Glassblower keen to pass on his skills

Bambang Muryanto, Contributor, Yogyakarta

"After rain comes sunshine" pretty well sums up the life of Soenaryo Bernastowo.

In 1957, a labor recruiter sold him to an entrepreneur in Singapore. For two years, he worked with a glass laboratory instruments firm under tight guard without pay.

But the experience has earned the 67-year-old a subtle skill rarely found among Indonesians -- the glassblower's skill of repairing and making laboratory equipment which is no less superior in quality to foreign products.

That is why after his retirement as a lab employee at the School of Technology, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), he has been flooded with orders.

Many students visit his house-cum-workshop in Condongcatur, Sleman, Yogyakarta, to repair cracked lab equipment. One afternoon, a student collected a three-necked bottle that had been repaired.

The work -- requiring a temperature of 450 degrees Celsius -- cost only Rp 45,000, as against Rp 235,000 for a new one, thus helping those of limited means.

Orders for lab instruments have been coming from students and colleges in various parts of Indonesia.

"I've frequently made special instruments for labs to serve the needs of undergraduate, master's- and doctorate-level studies," said Soenaryo. Such devices are not available on the market so they are produced according to customers' orders. Sometimes he also helps explain how to use some lab gadgets to students.

"I do it like an assistant lecturer," said the father of three.

Homesick in Singapore

Soenaryo often feels sad when he recalls how he had to undergo "forced labor" in Singapore.

"For two years I only ate rice, soup and salted fish -- just imagine, it was just like dog's food," he lamented.

One day, fortunately, he managed to flee to Surabaya aboard a freighter as a stowaway. The ship's captain wished to adopt him but he chose to return to Yogyakarta as he was homesick.

In Yogyakarta, UGM was recruiting a large number of employees and Soenaryo was taken on as an office boy at the school of technology. There he helped Sugihardi, one of the school's lecturers, in charge of setting up a petroleum and chemical engineering lab. Soenaryo had the duty of typing orders for lab instruments to be imported from the U.S., Britain and Holland.

"After examining the list, I told Sugihardi that I could make the devices myself," he said. Though surprised, the lecturer provided the means Soenaryo needed to produce a variety of glass instruments required.

Soenaryo's rare skill in making lab instruments out of glass drew the attention of the entire academic community of UGM. In the 13th anniversary commemoration of UGM, he was asked to demonstrate his proficiency.

University rector Prof. Dr. Sardjito was deeply impressed and offered Soenaryo the opportunity to undertake further training in Bandung, in an instrument and glassware course. The offer was readily accepted.

Joining the course in 1960, Soenaryo got lessons on identification, maintenance and operation of lab devices made of glass.

"The lessons I received turned out to be the portion of instruction meant for lab personnel in Europe," noted Soenaryo.

He was also taught how to make lab gadgets. His two-year experience in Singapore, however, allowed him to cut the training to only one year instead of three.

"I was even assigned as an assistant instructor there," he said proudly. Soenaryo and six others were the last batch to take the program before it became the glass instruments school. Of the seven, only four joined the glassblowing business. Now only two are left, Soenaryo and his counterpart living in Bandung. "Now he's inactive due to a stroke," he pointed out.

In big demand

With his training and long experience, he is capable of producing lab instruments of high quality, even better than imported ones. With glass pipes as materials, he can create glass devices for labs such as extractors, heating tubes, Elemeyer's flasks and a lot more.

Apart from universities, several companies like herbal medicine firm Air Mancur in Surakarta and General Electric (GE) Lighting in Sleman, Yogyakarta, have also ordered lab equipment from Soenaryo.

Now he makes 500 glass vacuum pumps (to create a vacuum in a light bulb) monthly to supply the lamp producer. GE Lighting originally imported the devices at US$8 per unit from Hong Kong, but Soenaryo sells them for only Rp 15,000.

"Soenaryo's product is indeed of good quality," acknowledged Ferry Pratama from the company's procurement department. He said that his firm purposely chose handmade equipment because factory- made tools were of lower quality. "Those produced by factories frequently break in the processing machine," added Ferry.

Through his glassblower's workshop which he has been operating since 1960, Soenaryo has been able to afford to send his three children to college and to buy them houses. He has also opened a restaurant opposite his workshop. The achievements, according to him, would be impossible by relying on his salary as a civil servant alone.

Nevertheless, all this success has come with a price. His right eye has a slight defect due to being pierced by minute splinters of glass. His fingers have, time and again, been burned after holding hot glass vessels. Likewise, his mouth is often swollen due to the chemical residue still left in the burned vessels he blows.

Giving free lessons

Now in his old age, Soenaryo is worried about the scarcity of skilled glassblowers in the country, yet his youngest son is prepared to further his talent. In his view, the more capable glassblowers are available, the lower glassblowing charges will be, which is ultimately beneficial to society.

As a maestro he always thinks of imparting his knowledge to others instead of keeping it for his personal advantage.

In order to produce a large number of reliable glassblowers, Soenaryo has opened his workshop for those interested in training in this skill. Many firms and educational institutes send their employees and students to learn glassblowing from him.

"They train here for free, except for the cost of materials they use," he said.

The capitalist approach toward education, which maintains that education is an expensive undertaking, as is prevalent today, is not shared by Soenaryo.