{"id":46003,"date":"2017-07-26T16:35:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T20:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=46003"},"modified":"2017-07-26T16:35:31","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T20:35:31","slug":"brocks-unsung-master-of-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/07\/brocks-unsung-master-of-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock&#8217;s unsung Master of Glass"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"page-intro dropcap\">When John VanDenhoff retired as Brock\u2019s longtime glassblower in 2006, he passed the torch \u2014 both literally and figuratively \u2014 to his son, Jordan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meticulous art form, and the importance it plays on the University\u2019s campus, is a generational legacy for the VanDenhoff men, with the impressive trade handed down from father to son.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The craftsmanship can be seen in the straight lines and delicate curves of the glassware found in laboratories all across campus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The VanDenhoff family has deep roots in the glassblowing tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John\u2019s brother, Jack, was initially offered the glassblowing job at Brock in 1966 \u2014 though he recommended John take the position instead. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.legacy.com\/obituaries\/ottawacitizen\/obituary.aspx?pid=175918359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jack ended up working as a glassblower for the National Research Council<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NRC) for 35 years \u2014 a job his son Michael eventually took over.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John was with the University for 40 years and began grooming Jordan at an early age in hopes of someday handing over the family trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI started coming into Dad\u2019s shop when I was seven years old,\u201d the younger VanDenhoff recalls. \u201cI watched him closely and I helped him out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UPt6_Bsal24\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After finishing high school, Jordan initially decided to follow a different path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, after a year of computer science studies, he returned to his true passion and began apprenticing with his father in 2000.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Brock\u2019s glassblower, VanDenhoff fulfils orders from faculty and students for a wide range of glassware such as beakers, test tubes, pipettes and flasks used in scientific experiments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although VanDenhoff has kept the notes, drawings and blueprints of objects he and his father have created throughout the years, he\u2019s \u201calways making something new, custom made, according to the specifications of researchers, which sometimes can be complicated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much of his work also involves recycling existing glassware, evident by the long counters overflowing with a kaleidoscope of glass containers of all shapes and sizes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s more cost-effective for us at the University to repair stuff instead of buying stuff new; a lot of it is salvageable,\u201d VanDenhoff explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A typical day begins by firing up the oven. While waiting for the temperature to climb, VanDenhoff checks his list of orders, prioritizing those that are needed sooner than others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of VanDenhoff\u2019s creations start from glass tubes that are shipped to him by a supplier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He attaches a tube onto a machine called a \u201clathe,\u201d which spins the tube glass around. A torch shoots out a white-hot flame that VanDenhoff can move from side to side by turning a wheel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The flame melts the glass. VanDenhoff sometimes sits at his bench, using a flame from a \u201cbench burner\u201d machine that resembles a blow torch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ll expand or contract the tube to the shape that we need,\u201d he explains. \u201cI also use gravity to pull the glass down. Then I\u2019ll blow into a tube, which expands the glass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As he puffs into the tube, VanDenhoff uses pliers, tweezers and other tools to shape the glass according to the blueprints.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once he shapes the glass the way he wants, VanDenhoff places objects into the hot oven to \u201cbake\u201d them into solid glassware.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA good day is when the glass doesn\u2019t break,\u201d he chuckles, adding that, in his industry, timing is everything and can be quickly derailed by interruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGlass doesn\u2019t like to be heated, cooled down, heated, cooled down. If that happens, the glass is stressed and starts to crack. You may lose the piece you\u2019re working on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou have to do things quickly,\u201d he continues. \u201cThe longer you\u2019re building something, the uglier it\u2019s going to look. You have to go fast to make it look good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VanDenhoff says his work is challenging, but rewarding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSome people come to me with intricate designs. I feel good when I can make it and when the glass doesn\u2019t break.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chemistry researcher Mukund Ghavre concurs, saying that VanDenhoff and his workshop are a \u201cgreat help\u201d for researchers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJordan offers his suggestions to make the glassware befitting to my needs,\u201d says the postdoctoral researcher. \u201cLikewise, he also mentions the limitations in making a certain piece of glassware. Thus, his expertise always helps us in getting glassware as per our requirements.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ghavre says he and his colleagues appreciate repairs being done in a few days or even hours, much faster than if the glassware was shipped out for fixing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe most important part of having Jordan in the University is that the glassware can be obtained at a much cheaper price,\u201d notes Ghavre. \u201cThere can be a five- to 10-time rise in the price of glassware should we decide to buy it from commercial sources.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To keep on top of his game, VanDenhoff attends a week-long seminar hosted by the American Glassblowing Society once a year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBut it was mostly training from my father that got me here,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t    <style type='text\/css'>\n\t        #gallery-351974321 {\n\t            margin: 0 auto 50px auto !important;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-351974321 ul {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: 0 !important; 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clear: both; margin: 0;'>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When John VanDenhoff retired as Brock\u2019s longtime glassblower in 2006, he passed the torch \u2014 both literally and figuratively \u2014 to his son, Jordan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":46005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,3319,4052,3,41,1,4,5],"tags":[5617,5616,5615,5618,3325],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}