TOLEDO — Lloyd Brian Gladson used to spend his days as an auto mechanic, but desired something a little more creative.
As luck would have it, Gladson had the opportunity 15 years ago to train as a glass blower for Mount St. Helens Volcanic Ash Glassworks, then in Centralia.
The ash glass business manufactures a variety of decorative glass items, each of which, the company says, contains bits of dust from the volcanic explosion.
Experimentation has revealed the unique properties of the silica-based ash when used in making hand-blown glass.
Gladson is now the head glass blower for the company, which has since relocated to downtown Toledo.
"Basically, I have a dream job," he said.
The Christmas ornaments, vases, lamps, paperweights and other items manufactured by the company are shipped all over the world. The company also has 1,500 accounts across the United States.
"I have been in small mom-and-pop shops on the other side of the country and have seen our vases or ornaments for sale," he said. "That's pretty cool when that happens."
The appeal of the glasswork products is widespread, and offers visitors and people who order these items from catalogs, a piece of a massive geological event that is a stark reminder of the power of Mother Nature.
"It's been almost 23 years since that mountain blew, and she's still intriguing people," he said.
Much of Gladson's day is spent producing the items available in the business' catalog and gallery, though there are times to be creative and design new products.
"One day, out of the blue, I decided to try making a scorpion because I'd never tried making one before," he said. "It actually turned out really well and we have it exhibited in the gallery."
Gladson has also made large glass cowboy hats, decorative colorful plates that can adorn walls, pumpkins, delicate apples and paperweights with intricate flowers inside.
"Yeah, that's right, a former auto mechanic is now spending time making pretty flowers," he chuckled.
A further example of the limitless creative nature of his job can be found in a growing segment of the business: urns for human remains.
"They are not something we do a lot of, but there is a rising interest," he said, adding that his father wants such an urn.
"Yeah, he wants it to be the color of his favorite red plaid shirt," Gladson laughed.
Another growing trend is the desire by some customers to have cremated remains become a part of a paperweight or other item.
"Yeah, dealing with human ashes is something I never thought I'd be doing in a career, but it is nice that people are inspired enough by our glass to want it to be involved in a permanent reminder of their life," he said, adding that he will probably design his own urn.
"The nice thing about making urns, though, is that they are pretty easy to do," he joked.
Gladson said hand-blowing glass is not as complicated as it might seem, though one must endure trial and error to perfect the technique.
"You also have to develop a rhythm of working with the rest of the crew. When we are in action, it kind of looks like a synchronized dance," he said. "You have to move fast, and you learn to move together as a team — especially when you are dealing with a hot oven and hot molten glass."
At times, this dance is interrupted by the rare but occasional broken vase or minor burn.
"We have a lot of orders to get out, so we just keep moving," he said.
There are about five glass blowers at Mount St. Helens Volcanic Ash Glassworks. During a typical day, they produce about 200 creations.
"Blowing glass is all about time, temperature and technique," Gladson said.
The process begins when glass is melted in an oven at a temperature of about 2,000 degrees and gathered on a blow pipe.
"You have to keep the blow pipe moving all the time," he said.
The process of each piece begins with the fascinating metamorphosis of glass and ash heated in the furnace. The molten glass is gathered on a blowpipe where the master craftsman manipulates the fluid mass with dexterity and skill into the desired shape. The rare skills necessary to form this mysterious substance involve a steady rhythm of movement, combined with control, balance, timing and sensitivity.
Depending on the item being created, the blob of hot melted glass is shaped by blowing it and gripping it with different tools.
The item can also be covered with newspaper so that it can be molded by hand.
"It's all very fast, like doing the tango with glass," Gladson said.
Regarding the delicate features of the work, such as the flowers inside the paperweights, Gladson said it is a matter of using small tools to "poke and pull" the inside of a glass bubble, creating a flower-shaped void in which hot colored glass is tucked.
"They look pretty complicated, but it is much simpler than it looks," he said.
"That is the fun part, though, having a vision of an object I want to create, and then having to figure out how to do it," he added. "After you've been doing this long enough, you can develop new techniques pretty quickly. It's still a challenge, but a fun challenge."
This uncommon product, linked to an amazing geological event, will long be a part of Toledo, as Gladson is not worried about running out of ash.
"So many people have ash stored in barrels in their garages," he said. "We will never run out of ash, at least not in my lifetime."
Which is good, especially because Gladson can't imagine any other way he would rather spend his days.
"It's a heck of a lot more fun for me than when I was an auto mechanic," he said. "That just wasn't my cup of tea. I couldn't imagine doing that for the rest of my life.
"But, I can blow glass forever."
Amy Emerson covers energy, business and economic issues for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at aemerson@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8231.
