My beads are made by melting rods of glass in the flame of a Nortel Minor torch and winding the molten glass around a mandrel, which is a thin length of stainless steel welding wire. The space occupied by the mandrel becomes the hole through the bead. Turning the mandrel and holding it in different positions allows gravity to help the bead take form. I also use a variety of tools to push and pull my glass beads into shape.
Glass shrinks as it cools. Bringing a bead out of the flame and leaving it in the open air allows the outside of the bead to cool rapidly, but inside its still burning hot. The stress point between the cool, shrinking glass and the hot centre begins to grow and may cause the bead to crack. To prevent stress and cracks, my beads are annealed in a digitally-programmed Paragon Caldera kiln. This allows the glass molecules to settle in place slowly as they cool, giving them strength and durability. Having said that, please remember to treat my beads with respect. They are made of glass after all. My beads are unsuitable for children, and if a bead should become damaged at all, please do not continue to wear it.
These beads are handmade so every precaution has been taken to ensure that the beads last for generations. Do not expose your beads to extremes in temperature, as it can cause stresses in the glass that can go unnoticed. Wash your beads if necessary in tepid soapy water and dry them with a soft cloth. Although properly annealed beads are tough they do not like to be thrown around too much.
Thanks
Lyn
Lampworking is working glass using a torch to melt and shape the glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fuelled lamps.
Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times it flowered in Murano - Italy in the 1300s and spread from there to the rest of Europe. In the 1850's lampwork incorporated into glass domed paperweights primarily in France and became a popular art form, still collected today.
It was not until the late 1960s that lampwork became a serious art form. Made famous by Hans Godo Frabel a German lampwork Artist. He transformed his scientific glassblowing training to create relatively large pieces of lampwork glass art in Borosilicate glass
Lampwork beads are handmade by skilled artisans who work molten glass around a wire or mandrel to shape and add colour and design components. Since they are handmade, each bead is a unique work of art.
Variance in size, colour and shape should be expected in lampworked items.