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Anyone who has ever worked in a lab knows that a lot of scientific equipment is made of glass 鈥� the penny usually drops when the first test tube hits the floor. When expensive lab equipment breaks, the stakes are higher. That鈥檚 where scientific glass-blowers come in. , the scientific glass-blower at Imperial College London, is on hand to save experiments by repairing equipment as well as designing and creating custom-made tools.

But Steve isn鈥檛 confined to the lab. His long and varied career in glass-blowing has led him to the vaults of the Natural History Museum, a film studio next door to Phil Collins shooting a music video and the Tate Britain, one of London鈥檚 premier art galleries.

Steve鈥檚 workshop is tucked away on the top floor of Imperial鈥檚 chemistry building. Here, he uses a 鈥渓amp鈥� 鈥� a device that looks like a Bunsen burner but reaches higher temperatures 鈥� to melt and mould glass.

Before he joined Imperial, students had to wait up to eight weeks for equipment to be fixed by an external company. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a student doing a master鈥檚, for example, six weeks lost is no good to them,鈥� says Steve. 鈥淚 can repair it and get it back the next day.鈥�

Art of glass

But Steve also gets to flex his creative muscles. Often, scientists come to him for unique designs, such as twisting glass tubes or unusually shaped beakers. As a festive treat, Steve whipped us up a bauble to hang on New 女生小视频鈥榮 Christmas tree (see video).

Although he has specialised in scientific glass-blowing, Steve鈥檚 career has been peppered with artistic projects. 鈥淚 worked with one artist called , who was building a glass ladder through the ceiling,鈥� Steve recalls. 鈥淗e was dying of AIDs 鈥� he was building his own stairway to heaven.鈥� The work was eventually installed at the Tate Britain.

Steve worked with a host of other artists during a teaching stint at London鈥檚 Royal College of Art. Another memorable collaborator was Annie Cattrell, who created an intricate glass representation of a set of human lungs. 鈥淪he did the [alveoli] in the lungs and I did the parts in the middle,鈥� says Steve.

Disco next door

While at the Royal College of Art, Steve received an unusual request. An American film company wanted him to play the part of a glass-blower in a documentary about Philo Farnsworth 鈥� the man credited with inventing the first electronic television set in the 1920s. 鈥淭he film crew went to all these antique shops to buy furniture, and I found an old brown lab coat,鈥� says Steve. 鈥淭he highlight for me was when I stuck my head through the door to the next studio, and saw Phil Collins making a disco music video 鈥� all these people were dressed up like they were going clubbing at 11 o鈥檆lock in the morning.鈥�

The Natural History Museum is one of many organisations to have taken note of Steve鈥檚 work. Recently, he was invited to the museum鈥檚 vaults for a special viewing of the beautiful and incredibly delicate 鈥� intricate glass sea creatures created by a father and son duo in the 1860s.

Getting into glass

鈥淚 left school with dreams of being an engineer, and ended up working as an engineer in a glass factory,鈥� Steve recalls. But it was the glass itself that blew him away. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a unique product,鈥� he says. When he spotted a job advert for an apprentice glass-blower at a chemical company, he went for it.

His role included designing and creating glass lab equipment for specific experiments. That was after a lengthy training process, however. 鈥淚t took ten years to become a senior glass-blower,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou spend five years learning the basic skills and then five years focusing on design.鈥�

Trained scientific glass-blowers aren鈥檛 confined to labs. In a role at GlaxoSmithKline, Steve commissioned glasswork from external companies and monitored quality. 鈥淏ut that wasn鈥檛 as satisfying as making the things,鈥� he says.

Employers continue to offer on-the-job training as part of apprenticeships. There is also a range of training courses on offer, including diplomas and university degrees. There are more opportunities elsewhere in Europe, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have dedicated glass-blowing schools.

Throughout the twists and turns of Steve鈥檚 career, it is the glass-blowing itself that is his greatest pleasure. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost therapeutic,鈥� he says.