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So what does lampwork mean?
No, it is not constructing lamps but refers to the way glass beads were
made a few thousand years ago, with lamps for the fuel source. Glass beadmaking is an ancient
art, and has been practiced for more than 3000 years but throughout
history the art of making glass beads has been shrouded in secrecy.
Now the word is out and beadmakers willingly share information.
Glass beads have been used for adornment, trade, currency and religious
rituals in cultures all over the world. The past ten years have seen
the rebirth of ancient glass beadmaking traditions.
I use natural gas in a Minor torch
as a fuel source with an oxygen concentrator for the accelerant to
transform molten glass into works of art in my Ann Arbor, Michigan studio.
My Beaver Island, Michigan studio uses a Minor torch with propane gas and
an oxygen concentrator. All beads are immediately kiln annealed
overnight in a
digitally controlled kiln for strength and durability. Make sure
that handmade glass beads are annealed or else they are subject to
cracking or breaking. Annealed beads should last for your lifetime.
There are several good references
to read about lampwork glass beadmaking. The first book that I benefited from was
Cindy Jenkin's Making Glass Beads which has great photos of
different lampwork designs. Then I bought a couple more technical
references: More than you ever wanted to know about Glass
Beadmaking by James Kerwin and Volumes 1 and 2 of
Contemporary Lampworking A Practical Guide to Shaping Glass in the Flame by Bandhu
Dunham. And one of my favorites for learning the details/how-to of some
techniques is
Passing the Flame A Beadmakers Guide to Detail & Design by
Corina Tettinger. Corina's guide is
chock full of photos, step-by-step instructions and helpful information
and she shows you how to make the great frog! Jim Kerwin has a
series of great booklets on different lampwork artists such as Sharon Peter's
wonderfully wacky sculptural beads.
Interested in lampwork bead classes in Ann Arbor or
Beaver Island? Please check out the Lampwork
Class page and give us a call. We are willing
to work with you.
See
Studio Tour for pictures and
more!
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