pontil
9.9
A metal rod that holds and shapes hot glass while it is made
- noun
- /ˈpɒntɪl/
- Specialized
:
puntero
- The pontil left a small scar on the base of the glass object, marking where it was held during production.
Examples
-
On the bottom of the bottle was a scar not unlike an umbilicus, where an iron pontil rod had held the hot, freshly blown bottle while its neck was being shaped.
Fiction book (1990) -
The glassblower expertly used a metal rod called a pontil to shape the molten glass into a beautiful vase.
-
As the glass cooled, the artisan carefully removed it from the pontil, revealing the intricate design beneath.
Synonyms
rod
vspontil
229
2.1
A long thin stick of metal or wood used for a specific purpose
is specific to glassblowing and used to hold or transfer hot glass
1
9.9
A metal rod glassmakers use to hold hot glass while shaping it
focuses more on moving or transferring hot glass rather than mainly supporting it
Surface Forms
Etymology
Pontil comes from an old word for 'bridge', like Italian ponte, because the metal rod acts like a small bridge that holds hot glass while the artist shapes it. That's why a pontil is the rod used to hold or move the glass.