The forming of glass can be done using
many techniques. The Romans and
Phoenicians discovered glass blowing
 techniques and the forms that could
be producedescalated dramatically. 
   
 In blowing glass the glassmaker takes
molten glass from a pot using a hollow
iron rod. He then will blow air through
the rod (pontil) expanding the molten
glass into a bubble shape. Using  a
variety of tools he then shapes the glass.
The technique of glassblowing is still being
practiced today although within the last
20 years there have been other methods
introduced. This includes blowing the
glass bubble into a mold by hand, or
machine and injecting or pressing
molten glass into a mold by machine.


The art of molded glass developed in
the 1820's using mechanized techniques
to press glass into molds, later in the
19th ans 20th centuries manually and
mechanicaly blowing glass into molds.
These later developments made it possible
to mass produce and at lower economic
manufacturing costs.