About
Ennion Glass Tools (while technically a new entity in 2024) has been in the works for over 30 years. I began blowing glass in 1989 and very quickly found myself fascinated by the tools we all use to blow glass. Specifically, I found it interesting that so many different jacks behaved differently. Curious about this, I reached out to Ivan Smith who made my favorite pair of jacks to see if he could answer my questions.
I had some wonderful phone calls with Ivan Smith in England about how he made his tools and he was incredibly open and sharing with me about what steel he used and his theories about what made a good pair of tools. He told me very few people took the time to offer him feedback on his tools and he even encouraged me to try making some. I never forgot those conversations from over 20 years ago and all of that information is finally being put to good use today. It wasn’t until I went to Jim Moore to ask him to make me a pair of bronze jacks that I decided to start making these tools. He made me a few beautiful pairs and he suggested that I should be making them. Under his guidance and mentorship I learned how to bend sheet metal, shape blades, braze with brass and most importantly, he taught me how to finish the steel to make it look incredibly beautiful. Ivan and Jim both recognized that I should be making tools well before I did and I am incredibly thankful to them for their encouragement.
When I designed my jacks I gathered up all of my tools and made notes of what I personally felt were their strong points and weaknesses and reverse engineered them to create what I truly believe are some of the nicest jacks I have ever used. The designing began with the handles, which are are a cross between Dino Tedeschi and Ivan Smith’s. When you squeeze down hard on the glass, the handles should not flex. Mine do not. When you hold the jacks in your hand and go to open a piece of glass, the jacks should want to lock into the grip of your hand and not want to slide in your hand. Mine are easy to hold. The spring tension of the handles are slightly firmer than some other tool makers jacks, and I chose that feature because if you have to squeeze just a little harder to close the blades, your hand is able to control the jacks much easier than a pair of loose sprung jacks. My steel blades are made from the same steel that Ivan used to use. His jack steel is in my opinion the best performing steel out of any jacks I have ever used. The shape of the blade is also equally important and I take great care in shaping my blades so that they do what you want them to do when used correctly.
“Ennion Glass Tools” is named after a 1st Century Roman glassmaker named Ennion. We know who he was because he would carve his name and logo into his molds. While I do not know for certain, I can only assume he was using bronze glassblowing tools of some unknown design. When I first started making my bronze jacks, I thought about Ennion and what his tools might have looked like and decided to name my tools after him.
- Eben Horton
I had some wonderful phone calls with Ivan Smith in England about how he made his tools and he was incredibly open and sharing with me about what steel he used and his theories about what made a good pair of tools. He told me very few people took the time to offer him feedback on his tools and he even encouraged me to try making some. I never forgot those conversations from over 20 years ago and all of that information is finally being put to good use today. It wasn’t until I went to Jim Moore to ask him to make me a pair of bronze jacks that I decided to start making these tools. He made me a few beautiful pairs and he suggested that I should be making them. Under his guidance and mentorship I learned how to bend sheet metal, shape blades, braze with brass and most importantly, he taught me how to finish the steel to make it look incredibly beautiful. Ivan and Jim both recognized that I should be making tools well before I did and I am incredibly thankful to them for their encouragement.
When I designed my jacks I gathered up all of my tools and made notes of what I personally felt were their strong points and weaknesses and reverse engineered them to create what I truly believe are some of the nicest jacks I have ever used. The designing began with the handles, which are are a cross between Dino Tedeschi and Ivan Smith’s. When you squeeze down hard on the glass, the handles should not flex. Mine do not. When you hold the jacks in your hand and go to open a piece of glass, the jacks should want to lock into the grip of your hand and not want to slide in your hand. Mine are easy to hold. The spring tension of the handles are slightly firmer than some other tool makers jacks, and I chose that feature because if you have to squeeze just a little harder to close the blades, your hand is able to control the jacks much easier than a pair of loose sprung jacks. My steel blades are made from the same steel that Ivan used to use. His jack steel is in my opinion the best performing steel out of any jacks I have ever used. The shape of the blade is also equally important and I take great care in shaping my blades so that they do what you want them to do when used correctly.
“Ennion Glass Tools” is named after a 1st Century Roman glassmaker named Ennion. We know who he was because he would carve his name and logo into his molds. While I do not know for certain, I can only assume he was using bronze glassblowing tools of some unknown design. When I first started making my bronze jacks, I thought about Ennion and what his tools might have looked like and decided to name my tools after him.
- Eben Horton