Two hands guide a tube of glass gently through a large blue and yellow flame. As the glass heats up, it is turned and twirled to create a globe. Atop three more globes, a hat is created. Black colored glass is delicately crafted into eyes and buttons. The end result is a glass snowman, created by Daniel Edwards, a glassblower in the department of chemistry and biochemistry.

Edwards gave his annual demonstration Tuesday night in Faraday Hall. The 57-year-old has been glassblowing for 33 years and creates icicles, trees, snowmen, hummingbirds and anything else he thinks of. He gives the artistic glassblowing demonstration to aid the NIU Chemistry Club, but his main focus is scientific glassblowing.

“A lot of people prefer the artistic form of this field, but to make a living I enjoy making scientific apparatuses,” said Edwards, who creates materials such as glass tools for the chemistry department. “I feel it’s more rewarding.”

Natural gas was used in Tuesday’s demonstration, but Edwards says he usually uses compressed gas because it creates more pressure. The flame provides a temperature of about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The glass starts out as a solid, then turns into a pliable liquid,” he said. The glass is controlled by three factors: heat, movement and breath.

Edwards first created a miniature oak tree by heating tubes of glass and then a snowman, which required actual glass blowing. Edwards softly blew into the end of the glass tubing while turning it, creating a globe-like shape for the snowman’s body.

Many different types of colored glass were used to accent such parts as the snowman’s buttons or the hummingbird’s wings.

“Colored glass is about five times more expensive,” Edwards said.

It takes hours for the glass figurines to cool down. Once cooled, the glass is baked in an enameling oven at 1,065 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most students enjoyed watching Edwards create different glass figures.

“I thought it was really interesting,” freshman communication major Caishline O’Neil said. “I had no idea what it was going to be about. I learned a lot.”

Many students learned about the event from David Ballantine, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

“I heard about it from Dr. Ballantine’s lecture,” junior biology major Brian Lotz said. “I came because I thought it’d be neat, but it was more interesting than I thought it would be.”

“It’s amazing what you can do with glass,” junior chemistry major Jeff Groff said.

Some students had seen glassblowing events before, but were still impressed with Edwards’ demonstration.

“I saw this stuff in Germany; it was cool seeing someone in our community do it,” said Erin Anderson, a freshman physical therapy major.

Edwards’ works were up for sale before and after the presentation. Items leftover from Tuesday’s demonstration will be on sale from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today or until all items are sold, in Faraday Hall West’s main lobby. Proceeds from the sale benefit the chemistry club.