Sugar Blowing

In addition to the tools needed for sugar pulling, you will need a cooling fan (a hair dryer with a cool air setting placed on a stand can be used), a small brush, and a one-way, hand-operated air pump with a plastic or wooden nozzle (see “About Air Pumps”). If you do not have an air pump, you can blow the sugar by mouth in much the same way that glassblowers produce their magic, using blowpipes with various openings. Sugar blowing was done this way before the hand pump was developed some sixty years ago. Because sugar takes longer to cool than glass and the blowpipes do not have a one-way valve to prevent air from escaping, the hand pump is much easier to use. Cooling time becomes a real issue when you blow larger pieces; using a more powerful fan can help.