To give all the necessary precision to his gesture of gluing a mass of molten glass on a piece of glass during its manufacture, the master glassmaker uses pliers to stabilize the hot end of the pontil, whose other end he holds with his other hand. The pontil is a long cane of solid iron that allows carrying a small quantity of molten glass subsequently used to add an unblown decorative element such as a handle, a foot, or a rod.