Punty

A punty (also punt, puntie) is the term for a rod of glass that is used as a handle to hold, support and rotate the glass object you are working on in the flame, allowing the manipulation of hot glass while keeping your hands away from the flame.

In beadwork a stainless steel mandrel is sometimes referred to as a punty.

A distinction lies between the lampworker's punty and the offhand worker's pontil, in that most punties are rods or tubes made of glass, while a pontil is a rod of metal with a glass blob on the end. Both serve the same purpose - as a handle attached to the piece being worked and allowing its manipulation.

Punties can be attached using either temporary cold seals or more permanent hot seals (welds) depending on the desired outcome as well as the amount of weight the punty will need to support.