David Grant - Master Blower


David began his apprenticeship as a blower with Waterford Crystal in 1979. After five years as an apprentice he became a fully qualified blower, and he earned the title of Master Blower in 1987.

David enjoys working on challenging designs like the Chalice, the Claret Decanter and also in particular a sculpted eagle. During his time at Waterford Crystal, David has met many famous people who include Sir. A.J.O’Reilly, Chairman of Heinz, Senator Ted Kennedy of the USA and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, T.D.

On his visits to the USA David says “people often tell me that their visit to the Waterford Crystal factory was one of the highlights of their visit to Ireland”, and that says David “makes me proud to be part of the team and talent of Waterford Crystal”.

David enjoys going to the beach with his family, he plays the Flute and Guitar and goes to the gym as often as possible.

 

   
   


“The initial stage of creating a Claret decanter involves taking a small amount of molten crystal on the blowing rod and forming it into a small ball shape. Then a second gather of molten crystal is taken and this is pre-shaped using wooden tools made of Beach and Pear wood.”

“After the piece is pre shaped it is then blown into a mould so that is fills out to the full shape of the mould; this stage of the blowing process is vital as the thickness of the crystal depends on the skill and the dexterity of the craftsman.“

  


“Next comes the handle, which is another amount of molten crystal that has been shaped into along cylindrical shape and attached to the side of the decanter.”

“As the handle cools, it is manually teased into the shape of an arch, until both sides of the handle have been firmly attached.”