fascet

A fascet is a wire cage or basket, typically made from high-temperature steel wire, mounted on the end of a long iron rod. Its purpose is to hold and transport bottles, jars, or other glass pieces from the forming area to the annealing furnace without direct human contact with the hot glassware. The basket design allows heat to circulate around the load while containing it securely during movement.

The rod extends 4 to 6 feet or longer, depending on furnace size and shop layout, keeping the worker at a safe distance from the intense radiant heat of the annealing oven. Fascets are typically pushed rather than carried, and some are mounted on wheeled carts for heavier loads. The wire construction is essential: solid metal sides would trap heat unevenly and cause thermal stress in the glass; the open weave allows uniform temperature rise across the batch.

Construction and variants

Fascets come in various sizes to match production volumes and glassware dimensions. Small fascets might hold 20 to 50 bottles; large ones used in high-volume operations can accommodate hundreds of smaller pieces. The basket shape is typically cylindrical or rectangular, with a closed or grated bottom and open or partially enclosed sides. The mounting point on the rod may be welded, bolted, or clamped depending on whether the basket needs to be removable for cleaning or replacement.

Over time, fascets accumulate mineral deposits and glass fragments that fuse to the wire surfaces. These deposits must be removed periodically to restore the heat circulation properties; accumulated buildup causes uneven annealing and can damage the glassware. Damaged fascets with bent or broken wires are taken out of service because they create stress points and temperature gradients that crack glass.

The term fascet appears in glassmaking vocabulary primarily in British English and Commonwealth regions, though the tool is used wherever glass bottles and jars are produced on industrial scale. The word may derive from older metalworking terminology for baskets or cages, though its etymology in glassmaking trade language is not firmly documented. Related tools include the glory hole fork (for individual pieces) and the lehr cart (for continuous cooling), but the fascet remains the standard transport vessel for batch annealing work.