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Borosilicate
Bead Lampwork by Karl Tseu (5 Fish Designs)
1st A bit of history…
Glass bead making (or lampworking) is an ancient art that has
been practiced for more than 3,000 years. When humans
first developed tools to drill holes in shells, bones and other
natural objects, they made glass objects as well. The earliest
glass beads are thought to date as far back as 1400 B.C., as
found in Egypt. Many cultures have used, adorned and traded
glass beads, and they are still prized for their ornamental
and collectible value today. For centuries, glass beads have
been used for adornment, trade, currency, and religious rituals
in cultures all over the world. Yet throughout history, the
art of making glass beads has been shrouded in great secrecy
until recently where others have obtained the technical knowledge
to make glass beads.
How it’s done, layman’s terms…
The art of glass bead making is done by winding molten glass
around a steel rod called a mandrel. This is often referred
to as "Lampworking". This name is derived from the
early glass bead makers in Venice who used oil lamps as their
heat source for melting the glass. Today lampworking is usually
done with a fuel gas and oxygen torch and a few hand tools.
Although the basic tools have changed, the tricks and techniques
used to form and decorate the glass haven't changed much in
Millenniums.
Lampworking is an ancient technique of using a very hot flame
to melt glass. It involves the process of melting and winding
glass (usually from rod or strip) under a very hot flame onto
a mandrel. (The mandrel is first coated with a bead release
agent so the finished glass bead will come off easily after
annealing). The molten glass is wound around the mandrel until
the desired size and bead style are achieved. The flame used
to melt the glass is produced by mixing gas, either natural
or propane, and oxygen. Thus the flame produced is hot enough
to melt the glass. A torch is the primary tool for lampworking
and making glass art. Once a bead is formed and the artist
is finished with the actual creation process there are several
more steps involved before the bead is ready to be used in fine
jewelry. The bead is then placed in a kiln to start the annealing
process.
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AIM CR-413 Kiln Annealer
with Pyrometer & Digital Controller
Hot at work, soaking some Boro! |
Annealing is the process of slowly reducing the
temperature of the hot glass. The annealing process makes
glass beads very strong and durable. Beads that have not been
annealed will have "stress" in them, which means
that on a molecular level, the glass is unstable, and outside
forces (falling on the ground, temperature, pressure, etc.)
can cause them to develop cracks, stress fractures, or even
break. In order to relieve this stress, the bead is held at
a very precise temperature range for specified periods of
time in the kiln. We use a kiln “controller” which
starts the beads out at about 1,050 degrees and slowly ramps
down by 100 degrees per hour until the bead is brought to
room temperature.
When a bead is taken out of the kiln it is still on the stainless
steel mandrel. Before removal, the cooled bead is then soaked
in water to soften the bead release agent. Once the bead is
removed from the mandrel the holes are cleaned and filed with
a Dremel diamond file. They are then ready to become gorgeous
jewelry to bring years of happiness.
In closing…
Artist made Lampworked glass beads are one of a kind, and
are considered to be artwork that is wearable. No two
beads are exactly identical. If you own lampwork beads in
jewelry you can be sure that you own a one of a kind piece
of art!
The draw for today's modern jewelry consumer to Lampwork is
within the fact that you own a one-of-a-kind piece of art!
The Glass Artist who created your beads actually sat down,
chose colors from a palate and created the beautiful designs
that came from their soul. This is a long rewarding process
that deserves a great deal of respect for the “natural”
ability that comes from that individual.
Unfortunately, not everyone possesses the skills to design
Glass Art Beads (just as the idea that not everyone can “sing”
beautifully-trust me, I’m one of those people!) but
the beautiful part of this is that there are a select few
Glass Artists out there that are creating their wonderful
works of art and making them available to the world. This
ancient form of artistry is now becoming more available and
each lovely design is made with skill, thought, creativity,
and love.
Another
wonderful source of information about the Art of Lampwork
Glass Beadmaking can be found at the International
Society of Glass Beadmakers website.
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