Scientific glassblower keeps busy with U of Sask. researchers

Saskatchewan's only scientific glassblower shared the details of his work with StarPhoenix photographer Michelle Berg.

In the series How it Works, StarPhoenix photojournalist Michelle Berg explores the inner workings of unique professions in Saskatoon.

Read other parts in the series here.

Berg chatted with Saskatchewan’s only scientific glassblower, Rick Elvin, who shared what he did and how it has been especially helpful to researchers at the University of Saskatchewan.

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Glassblowing services have recently been discontinued at the U of S; it was cited as a financial decision in a statement from Arts and Science Dean Peta Bonham-Smith. Services are now done out-of-province.

Q: What intrigued you to become a scientific glassblower?

A: I was introduced to scientific glassblowing in my mid-teens, going to University of Toronto to visit my sister and father in their offices. The scientific glassblower Gerry Rynders — and later brother-in-law — would set me up in the corner of his lab with a bench burner and a pile of scrap and end cuts of glass tubing and rod. I would spend hours working the glass in the flame, manipulating and fusing the glass, seeing what it does, how it can go from a solid to a liquid and back to a solid in a matter of seconds.

Q: How long did it take for you to train to become a scientific glassblower, and how long have you been doing it?

A: My brother-in-law left the University of Toronto to start his own scientific, commercial and ornamental business in the mid-‘70s. I started working part-time in 1975 and then full time in 1977, after finishing high school. Basic training is five years. After that is another eight to 10 years to fully master scientific glassblowing.

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I’ve been a scientific glassblower for almost 50 years — 37 years at the University of Saskatchewan and the previous 13 years in private industry.

Q: Who have you created and repaired glass for?

A: In my early years working in Toronto there was a wide range of glassware fabricated, lots of one-offs. I’ve fabricated glass for an album cover (Max Webster — Mutiny up my Sleeve), ice cubes for magazine ads for liquor distillers (real ice cubes melt under the studio lights during the photo shoot), large mugs for beer commercials (factory mass-produced beer mugs have mould seams and too many imperfections the camera picks up).

Industry was the main source for glassware, mainly for product testing and quality control — pharmaceutical, chemical production plants, pulp and paper, tar and asphalt, wine, beer and liquor producers, industrial waxes and adhesives.

Q: What skills does it take to create the glass pieces you make?

A: Skills required to be a scientific glassblower are manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, ability to read and interpret rough sketches and complex drawings, excellent communication skills, knowledge of chemistry, physics, engineering, knowledge and ability of basic machining, drawing/drafting ability, knowledge and operation of vacuum systems.

Q: Can you walk me through the process?

A: As far as the process of fabricating a piece of glassware, first the professor or graduate student would meet in the scientific glassblowing facility with their sketches or drawings of what they want fabricated. During the consultation, we would go over general concepts and what they are trying to achieve.

Second, we would go over the physical workings of the apparatus, working temperatures, internal pressures or under vacuum. Next would be to go over dimensions and components — tubing sizes and wall thicknesses, ground joint sizes, stopcocks or vacuum valves, types of flanges. Once the design, dimensions and components have been finalized, materials would be gathered from stock and the fabrication begins.

Q: What are some projects that stand out?

A: During my time at the University of Saskatchewan, fabricating glass carriers for growing protein crystals, a crystallography research project that was done in space onboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery. Another research project was also for space; it involved fabricating quartz glass plates to be fitted and mounted into a detection instrument that was part of a research satellite named Odin to measure ozone levels in the atmosphere.

Q: What does it mean for U of S researchers to have access to the only scientific glassblower in Saskatchewan?

A: It’s huge. I would say 60 per cent is custom design, dedicated to a specific experiment or research project. Faculty and graduate students have the ability to meet one-on-one to consult and take their ideas from paper to a functioning apparatus. Being on-site, they can bring it back for modifications or a redesign if necessary. Same goes for repairs, standard or custom laboratory glassware.

Researchers now having to go out of province have challenges with communication, added time with design, having to ship back and forth, breakage during shipping. Even the smallest of mishaps could cost them weeks of downtime.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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