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How is a pontil used while a blown-glass piece is being finished?

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fish of core-made glass — glassware Fish of core-made glass with “combed” decoration, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (c. 1363–46 bc). In the British Museum. 0.141 m × .069 m.

In the context of decorative glass art, a pontil—also known as a punty or pontil rod—is a solid metal rod tipped with a small amount of molten glass.12

It is used during the finishing stages of a blown-glass piece to provide a secure point of attachment to the bottom of the vessel. This allows the glassblower to detach the piece from the original blowpipe, freeing the opening of the vessel for further shaping, such as refining the rim or adding decorative elements, while maintaining control over the object. Once the finishing work is complete, the pontil is removed, often leaving a characteristic mark on the base of the glass known as a pontil mark.2