About Lampworking

Lampworking is the craft of melting glass rods to create beads and other glass objects by blowing and shaping with a variety of tools and hand movements. Early lampworking was done in the flame of an oil lamp, with the artist blowing air into the flame through a pipe. Most artists today use torches that burn propane gas with pure oxygen as the oxidizer. The craft is now also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil lamps.

To create a bead the lampworker introduces a glass rod into the flame. The glass is heated until molten and wound around a specially-coated steel mandrel, forming the base bead. Once the basic shape is formed  the bead can then be embellished or decorated using a variety of techniques and materials.

Once finished the bead must be annealed in a kiln to prevent cracking or shattering. Annealing is the process of heating the bead until it's temperature reaches a stress-relief point, that is, a temperature at which the glass is still too hard to deform, but is soft enough for internal stresses to ease. The bead is then allowed to heat-soak until its temperature is uniform throughout, then slowly cooled to room temperature. This relieves the internal stresses, resulting in a bead which should last for many years. Glass which has not been annealed may crack or shatter due to a seemingly minor temperature change or other shock.

About This Lampworker!

My name's Denise Karan and I live in Accrington in East Lancashire. Like many other beadmakers I also design and create my own jewellery ( see my jewellery website at http://www.indigolily.co.uk/ ) and I have bought beautiful beads from many artists. It seemed a natural progression to make my own. In 2007 I had a lesson with the very talented Mike Poole of Tillerman Beads, and loved it! It took a while for me to save up and buy my own torch and kiln and find the space to create my own studio at home but I finally managed it this year. And here I am....loving every minute I get at the torch!