Lampworking Techniques
Lampworking, also known as torchworking or flameworking, is a technique where glass rods that are clear or colored are melted and then shaped into beautiful objects, mostly beads. Lampworking has been practiced as early as 1 century B.C. in the ancient Syrian times. They gained rapid popularity in Murano, Italy during the 14th century. Lampworking objects from Murano in Italy are much sought after and they are quite expensive too. The primary difference between lampworking and glass blowing is that in glassblowing a blow pipe is used to inflate a glass blob, whereas in lampworking the glass is directly manipulated by the use of heat, tools or gravity. Many beautiful arts and crafts as well as fashion jewelry can be created by this technique. Here we will learn all about lampworking techniques and the tools needed for this art to make beautiful clear glass ornaments or colorful glass objects.
Learning Lampworking
Lampworking is not a very easy art to learn and artisans train for years to get the technique right. The first step in learning lampworking is that you have to know which are the right materials that are suitable for this art.
Materials
You will need high quality glass, that is soft and malleable and has a low melting point or hard glass like borosilicate glass. The only downside of using soft glass is that it does not react well to temperature changes. It expands a lot when heated and then contracts upon cooling. This makes it more prone to cracking due to thermal shock. So you can opt for borosilicate glass as it is flexible without any risk of shattering due to temperature change. You can also select different colors of borosilicate glass for your project. The colors of glass that are chosen for lampworking should be compatible with each other, as otherwise it might create unattractive discolorations, and devitrification.
Tools
The next step is to choose the tools that are required to produce the glass objects. The most important tool for lampworking is the torch that either burns with natural gas or propane. The other tools that are required are marvers, which is a flat surface used for rolling the glass or shaping the glass, tungsten picks for boring a hole through the piece and steel jacks for cutting a glass piece.
Method
Now that you have all the materials required for lampworking, you need to know the technique of doing it. If you are keen to know how to make glass beads, then we will start with glass beads as they are the easiest to make. First you need to place your marver, steel cutting jack, tungsten picks and the glass rods on the work surface. Now select the glass rod you want to make the object with and heat in the flame of the torch until it gets very hot. When the glass rod is sufficiently warm and it is nearing its melting point, rotate the glass tube on the marver. Now shape a bead with the glass rod by cutting it off with steel cutting jack. Once you have the glass bead, you should heat it to a temperature of about 950 F until the material reaches its stress relief point. Now allow it to cool slowly so that it does not suffer from thermal shock. You have your first lampwork bead in your hand. The bead can be further decorated by etching, sandblasting, polishing and other coldworking techniques.
Lampworking can also be used for making glass block crafts and glass tile pendants. If you are keen on learning the art of lampworking then you can join a course on it at any hobby school. They will teach you advanced lampworking techniques through which you can learn to make many beautiful glass objects. Lampworking is a lot of fun and a great thing to learn for people who are fascinated with glass.
