Making a glass Christmas tree toy is a delicate matter. Factory production of glass Christmas decorations in Russia began in 1848, when Prince Menshikov opened a glass factory in his estate Alexandrovo (now located in the city of Vysokovsk, Klinsky district). Initially, it produced dishes, pharmaceutical bottles, lamps. When the fashion came from Europe to Russia to decorate the Christmas tree with toys, the plant began to produce glass beads.

5 curious facts about the Russian Christmas tree decoration

Traditional Russian Christmas decoration - long glass beads (garlands)

Many mistakenly believe that the traditional Christmas tree decoration in Russia is a ball. But the history of glass Christmas decorations in Rus' begins with beads.

The peasants, having mastered the craft at the Menshikov factory, often made buttons, earrings and beads at home in a handicraft way. Such things were called "fluff".

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, craftsman Yakov Ivanovich Vekshin, working at the glass factory of Prince Menshikov, learned the art of blowing beads. Then he left the factory and organized his own business.

Handicraft production was usually arranged in huts. To do this, each master kept a mug-burner with a diameter of 15 cm in the house. Tow was stuffed inside such a mug, making a wick out of it. Kerosene was poured down. Then they set fire to the tow. The fire was fanned with large furs.

Glass tubes for home production craftsmen had to buy from factories. The glass from which handicraftsmen blew ornaments was made from quartz sand. The melting temperature of such a tube was about 1710°C. Using a homemade kerosene burner it was impossible to achieve high temperature. Therefore, the craftsmen did not get elegant toys and beads.

The first beads were like stones

Christmas garlands, which 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, the beads turned out to be heavy, with thick walls and jagged edges, which was due to the infusibility of glass at home. The garlands looked more like stones. And they rattled like pebbles thrown to the ground.

Therefore, the craft for the manufacture of beads was called pebble. It was almost impossible to break or scratch such products.

In Russia there is no educational institution, where they teach to become master glassblowers

Most of the craftsmen who work at the plant are hereditary glassblowers. They received experience and skills from their fathers and mothers. This tradition originated in the 19th century and has continued to this day.

All those wishing to learn to be glassblowers are required to undergo training at the factory. The internship lasts six months, after which the new master starts making toys.

The largest toy blown by the craftsman at the Yolochka factory reaches a diameter of 11.5 cm, the smallest is 3 cm.

Toys are made in such a size that they look good on Christmas trees in a typical apartment. Too big balls are inconvenient to hang on a Christmas tree, so the factory does not produce them.

How to make a Christmas tree toy today

Today, the plant produces on average up to a million toys a year, which are distributed throughout Russia and neighboring countries. "Herringbone" refers to the enterprises of folk crafts, since many of the traditional craftsmanship technologies of the 19th century are still preserved here.

The manufacturing process of a modern Christmas tree toy can be divided into 5 main stages:

blowing

The toys are blown out of long glass tubes. The master holds the pipe by the “antennae”, heats it up, constantly rotating it over the fire of a gas burner. This is necessary so that the glass heats up evenly. The temperature in the flames reaches up to 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-blown toys (mushrooms, nesting dolls, snowmen, tops) are obtained.

Molded toys (huts, chanterelles, bunnies and others) are more difficult to make. The master also warms up the pipe, and then, having waited for the right moment, puts plastic glass in a metal mold, closes it tightly and blows into the free end of the pipe. Glass is evenly distributed over the metal and takes the desired shape. This must be done very quickly, as the glass cools almost instantly.

The production is in complete darkness, the craftsmen work in headphones, as there is a constant noise from 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, teapot). 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 mirror shine. This process is called metallization. The blanks are put on a metal frame, foil is hung on top of it. Then all this is sent to a huge vacuum installation, similar to a barrel. Air is pumped out of the installation, after which 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 mist. Literally in 20 seconds, the fog settles on the cold glass and evenly covers it with an aluminum film. More than 3,000 toys are metallized on one installation per day.

Mirrors are made the same way.

Coloring

The next step is coloring. 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 Valentina Vasilievna Trynkina, chief technologist of the enterprise, executive director Vladimir Simanovich, guides and general director of the Klinskoe Compound exhibition complex Lyudmila Simanovich for their help in preparing the material.

Photos provided by the communication center "Industry of Children's Goods".

How are Christmas decorations made? - article

How are Christmas decorations made?

Pick up a glass ball made at the Yolochka enterprise, take a closer look at it and feel WHAT you are holding in your hands. Feel the soul that Russian women, often disabled, have put into it, who have been working at the Christmas tree decorations factory for many, many years, bringing a holiday to every home. These people made this ball MANUALLY. Entirely by hand.

Do you know how real balloons are made?

I think it will be good if you find out about this and tell your friends, and we will all support the domestic manufacturer together.

Here in this building in the Klinsky district of the Moscow region they make a fairy tale all year round. All year round, except for one summer month (period preventive work) work is in full swing here. They produce glass balls, tips for Christmas trees, figured toys and many, many other beauty.

By the end of the Soviet period, automatic equipment was brought to the factory, but it was not adjusted, and during the period of economic decline in the 1990s, it fell into disrepair. The plant plunges into the atmosphere of the "first five-year plans", and possibly the end of the 19th century. New Year decoration are born in the most difficult conditions. In stuffy rooms, in the hot air of small rooms where glass forms are blown, it is impossible to stay even fifteen minutes, and people work there all day long.

The first workshop of the factory - hot shop. Here, in the twilight, noise and heat, 50 women glassblowers work for 6-8 thousand a month, blowing toys out of glass tubes with a gas burner and their mouths. The working day lasts 8 hours. During this time, each worker must make 200-250 blanks, depending on the shape of the future toy.

The difficulty lies in the accuracy of manufacturing: the diameter of the ball, for example, must be observed with an accuracy of 1-2 millimeters. If it turned out a little crooked, the ball is thrown out. To become a good glassblower, you need to study for 6 months and work in production for at least 2 years.

Further, the blanks of balls fall into a special workshop, where an aluminum coating is applied to them under high pressure. Simply put, the technology is such that a layer of ordinary foil is simply wound around the ball under pressure. If the ball is not immediately covered with paint after this, the foil will fall off.

The balls dry in such ovens (see photo below). You see: just sand, balls are put on sticks. each individual ball. Then each individual ball is removed and sent to the next workshop.

Here all the toys are painted by real masters. Manually. Sometimes the ball can take several hours, or even a whole day, depending on the complexity of the drawing. Masters are in short supply. This craft is not easy to learn.

For example, to paint such a ball, the artist will need several hours.

And these balls are handmade, in fact, each of them is unique! Exclusive, sold for a hundred rubles. Foreigners take these balls out of the factory (when they come on excursions) in bags - in Europe, such a miracle will cost many times, or even dozens of times more.

In 1992, the factory of Christmas decorations "Ariel" was opened in Nizhny Novgorod. They are engaged in the manufacture of Christmas balls, candlesticks, medallions and even Easter eggs. The factory is a participant of many international exhibitions and competitions. They managed to attract attention almost immediately on the Western market, so now the Nizhny Novgorod factory is one of two enterprises in Russia that exports its products to other countries, including Germany, France, England, America, Italy, Switzerland, and Denmark.

About how Christmas decorations are made.

The process of making Christmas decorations begins with blowing. For this, medical glass is used:

From each such glass pipe, 2-3 blanks are obtained:

First, it is heated in the middle to separate into two parts:

Having received the desired piece, each pipe is heated from the inside so that the craftsmen can start blowing:

A Christmas decoration is blown out in one breath. Therefore, when you see a huge ball, know that it is made by a different technique. With the help of two antennae, the master shapes:

Depending on what kind of decoration should be obtained, a mold is selected. In this case, the glassblower makes a "house":

One tendril is twisted into a small loop (mainly for the Western market), or left for further cutting, and the second is removed, leaving a unique mark on the bottom of the ball:

To make an ornament similar to an owl, a special tool is used, with which the glass of the ball is pressed through. In this way, her characteristic eyes are obtained:

For 6 hours, glassblowers blow 250-300 balls. There is nowhere to learn this, so all glassblowers, as in the old days, pass on their knowledge directly to the next generation:

Now only 4 glass blowers work at the factory. Workplace of one of them:

After blowing, the blanks go to the paint shop. Here a layer of varnish is applied, but then the decoration will be a little transparent (for a candlestick, for example), or another layer of aluminum is applied before that. Aluminum completely removes transparency and adds more shine:

The second mustache is cut off immediately:

The painting work is followed by the artistic, the most difficult, in my opinion:

The orders from the factory are different: from presidential gifts to balloons with metro stations. Almost all drawings are performed in several stages (at least 3-4). By the end of the work on these balls will appear:

For drawing, brushes, feathers, sponges and jars of sour cream are used.

There are about 4 times more master artists than glassblowers. Those who work longer in the factory do more difficult work, and newcomers do it easier. But art education is compulsory:

Visual demonstration step by step. You should get a bullfinch:

Final decorative touches:

Most of the time decorations dry:

Toy from the latest collection:

This is what it looks like workplace graduated master artist:

There are also tours of the factory. This type of service is even in great demand! Now all the excursion time is scheduled until the end of January:

The completion of such an excursion is a master class on painting balls and figures:

Of course, you can take the result home to show off your work to your parents:

This is how Christmas decorations are made.

A hot season begins at the Krasnoyarsk factory of Christmas toys "Biryusinka" New Year, and accordingly, the demand for the factory's products is growing. At Biryusinka, toys are made almost by hand: blown, fired, and painted. The quality of the decorations of the factory, founded in 1942, is also satisfied in the Kremlin - for many years the main Christmas tree of the country has been decorated with Biryusinsk toys.

The Biryusinka factory appeared in Krasnoyarsk in 1942. At present, it is one of the leading enterprises in the industry, which produces soft stuffed toys, carnival costumes for children and adults, PVC plastisol toys, glass Christmas tree decorations and New Year gift wrapping toys.

The factory was created on the basis of the Stalinsky District Industrial Complex in 1942 and was originally called "Children's Toy", then "Siberian Toy". In 1989 the factory became closed joint stock company"Krasnoyarsk company Biryusinka". Behind the Urals, this is the only factory of Christmas decorations.

But let's digress from history and see how glass New Year's Russian toys are made.

Glass Christmas decorations at the factory are made by hand. This is a very time-consuming and hard work, but at the same time extremely exciting. Even in the creation of a simple New Year's ball or figurine, you need to invest a lot of effort. But first things first.

The first workshop of the factory is a hot workshop. Here, in the noise and heat, women glassblowers work, blowing blanks of toys out of glass tubes with a burner and their mouths. As a result of the work of glassblowers, transparent Christmas tree figurines are obtained, which are funny called - naked. The working day of a glassblower is 8 hours. During this time, each worker must make 200-250 blanks, depending on the shape of the future toy. Glass blowers receive a little - 10-15 thousand rubles a month. But this is in the last months before the New Year. The rest of the time there are very few orders.

The complexity of the work of a glass blower lies in the accuracy of manufacturing: the diameter of the ball, for example, must be observed with an accuracy of 1-2 millimeters. If it turned out a little crooked, the ball is thrown out. To become a good glassblower, you need to study for six months and work in production for at least 2 years.

From the hot shop, the blanks go to the metallization shop. Metallization is the only automated process throughout production. In this workshop, glass beads are placed in large tanks. Aluminum wires are hung next to them. A vacuum is created in the tanks and, under the influence of high temperature, a thin film of aluminum settles on the surface of the glass beads. The process takes about a minute. Glass forms acquire a mirror shine. Toys coated with a layer of aluminum go to the paint shop. Here, an employee dips each toy into a tank of paint.

After baths with paint, the toys are laid to dry.

After the toys dry, they are collected in boxes and sent to the coloring department.

In the coloring shop, the artists paint the toys. Manually. As tools, they use brushes that they dip into the paint.

Sometimes the ball can take several hours, or even a whole day, depending on the complexity of the drawing. Masters are in short supply. This craft is not easy to learn.

On the tables of artists you can find gouache, acrylic paints, small beads, silver and golden powder.

Finished, decorated toys are packed and sent to warehouses and then to stores where they are purchased by Russian and foreign buyers.

2. In this workshop, toys are made from PVC plastisol.

3. The solution is in such tanks.

4. Parts of future toys are made from it. Then the pieces are laid out to dry.

5. Legendary scales "Tyumen". In general, the situation here is very soviet.

6. Then the finished parts are hand-painted with special paint.

8. The body parts of future dolls are laid out separately from each other, and then another person collects everything together and packs.

9. The guide tells that once about a thousand people worked at the factory, and now there are less than a hundred left. All due to the fact that there is no demand for toys. The market was occupied by cheap Chinese consumer goods.

10. And here the fabric is being prepared for soft toys.

11. Carnival costumes are made from the same fabric.

12. Shop for stuffed toys.

13. They even make such big lions here.

16. It turns out that there is still such a profession - a glass blower. No automation - everything is manual. In addition to this factory, there are no vacancies for glassblowers either in Krasnoyarsk or in any other nearby city. They get a little - 10-15 thousand rubles. But this is in the last months before the New Year. The rest of the time there are very few orders.

17. During a shift, glassblowers manage to make about 250 toys.

18. The burners run on kerosene, the temperature is over a thousand degrees. It works far from silent.

19. It takes about 7 seconds to blow out a balloon. If the worker does not have time, then marriage is obtained - the glass quickly becomes solid.

20. Despite professionalism, marriage still happens quite often.

22. By the way, for some reason only women work here.

25. Frozen products are folded into such boxes.

26. These boxes are transferred to the Christmas tree decorations metallization shop.

27. Glass marbles are placed in large tanks.

28. Aluminum wires are hung next to them. A vacuum is created in the tanks and, under the influence of high temperature, a thin film of aluminum settles on the surface of the glass beads.

29. The process takes about a minute.

32. Some toys are painted instead of aluminum.

33. Everything is also painted by hand.

34. Before the New Year, excursions are constantly held at the factory, and everyone is photographed. Naturally, the workers get bored with this.

37. They also make quite exclusive drawings - for example, with Krasnoyarsk symbols.

38. Doing a lot corporate orders- for example from Flump :)

40. Toys can be bought at the factory itself, which the participants of the excursion took advantage of with pleasure.

41. In addition, for an additional 10 rubles, you can ask to write something on your toy.

The Yolochka factory was the first in Russia to make jewelry for Christmas tree. Her toys flaunted both on the main Kremlin beauty and in the homes of Soviet citizens. Now the company has a millionth turnover of products per year and deliveries of goods to Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan. Which, in turn, export toys to Germany, America, Israel and Australia.

Glass production in the hut. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

The Klin glass-blowing industry originated in 1848. Then Alexander Menshikov built the first glass factory for the production of flasks for kerosene lamps, pharmaceutical bottles, dishes and toys. Only 80 peasants from neighboring villages worked on it. After the death of the prince, the workers took away all the glass from the huts and began their handicraft production. In the houses, whole families worked on the creation of glass jewelry. The beads they made were called "pebble" because they had very thick walls and jagged edges and looked more like stones than jewelry.

Glass pharmacy vials. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

glass blowing shop

In the 19th century, only men worked as glassblowers. Now the situation has changed radically. the most harmful and important work at the enterprise of folk and art crafts "Yolochka" women perform. They are the master glassblowers. Cheerful, calm, with the usual lightness and great professionalism. There is practically no marriage through their fault, although they do everything by sight. They work in a dark room, where there are several rows of tables on which glass rods lie (glass tubes, from which New Year's toys are later made - ed.). The main workplace is reserved for gas burners. Massive hoods hang over them. And employees sit side by side on chairs. Headphones save them from the hum that fills the shop. To your favorite music, they are controlled with glass. They bring it over the flame of the burner, heat it well and draw it out. Then they are either placed in a certain shape to get, for example, Aladdin, or they simply blow the ball through the “antennae” - a hole. Then put on the table to cool. All this is done in the dark, in order to see the glass and monitor the quality of the products. During the day, each craftswoman can produce about 300 balls or 100 "tops", 100-150 items in the form (cones, cartoon characters, bells).

Glassblower at work. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

“There are 25 craftsmen in the workshop. Women from 20 to 70 years old work. In general, of course, the profession is very difficult, because we are dealing with glass and fire. At first, this is scary, but here it is working with gas, and the burners are under high pressure, not to be compared with a home stove. Therefore, beginners are often scared. Many can't stand it and leave. Only professionals with calm, free breathing and confident hands remain in our production,” she said. glass blower Ekaterina Korkina.

Glass shop. Workplaces. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

Metallization shop

After blowing, the finished transparent toys, which are also called "naked", go to the metallization shop. There they are made shiny due to aluminum. For this product, they are put on special cassettes: a metal frame resembling a hanging dryer for mugs. Then the worker wipes all the toys and takes them to the vacuum machine. It looks like a barrel with pumps on the sides, in which there is an evaporator and tungsten wire, pieces of ordinary cooking foil are hung on it. When the products are in the car, the worker starts it. After the start, all the air is pumped out, and the wire runs electricity, turning pieces of foil into a shiny cloud. It settles on toys and gives them a new look.

There is also a buzz in this workshop, and the working day is divided into 6 cycles, during which the workers manage to hang 180 to 600 toys in cassettes and wipe them.

“There are 5 machines in our workshop, they are serviced by 5 operators. And also all women. This job is not for men, because they need specifics. And here you need patience to wipe each toy. Only the representatives of the weaker sex have such a quality, ”shared head of the quality control department of the metallization shop Valentina Afanasyeva.

Toys in a vacuum machine. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

Coloring and painting

When the toy has passed the metallization, it is sent for painting. At this stage, the decoration by the tail is dipped into the paint, then taken out and allowed to dry. Next up is the artist. With the help of acrylic, lacquer paints and powder, he displays patterns on the product. Then the tip of the toy is cut off through which it was blown. And only after all these procedures are sent for sale.

Hand-painted toys. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

hazardous production

The work of a glassblower is not in vain considered very difficult. Craftsmen have to deal with gas, so their work is considered dangerous. Employees retire at the age of 45.

“We have 8 hours of work. All employees have a full social package and the required vacation. The average salary at the enterprise is 25 thousand, which is very good, considering that in Klin it is from 19 to 22 thousand. And highly qualified specialists who cope with the norm receive up to 60 thousand, ”explained Executive Director of Yolochka OJSC Vladimir Simanovich.

Fashion for Christmas decorations in Russia

In the 19th century, Christmas trees were decorated with glass beads, which reached up to 4 meters in length. They consisted not only of beads, but also small sticks - glass beads.

Then came cardboard toys. To make them, they took a large sheet of cardboard, glued it with gold and silver foil, then made an impression of the desired figure and glued the halves of the product. It turned out bright birds, seahorses and other living creatures.

Cardboard toys. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

In the late 30s, heroes of children's fairy tales began to appear on Christmas trees: Ivan Tsarevich, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots.

During the years of the great Patriotic War toys were made from scrap materials. The heroes of the decorations were Santa Claus with a gun, the Snow Maiden in a helmet, fighter planes, airships, guns and stars.

Military toys. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

After the war, assembly toys began to be made. These were voluminous figures that were assembled from glass beads and beads. Their production was carried out mainly by military invalids. They made airplanes, bicycles, light bulbs and much more.

Assembly toys. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov In 1949, on the anniversary of Alexander Pushkin, there was a fashion for toys that personified the heroes of his fairy tales. A squirrel that gnaws nuts, the Shamakhan queen, a goldfish.

In the 50s, when most of the country's population lived in communal apartments, they began to produce baby toys for small Christmas trees.

During the reign of Khrushchev, cobs of corn, all kinds of fruits and vegetables appeared on the Christmas trees of the country.

The first manned flight into space marked a new stage in Christmas tree fashion. Festive trees were decorated with toys in the form of astronauts and rockets.

Space theme in toys. Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

In the 80s, toys with Olympic symbols began to be produced: the Olympic Bear and fire.

Toy "Olympic Bear". Photo: AiF / Alexey Vissarionov

In the 90s, the fashion came to Christmas balls with the image of the symbols of the year according to the eastern calendar. So in the coming 2017, the rooster will show off on many New Year's balls. But not only they are popular among Russians. Now the demand for retro toys has increased, which were produced back in the 40s-60s of the last century. The hostesses want their Christmas trees to be the most beautiful, so they spare no imagination, no money, no effort to decorate them.