Obtain solid glass rod stock from a supplier like Fisher Scientific Co.
whic you will have to purchase or steal some from a chemistry department.
Decide on the desired length. Take a small, three cornered file and file
a scratch on the rod where you want to cut it. Grasp the rod in both hands
with your thumbs on the side of the rod opposite the scratch placing the
ball of each thumb on either side of the scratch. Now pretend you are
breaking a stick. The rod will snap neatly at the scratch.
Obtain a propane torch from your local hardware or steal one from a
plumber. Light the torch and hold one end of the rod in the flame and
rotate the rod slowly. The flame will glow yeallow and the end of the rod
will begin to melt. Withdraw the rod from the flame and let it cool. The
end of the rod will be nice and smooth. Now do the other end. In just
about a hour and with little expense you can make lots of "coating rods"
or stirring rods.
Remember, hot glass looks exactly like cold glass!
Bob Schramm