Once upon a time I took a class on doing lampwork beads at an SCA event. It intrigued me, but being a class setting it was hard to get much more than a taste of the process. So I decide to drop the $100 on a “starter kit” from a website to try doing it myself. That was about a month ago.
I am having tons of fun and have gone hog wild on additional tools and supplies (I have dropped about another $150)
Of course my girlfriend was kind enough to point out…“why do all of your hobbies have to involve fire or some other dangerous aspect” (leather working, metal casting, beads and of course SCA fighting) Apparently hand made beads are quite sought after among my friends, and I already have several people asking about ordering and one cash in hand order.
I am half ready to go shopping for one of the low end pro model bench torches that are compatible with standard welding tanks and regulators and go lease a bulk tank for gas. Its basically just a hobby at this point and the last thing I want right now is to end up worrying about deadlines for bead order fulfillment.
I assume you are referring to the glass type?..104.
Hot glass does look similar, if it does not look like cold glass, its OMFGBBQ hot glass.
Right now, just playing with a hothead torch and mapp pro cannisters. Ordered a small annealer/rod warmer kiln a few days ago, just dying to see how much faster things go with preheated rods.
I took a lampworking class a few years ago. I was extremely pleased that I made it through the class without burning myself.
I also decided this is best left to those who are good at it. I will happily buy beautiful lampwork and incorporate it into my beadweaving, which I am good at.
They are beautiful, and I love the streaks on the blue one.
Like freckafree I have learned to leave these arts to those who know how to not kill themselves.
If you ever get production up enough to trade them, my husband makes dark beer that people seem to love. I’m not a fan of dark beer, but the people he gives it to always finish it and ask if there is more.
I work with a Mega Minor with a pair of refurbished oxygen concentrators. There are a couple of good forums - Lampwork Etc. Is the one I frequent most.
Huh. I know someone who makes glass pipes (for use with tobacco only). Same process?
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Sort of - the “boro boys” are usually freestyling with borosilicate (pyrex) glass tubing on the torch rather than working with glass rods and a mandrel like I do for beads. Boro is much tougher but will withstand high heat. They usually look upon glass beadmakers as mere dilettantes:D.
Most of the focal beads I make are about the size of a dollar coin. Much larger than that and its hard to maintain an even heat base. I make sets of smaller beads -usually about the size of a chickpea - but sets are a pain. Consistency in size is hard to maintain and I usually make about 24 or so to pick out a matched set.
Thank you!
Like the colours and shape - is the set going to be a necklace or a bracelet?
Nope, just me playing with different color combinations, swirl patterns and different kinds of frit.
I am going to order myself a proper torch this weekend, I ordered 25lb bulk tanks for gas today. unfortunately since I need to be mobile for SCA events, concentrators wont work well for me. I looked into leasing the tanks, but if I do this much, looks like a better deal to buy outright for $110 +25 for the initial fill and do 25 dollar trades for full tanks instead of $250 in little 1 pound cylinders.
I do clay beads and pendants myself but I feel like the next step I’d want to take would be up to glass. Too expensive for me right now but I can dream.
