pontil

Noun. (glassblowing) A punty; a metal rod used in the glassblowing process. After a glass vessel has been blown to approximate size and the bottom of the piece has been finalized, the rod, which is tipped with a wad of hot glass, is attached to the bottom of the vessel to hold it while the top is finalized. It often leaves an irregular or ring-shaped scar on the base when removed called the "pontil mark".

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.