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Call Him Mr. Glass |
| By
Megan Mangano |
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Jun 13, 2003 |
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| Glassblower Steve Moder makes an icicle as Megan Mangano, UT News student writer, watches. |
Steve Moder’s job is clear. He produces glassware for several UT departments — chemistry, biology and others — the College of Pharmacy, and area businesses and schools, including Bowling Green State University, at a significantly lower cost than buying directly from a manufacturer.
“I save the University up to 300 percent on labor and manufacturing,” Moder said. “Why should they have to spend over $100 on a condenser when I can make the same one for $8 in about an hour?”
He has run the UT glass shop since 1996. Prior to coming to the University, he was the scientific glassblower at the University of Arizona. His adventures in glassblowing began after receiving a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. Moder then took a job as a lab technician at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where his job was to repair broken glassware, among other things.
“The first time I touched the glass in my training sessions I knew this was for me,” Moder said. “At that time, I gave up thoughts of completing a master’s degree in chemistry and began striving to complete an apprenticeship in scientific glassblowing. I have never looked back nor been sorry!”
On a typical day in the shop, Moder can create anywhere from four to 25 pieces, depending on the complexity of the request. “Sometimes a glass piece will take me the whole day to do while other pieces will take me only about 15 minutes,” Moder said. He not only makes the glassware from scratch, he also repairs pieces. “It’s easier to fix a crack than to make an entirely new apparatus, not to mention it’s also cheaper.” He added, “If I can make something, I will, but if I find a cheaper price in a catalog, then by all means I’ll tell them to buy from the manufacturer instead.”
Moder makes working with glass look easy. He uses a torch to heat, form and seal glassware and a tube to blow air into the piece to shape it. But it’s not just scientific pieces that he makes; he can make a dozen glass humming birds in an hour. Around the holiday season, Moder volunteers his time on a Saturday to hold an icicle-making class for those interested in trying their hand — and lungs — at glassblowing. Anyone who participates in this event will form a new appreciation for Moder’s work.
Later this month, Moder will be the chair of workshops and demonstrations at the American Scientific Glassblowers Society’s 48th annual symposium in Cleveland. “I will be presenting a paper on grant writing for glassblowers. The objective of the conference is for scientific glassblowers to get together and share new techniques and ideas,” Moder said. “It’s a really interesting conference because I not only meet glassblowers from throughout the United States, Canada and European countries, but we also share techniques and ideas on the fabrication of scientific glassware.”
When asked about his favorite part of the job, Moder replied, “I get to create things — I love fabrication. I also love talking with the research students. I really enjoy helping them design their pieces. There is a fine line between art and crafting, and every day I get to experience something new.”
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