and the VDG (German/Swiss Society of Scientific Glassblowers), in her passion to connect with Glassblowers on a global scale. Elayne is the current Pacific Northwest section Director for the American Scientific Glassblowers Society and has volunteered much of her time as a demonstrator, organizer and member of the ASGS.

Bob Singer / Co - Chair

Bob started his Glassblowing career in 1972 at Quartz Scientific in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. Attended and graduated from Salem Community College in 1978 and has extensive quartz experience. Bob was employed at Quartz Scientific, Quality Quartz and Behm Quartz, both of Mentor, Ohio, Until 1990 when he co-founded Technical Glass Products, in Painesville Ohio. Bob has been Vice President of Technical Glass Products, in Mentor, Ohio for ten years and now heads the company’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana division. In addition, he has taken artistic glassblowing courses at Kent State University and Cleveland State University. Bob’s activities for the ASGS include Chair of the Outreach Committee, as well as the National Symposium chair from 2017 – 2020, Director of the Pittsburgh Tri-State Section, Director of the Southwest Section, ASGS President-Elect in 2006 and ASGS National President in 2007. Bob was the Technical Papers Chair for the 39th ASGS Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA and Co-Chair for the 55th Annual Symposium in San Antonio, Texas and co-chair at the 62nd Annual Symposium in Austin, Texas and is currently the Seminar/Workshop chair for the 66rh symposium in Vancouver Washington.