Silica Scientific Works

Our place, Silica Scientific Works, is at Plot No. A/202 on Road No. 29. We are in Ambica Nagar No. 2, which is part of the Wagle Industrial Estate. It’s a busy area with a lot of small shops and factories all crammed together. We specialize in scientific glass, which means a lot of delicate work with blowtorches and glass tubes. The workshop is always a bit cluttered with half-finished pieces and boxes of raw materials. We’ve been here at Wagle Estate for years. The guys here have steady hands, which you need for this kind of thing. It's not like making a window; you have to get the shapes just right for the labs. Some days are better than others. Sometimes a whole batch breaks in the kiln and we have to start all over again. It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the trade. We don't have a big sign or anything, people just know we’re on Road 29. We keep it simple. Usually, we just have the radio playing while we work. It’s a lot of heat and careful movements. We aren't doing anything fancy, just making sure the glassware is what the customer asked for. We’ve got a routine and we stick to it, from the first cup of tea in the morning until we lock up the gates at night. That’s how we have operated for years and it seems to work out for us.