What Christmas tree toys are made of. How glass toys are made. Coloring and painting
The Village visited the Nizhny Novgorod factory of glass Christmas tree decorations "Ariel" and learned how elegant New Year's figures are born.
Photo
Ilya Bolshakov
It's hard to imagine, but from 1927 to 1935 in the Soviet Union, neither New Year nor Christmas was celebrated - they were seen as an ideological threat. But then the tradition came to life and began to develop with renewed vigor, albeit with a smack of propaganda. The Ariel factory, founded in 1996, is one of only two year-round production facilities in the country. She is also the legal successor of the glass-blowing art workshop of the Gorky artel "Children's Toy", opened in 1936. After the holiday was returned to the people, standards for the manufacture of toys began to appear, and teaching aids for teachers, how to properly decorate a Christmas tree with children, because each era has its own symbolism, designed to strengthen the spirit of citizens, faith in leaders and further down the list. If you recall the retro-figures, it is easy to guess during whose reign, for example, corn and onions were hung on the Christmas trees. All forms were developed and approved centrally, and sent to production ready samples... Today, everything is dictated mainly by fashion, and factories themselves decide what and how they will do.
Idea development
Creativity at this stage can relate to both the shape of the toy and the pattern on it. A specially created creative team of artists develops several options for a new decoration, inspired and fashion trends, and traditional symbols of the year, and retro motives. Further, the chief artist approves those samples that will go into production. If this is a ball with a new pattern, then the approved version becomes the standard from which the masters will copy everything. If there is a new figurine, then a ceramic mold is sent to the glassblowers for making.
Working with glass
As a raw material, the factory buys glass tubes - hollow tubes one and a half meters high. All that is needed to transform this drot into beautiful figures is a gas burner with a temperature of 650 degrees and the skill of a glass blower. The flame quickly heats up the tube, the glass becomes plastic, which allows you to separate a small piece from it for further work - "pull out the bullet". You can make any toy out of it, but first you need to heat up its main part again.
When the master realizes that the glass has melted enough (and this can be understood solely through experience and intuition, because it is impossible to touch it with your hands or measure the temperature), he removes the bullet from the fire and begins to blow air into it through one of the "mustaches" - long ends of the workpiece. The air from the inside pushes the walls and, constantly turning the bullet in his hands, the glassblower blows out the ball, and then heats up the mustache, twists and tears it off. All hand-made balls are not perfectly straight, but it is almost impossible to notice.
If you need to make a figurine from a blank, for example, a snowman, it is also heated, but placed in a ceramic mold before blowing. Air is then also blown through the mustache, but the glass expands exactly as long as the walls of the mold allow.
Cap
After blowing, the toys are sent to the paint shop, where they are given a color: pink gloss, matte chocolate. For the remaining mustache, they are dipped into a barrel of varnish and placed on a stand until dry. Then this mustache is cut off and a cap is put on, the same one into which a thread is threaded to hang the toy on the Christmas tree. For some toys, these stages become final, they are packaged and sent to customers.
Painting
This is the longest and most laborious process, because the artist draws a picture on literally every blank. But this is what makes the factory so remarkable and the toys so popular. Over the years, it has developed its own recognizable painting school, detailed and realistic. And orders come not only from other regions, but also from Europe and the USA. For comparison: there are only four glassblowers on the staff, and sixty artists.
On the table, each of them has a counter where toys, acrylic paints, brushes and water, a palette, napkins and the sample itself are hung. Since the painting takes place step by step, in the work of one master there are several products at the same time, and it is difficult to calculate how many times a day each of them is taken in hand and hung back. First, underpainting is applied - the main color spots, then the details, from large to small. If you need to draw a house, then first the first wall is drawn on all balls, followed by the second. This helps to save paints and time for the master.
Since the main audience is still children, four thematic workshops for self-painting were created for them: confectionery, marine, space and fantasy. Each child brings home from the excursion a toy decorated with his own drawing, albeit far from perfect, but no less valuable. Next to the workshops, there is a museum with many works produced in the entire history of the existence of a glass Christmas tree decoration, and photo zones, conventionally divided into eras and styles. Here you can see both the traditional retro car with toys on clothespins, pioneers and corn, and very conceptual metal pyramid frames, decorated with black glossy balls. But what is most surprising of all, this working atmosphere with a year-round holiday among the factory workers does not discourage the desire to decorate the Christmas trees at home. The only thing that has changed since their arrival here is that the approach to the choice of jewelry has become more conscious and thoughtful.
Christmas decorations are presented at modern market extremely wide assortment, most of them are created by stamping from plastic, products are supplied from different countries, mainly from China. However, there are traditional technologies for the production of Christmas decorations - moreover, they are actively practiced, allowing you to create individual handmade items.
Factories are open all year round, creating unique festive glass products. But how does the work in such industries take place, how do people manage to create such beauty?
What are Christmas tree toys made of?
Most industries willingly accept tourists, offer excursions, so it is not difficult to learn the secrets of production. For the manufacture of traditional toys for the Christmas tree glass is used, special blanks are supplied to factories, from which both balls and products of more complex shapes are blown out. Also, paints, various glitters, additional materials for decoration are used in huge quantities. The manual labor of specialists, glass blowers and artists is also an important component of successful production. Almost only women work in such industries - it is believed that men simply do not have the patience to manually process each ball.
Christmas decorations - production process
The first step in creating any Christmas tree toy is to develop an artistic sketch. Images on balloons, the shape of toys and other objects can be invented by the artist at his own discretion, and an order for a batch of products with certain images can come from outside. Christmas tree toys are sometimes ordered in bulk - various enterprises, individuals, because they can even be business gifts.
For almost a year now I have been working in a glass workshop, it is also in an online store selling glass and related products... After the shift, you can stay and do something for the soul. My colleagues mainly make beads and beads with all sorts of specks, dots, flowers, stripes.
And I am somehow neutral about jewelry, but I love making small animals. My favorite animals are turtles. I started making them six months ago and automated the process to the utmost. Today I'm going to talk about how that little pop-eyed one with a red shell was made.
First you need to organize your workspace and choose from the entire set of glass exactly the one you want to work with. You need to work with tinted safety glasses, so it is better to choose the colors in advance. Red is needed for the carapace, yellow and orange for a simple pattern, blue on the left for the legs and head, and white, black and blue on the right for the peephole. 
In the picture on the left, a mandrel is on a stand on the edge. This is a steel rod with a spacer applied to it. Molten glass is applied to the mandrel, and the separator prevents the glass from sticking tightly to the metal. After the work is finished and the glass has cooled down, this separator can simply be scrubbed off with a diamond file.
Here is a mandrel, here is a burner (a mixture of oxygen and propane), here is a mandrel on a burner fire. All work is carried out under the hood, since we have eight workplaces in our workshop and without the hood it would be very hot and stuffy. And it is also required by safety precautions. 
Now I need to melt the glass. Usually they work with two hands. In one hand there is a mandrel, in the other hand there are glass sticks (for left-handers, respectively, the opposite is true). When I want to take a picture of the glass, I take the mandrel out of the flame for a short while, it will not die from this, it will just need to be reheated later.
Different types of glass behave differently when heated. The red glass turns black. The yellow glass turns red. The white glass becomes transparent. And if the glass is heated further until it melts, then it glows with such a bright yellow light, as well, I don’t know how, look for the comparisons yourself, here you can see in the third picture: 
That drop should be smeared on the mandrel. Melt the tip of the glass rod again. Spread again, melt again. How exactly the smearing process takes place and how to separate the drop from the stick - I'll show you some other time, when the third hand grows up, which will take pictures. When there is a lot of glass on the mandrel, it melts around the tip of the mandrel and you get such a half-bead. You need to get it out of the fire and make sure that the liquid glass is not glass. And if it is glass? Well, glass is so glass, this is glass. 
The black hot red carapace is ready, I'm going to decorate it so that it has concentric circles of yellow and orange on it. I apply four large red drops of yellow glass and fuse them into the shell. By the way, there is a yellow stick with a red tip on the stand. Don't touch it, it's hot. Very hot. 
The circles are made like this: the drops are fused into the object. The drop (in the limit) is round; accordingly, the shape of the fused drop tends to a circle. Concentric circles are several drops fused into each other. The second drop applied to the first is orange. And then the third drop, applied to the second, is yellow: 
Well, how is it? And here it is: 
Now the legs, tail, head. Is this the head? This will just be the head. Glasses need to be taken with a margin. 
If not enough, then add more. It remains to tidy up the shape of the head and neck: 
Then the eyes. First the proteins, then the iris, then the pupil. First white drops, then blue, then black. Each time, bring it into the fire and melt a little. The eyes are never the same. And they are very rarely not slanted. The size of the eye relative to the body determines the age of the turtle - the more pop-eyed it is, the younger. It’s very funny, but it’s true. I have turtles with very small eyes, they all look very adult. 
Almost everything. Now it needs to be thoroughly heated and placed in vermiculite. It is such an insulating material that does not allow the glass to cool down quickly. The glass should cool evenly, that is, the top layer and small external parts should not cool faster than the insides, otherwise the glass will burst. The turtle will cool down there for a few hours, and I can take it home the next day. 
This is how it turned out. 
By the way, what glitters on her paw, I don't know. I am still just a beginner in this business and do not understand very subtle subtleties. It is possible that there was some special impurity in the glass, and this effect was obtained. I would be a good detective. I usually focus on color, not composition. This turtle has a navel on its belly, where you can insert a magnet (if it fits, I always confuse the diameters of magnets and mandrels) and then it will be a fridge magnet. It can withstand the weight of several sheets, that is, it does not hold on to snot, the turtle is not very heavy. I give away such magnets to all my friends, and at home I decorate flower pots with animals.
Klavdievskaya factory is one of the leading factories in the former USSR, which were engaged in the production of New Year's decorations (besides her, the most famous is the Yolochka factory in the city of Vysokovsk, Moscow region). The factory was established in 1949 in the village of Klavdievo near Kiev and was initially engaged in the production of various products from laboratory glass. In the 50s, it was redesigned and since then the factory has been producing New Year's decorations. For the most part, these are Christmas balls, but the factory is not limited to them and can produce glass decorations of a fairly large complexity. In the Soviet Union, the factory took 1st place both in terms of production and area (then the factory included two more enterprises in Kiev - in Svyatoshyn and in Podil). The daily productivity of all enterprises reached the volume of a covered freight car. Now there is only one enterprise left in the village of Klavdievo (recently it partially moved to the village of Lubyanka), which operates at 25% of the "union" capacity. In the old days, the factory employed about 600 people, now only a tenth remain. Almost all jewelry (about 96%) is now exported (Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, Great Britain, USA, etc.) and only 4% remain in Ukraine. 
Let's see what the factory looks like and the process of making Christmas tree decorations. Externally (and inside) the factory gives the impression of abandonment. Indeed, after the collapse of the USSR, in 5 years everything that was taken out from the factory was taken out, and when a new owner finally appeared, it took more than one year to restore the working capacity to at least a minimum level. One of the workshops: 
The first stage in the production of jewelry is blowing a ball or other decoration from a glass tube approximately 1.5 m high. For different decorations, a glass tube of its own diameter and with its own wall thickness is used. The head of the board of the factory demonstrates such a pipe to us: 
Mechanized blowing is not held in high esteem by customers: when the ball is cast, a seam from the mold remains, therefore the entire production process is manual. To begin with, the tube is heated over a gas burner, the temperature of which reaches 1,500 degrees, and pulled into long thin tubes at intervals from an untouched tube of the original diameter: 
Blanks for future decorations are obtained; where the original diameter of the tube was left, and balls will be obtained: 
Next, the untouched gap is heated and a ball or other decoration is blown out: 
The subtlety of this work lies in the fact that the glassblower must draw into his lungs exactly as much air as is needed to create a ball of the required diameter: 
In this case, the ball must be constantly rotated around its axis, otherwise the uncooled glass will simply sag: 
Despite the complexity of the process, glass blowers easily blow the balls, keeping within a tolerance of 0.2 mm. In our presence, balloons with a diameter of 80 mm were blown: 
Nevertheless, after each blowing of the ball, it is checked on a special template: 
The master can blow up to 200 balls per shift. And this is how the top for the Christmas tree, familiar to many, is born: 
The second stage is silvering. It is carried out with the help of such a simple installation: containers with reagents and a bath with hot water 
Silver oxide, ammonia and distilled water are injected into the jewelry in a certain proportion. 
A Christmas tree toy with this mixture is placed in hot water, a reaction occurs and the silver evaporates, fixing on the inner walls. The decoration is shaken several times so that the silver spreads evenly along the walls. Then the remaining water is poured out: 
The third stage is painting. 
Silver-plated balls are wiped with a cloth and dipped in paint. At the same time, its consistency is very important: if the paint is too thick, drips will remain on the ball, if it is too liquid - gaps: 
The painted balls are sent to the oven - here they dry under the lamps. The rheostat regulates the voltage supplied to the lamps, and, accordingly, the temperature: 
The fourth stage is decoration. If it is not required, the ball can bypass this stage and go straight to trimming. When decorating, the artist applies the necessary drawing to the toy: 
Tiger drawing process: 
To apply a glitter pattern to a ball, it is first applied with glue, and then sprinkled with glitter on the ball: 
Ready-made tigers next to the still-unfinished brothers: 
Artists can apply a drawing for every taste: 
Each artist can paint 50 to 100 balloons per day. 
The fifth step is trimming the tip left over from the glass blowers. It is done with a diamond wheel: 
Bzdyn! The tip flies to the side: 
It remains only to put on the familiar caps with a loop: 
... and pack the toys: 
Finally, a few examples of the New Year's variety that the factory produces: 
By the way, when you visit the factory, you can immediately buy toys "at manufacturer's prices" and make an individual drawing. 
Up to such decorations 
Making a glass Christmas tree decoration is a delicate matter. The factory production of glass Christmas tree decorations in Russia began in 1848, when Prince Menshikov opened a glass factory on his Aleksandrovo estate (now located in the city of Vysokovsk, Klin district). Initially, it was used to produce dishes, pharmaceutical bottles, lamps. When a fashion came from Europe to Russia to decorate a Christmas tree with toys, the plant began to produce glass beads.
5 curious facts about the Russian Christmas tree decoration
Traditional Russian Christmas tree decoration - long glass beads (garlands)
Many people mistakenly believe that the traditional Christmas tree decoration in Russia is a ball. But the history of glass Christmas tree decorations in Russia begins with beads.
The peasants, having mastered the craft at the Menshikov factory, often made homemade buttons, earrings and beads at home. Such things were called "trivial".
Previously, Christmas decorations were made at home on a kerosene burner.
In the city archives of Klin, a document was found stating that in 1887 the master Yakov Ivanovich Vekshin, working on glass factory Prince Menshikov, learned the art of blowing beads. Then he left the factory and started his own business.
Handicraft production was usually organized in huts. To do this, each master kept in the house a mug-burner with a diameter of 15 cm. Inside such a mug they stuffed tow, making a wick out of it. Kerosene was poured down. Then they set fire to the tow. The fire was fanned with large furs.
Craftsmen had to buy glass tubes for home production from factories. The glass from which the handicraftsmen used to blow jewelry was made of quartz sand. The melting point of such a tube was about 1710 ° C. Using a homemade kerosene burner it was impossible to achieve high temperatures. Therefore, the craftsmen did not get graceful toys and beads.
The first beads looked like stones
Christmas garlands that are made on modern enterprise, weigh almost nothing. The glass is so thin that it can crack if you squeeze the Christmas tree beads in your fist.
In the old days, beads were heavy, with thick walls and uneven edges, which was due to the refractoriness of glass at home. The garlands were more like stones. And they thundered like pebbles thrown to the ground.
Therefore, the craft for the manufacture of beads was called pebble. It was almost impossible to break or scrape such products.
There is no educational institution in Russia where they teach to be glass-blowing masters.
Most of the craftsmen who work at the factory are hereditary glass blowers. They gained experience and skills from their fathers and mothers. This tradition originated in the 19th century and has survived to this day.
All those wishing to learn to be glassblowers must undergo training at the factory. The internship lasts six months, after which the new master starts making toys.
The largest toy, which is blown by a master at the Yolochka factory, reaches 11.5 cm in diameter, the smallest - 3 cm
The toys are made in such a size that they look good on Christmas trees in a typical apartment. Too large balls are inconvenient to hang on a Christmas tree, so the plant does not release them.
How a Christmas tree toy is made today
Today, the plant produces on average up to a million toys a year, which are sold in Russia and neighboring countries. "Yolochka" refers to folk craft enterprises, since many technologies of traditional handicraft of the 19th century are still preserved here.
The process of making a modern Christmas tree decoration can be divided into 5 main stages:
Blowing
The toys are blown out of long glass tubes. The master holds the pipe by its "antennae", heats it up, constantly rotating it over the fire of the gas burner. This is necessary to ensure that the glass is heated evenly. The temperature on the tongues of flame reaches 1000 ° C. After the material becomes plastic (this is determined by eye), the master begins to blow into the tube. Depending on the strength of breathing, balls or other free-blowing toys (mushrooms, nesting dolls, snowmen, tops) are obtained.
Shaped toys (huts, chanterelles, bunnies and others) are more difficult to make. The master also warms up the tube, and then, having waited for the right moment, puts plastic glass in a metal mold, tightly closes it and blows into the free end of the tube. The glass is evenly distributed over the metal and takes the desired shape. This must be done very quickly, since the glass cools down almost instantly.
The production is in complete darkness, the masters work with headphones, as there is a constant noise from the gas burners. All manipulations with glass are performed only with the help of fire and human breath.
The most difficult to manufacture are assembly toys (samovar, kettle). In them, you need to solder one glass piece to another with the help of fire.
Metallization
At the next stage of production, toys are given a mirror shine. This process is called plating. The workpieces are put on a metal frame, and foil is hung on top of it. Then all this is sent to a huge vacuum installation, similar to a barrel. Air is evacuated from the installation, after which a current is passed through a thin tungsten wire. From this, the foil begins to melt, falls on a special evaporator and quickly turns into an aluminum fog. In just 20 seconds, the fog settles on the cold glass and evenly covers it with a film of aluminum. More than 3 thousand toys are metallized on one installation per day.
Mirrors are made in a similar way.
Dyeing
The next step is staining. The toy is dipped in paint or sprayed with paint through a special device.
Painting and packaging
After painting, the toy falls into the caring hands of the artist. In one day, a person paints an average of 60-80 toys. Acrylic, enamel and other paints are used for work. Artists apply traditional ornaments and patterns. Then the jewelry goes to the packing department.
We would like to thank the chief technologist of the enterprise Valentina Vasilievna Trynkina for help in preparing the material, executive director Vladimir Simanovich, guides and general director of the exhibition complex "Klinskoe Podvorie" Lyudmila Simanovich.
Photos courtesy of the Children's Goods Industry Communication Center.
