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Well...it has nothing to do with Lamps....
CLICK HERE for wonderful Information on the HISTORY of GLASS
BEADS
CLICK HERE For information on Lampwork beads at About.com
In a nutshell....A long long time ago folks
used torches called Lamps to melt glass. Yep, I said MELT
GLASS. They found that many useful, as well as decorative
things, could be made by reshaping and forming glass objects.
This is an art that is thousands of years old.
One of the most popular glass art hobbies
today, other than glass blowing, is Lampwork bead making. It
is an art that requires lots and lots of patience, practice,
and persistance. It takes lots of time to learn how the glass
moves in a molten state, how colors act together, and how
shapes are formed. You simply cannot learn overnight...and I
believe the learning process actually lasts years and years.
After four years on the torch I am finally comfortable with my
stringer control.
A torch is used with a propane and oxygen
surface mix. This heats the flame up to over 1800
degrees....plenty of heat to melt glass.
The torch I use is a Nortel Minor Burner. I
bought my entire starter kit from an ebay seller a
little over two years ago. This kit came with everything I
needed to get started except the oxygen and propane tanks. It
even had glass and a book!! I use propane and an oxygen
concentrator...which is the thing you see with folks who have
breathing problems or in hospital rooms. I am more at ease
with this than having one of those big scary oxygen tanks
around the house. Some folks begin with a Hot Head set up.
You can buy a hothead set up from most
glass suppliers as well. This is alot
less expensive to start with than the other torches. I cannot
speak on the ease of use...I have never used one.
A mandrel is prepared. This is a steel rod
approx 1/16 inch in diameter and about 9 inches long (they DO come in
different sizes) dipped in a liquid bead release...sort of
like flux in welding....which coats the steel rod and makes it
possible to remove the bead after it cools. Without bead
release ....you will have a plant stick. My favorite bead
release is Foster fire because the beads come off the mandrel
easily and I don't have to fight with them. The Foster Fire
bead release is either allowed to dry in the air on the
mandrel OR dried in the flame (which is how I like it)
however some other brands require air drying. Sometimes, if I
am doing a little stringer intense drawing, I will mix in a
little Hotline bead release to the Foster Fire. It seems to
hold better for me.
Then comes the rod of glass. Most
beadmakers use glass rods in several
different diameters. I like to use rods that are no
smaller than 6 mm and no larger than 9-10 mm in diameter. The tip
of the rod is gently warmed in the end of the torch and then
held in and out until it becomes a glowing orange ball of
molten (HOT HOT) glass. This "glob" is then wrapped around
the prepared mandrel and flame cut from the rod. The blob on
the mandrel is now spun, twisted, and moved until a perfect
(yah right) round bead is formed. Glass WANTS to be round. If persistance, holding the mandrel competely horizontal, and
constant gentle spinning is used, a bead will "shape up"
pretty easily. The spinning and shaping is done outside the
flame. I use the flame only for melting the blob and then I
move to the side and back into the flame as needed. Do not
drop this orange blob on any part of your body...it will be a
new experience in pain if you do!! This bead is done. I spin
it gently until it stops glowing orange and then I place it
directly in a preheated kiln for annealing which is a VERY
VERY IMPORTANT part of making beads that will last. Annealing
helps to slowly remove the stress from the glass, thus
preventing cracking later in the life of the bead. Some folks
do not go directly into the kiln, but go into a fiber blanket
for cooling and then later gather all their beads from the day
(or days) into the kiln at once. This is fine, but the beads
MUST be annealed later if using this process. This type of
annealing is called 'batch annealing". Sometimes you will
find that cheap mass produced beads crack easily and are not
cleaned. Many Many MANY mass producers do not anneal their
beads...SHAME ON THEM!!! Don't buy those beads!
Making a bead with decorations is more
complex. Long thin pieces of glass are used to make the
decorations. This is called a "Stringer". Stringers are made
by melting the end of a glass rod until glowing, and then
taking hold with a tweezer and pulling out a hair thin piece
of glass. I once had someone in the Studio tell me that
using a stringer is like painting in baby oil...WITH baby oil.
Yes, it is difficult and can take months and months to learn.
I have been making beads for four years
but it took two of those just to become comfortable with my
stringer control.
My beads are raised to a temperature of 960
degrees where they sit and soak for around an hour. Then the
kiln control is ramped down to around 750 degrees which is
right around the straining point of the glass. I let them
soak another hour at this temperature. Then I ramp the kiln
down to zero which takes a period of approx. 7 hours. Lots of
beadmakers have automatic timers to ramp their kilns down. I
am always here....so I don't need one.
After the beads are annealed and the kiln is
cool, the beads are removed and put in a water bath to soak
overnight. The bead release is cleaned out of the centers by
use of a tiny dremel with a diamond tip thingie (I have no
Idea what else to call it). I always clean my beads under
running water. It just seems to keep the little flecks of bead
release from sticking to the bead.
After they are clean and dry, the beads are
strung and are ready for sale. Be sure to check over them and
make sure there are no dots or decor missing and that they are
nicely shaped.
I hope some of this makes sense to you!!
I love to buy my supplies from small "mom
and pop" operations. I have listed some of my favorites to the
left. These folks have all given me personal and caring
service. After ordering glass from a "Major Supplier" and it
taking over a month to get to me...I swore I would never stray
outside my trusted dealers again. If you decide to make beads
or just play with melting glass....give these folks a try. You
won't be sorry.
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