A Handbook of Laboratory Glass-Blowing

This 1921 manual captures a vanished craft at the height of its importance to scientific discovery. Before plastic and mass-produced glassware, every laboratory depended on skilled glass-blowers who could fabricate custom apparatus from raw tubing - sealed joints, intricate internal seals, specialized containers for experiments that no catalogue could supply. Bernard D. Bolas writes for the serious student or working scientist who needs not just step-by-step instructions but genuine understanding of why techniques work. The book addresses a specific frustration: capable researchers failing at glass-blowing not from lack of talent but from misunderstanding fundamental principles. Bolas emphasizes adaptation over rote memorization, teaching readers to grasp the underlying physics of heated glass so they can solve novel problems. The text ranges from basic tube sealing to sophisticated apparatus construction, each section grounded in the reasoning behind the procedure. As a historical document, it offers a window into early 20th-century laboratory culture where动手能力 (manual skill) was as essential as theoretical knowledge. For collectors of scientific ephemera, historians of chemistry, or anyone curious about the craft traditions that enabled generations of experimentation.