Annealing (glass)

Have you ever played with playdough or clay? When you first get it, it's soft and easy to mold into different shapes. But if you leave it out for a long time, it gets hard and difficult to mold.

Glass is similar to playdough or clay. When it's made, it's hot and easy to shape into different forms. But if you want to keep it in a specific shape for a long time or make it stronger, you need to heat it up again. This process is called annealing.

When glass is annealed, it's heated up slowly to a high temperature and then cooled down slowly too. This helps the glass become stronger and less likely to break or crack. It's like a glass spa day!

Annealing also helps to remove any stresses or unevenness in the glass, which could cause it to break more easily. So, whenever you see a cool glass sculpture or a beautiful glass vase, it was most likely annealed to make it strong and beautiful.