Lampwork Beads – How to Make Them At Home
By: Steve
Bee
The art of lampworking beads dates back over 2,000 years
and originally were made over an oil lamp flame hence its name. The
easiest type to make is the wound glass type and anyone including a
beginner can be able to make.
For commercial factories and individual hobbyists, a
specially designed propane torch which sits on a table top is used. You
too need this stand alone propane torch to be able to make modern glass
beads.
First you need to get hold of several glass bead rods in
your colour choice. Then you also need a mandrel or stainless steel rod
which is dipped into the beads to come up with a product that does not
stick together.
This now brings you to working with the fire itself. To
get started dip the glass cane end into the flame to allow it heat up
slowly. As the glass melts, keep turning the cane around between your
fingers at the same time ensure the blob does not fall off.
Immediately it will start melting into a molten lump at
the end of the glass cane. Continue turning until it achieves the shape
and size of a miniature marble.
The next thing you do is to put the steel rod into the
flame thus heating it; continually focus on the exact spot along its
length where you place the already molten glass. Continue turning the
glass can and steel rod with the molten blob up until the rot is heated
up.
Make a strand by pulling the steel rod by laying it to
the molten glass. This makes it longer. Use this strand to wrap it
around the rod to form the actual bead. Continue turning the mandrel and
by use of gravity, you will be able to form a bead with a sphere around
it.
Once done, you need to cut the molten glass strand from
the solid or un-melted glass cane by holding it over the flame. Put the
mandrel back to the flame and continue turning it so that the bead shape
becomes round and the rough edges are eliminated thus getting a smoothly
finished bead.
At this stage you can start adding your different
colours to the beads through melting thin glass whilst adding the molten
blob to the bead. Keep adding the colour blobs to the beads one at a
time. Ensure you keep the bead over the flame as much as you can so that
the glass does not cool down too much.
Remember to hold the bead that you have added your
contrasting colours and keep turning it. This flattens the blobs at the
same time creating unique patterns. If it interests you, you can use a
metallic awl on the hot blobs to create interesting shapes to the actual
bead core.
To seal the designs in clear finished glass and give the
pieces a better and greater depth, melt the tip of the clear glass rod
and wind the glass strand over the bead top for a awesome finish.
Since you want to achieve a smooth and more rounded
bead, continue turning it in the flame. Once this is done, put the bead
in the annealing kiln together with the mandrel overnight. This is no
rocket science and one bead at a time makes lampwork bead a miniature
piece of work.
About
the Author
You can learn more on Lampwork
Beads and educate yourself to avoid any online situations that you
may run into in the future. You can also go to: http://findbeadsonline.com.
Article Source: ArticleCube.com
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