my glass torch desk
Last week, Michael C. Wagner wanted to see fellow serial entrepreneur’s desks. I have multiple desks and I wondered, hey Mike, would you like to see an artist’s desk? Well here it is. It is where I go deep with my creative juices. Look close and see if you find anything significant. Happy hunting!
What does your desk look like? What place inspires you to go deep with your creative side?
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Happy Sunday Everyone! I just want to share a couple of pictures of some of the projects I completed this week. Special orders are pouring in for the holidays so make sure you get your requests in early. I love a challenge and love collaborating ideas with clients so get creative and challenge me!
turquoise and glass bracelet
Here is a turquoise and Italian glass bracelet accented with sterling silver and an Indian head replicated coin. It is a great piece and compliments the necklace and earrings that go with it nicely.
black. white and clear dance well together on this bracelet.
I had such a good time creating this great piece. I love how the black and white contrast but compliment each other and the swarovski crystals are the disco ball at the dance and make everything sparkle.
Hope you enjoy your weekend and create something that makes you smile.
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As we wrapped up another week and look forward to kicking back and enjoying the weekend, I want to spotlight a couple of artists that command recognition. I am totally fascinated with glass blowing and am just dieing to try my hand at it. Watching a glass blower do their dance with hot, molten glass commands respect as well as recognition:
Burchetta Glassblowing Studio & Gallery – I follow John on Twitter and recently watched his video on his and Elizabeth’s website. I would love to visit this gallery someday located in Wilmington, NC. Nice video John!
Ciccotti Art Glass - Though not a native of Iowa, Art Ciccotti is known in Iowa for his blown glass. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Art, but I am totally excited to visit his studio in the near future and watch him work in person, or maybe take a class from him. I’ll be calling you Art!
Photo by: walknboston on Flickr
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Brake Line Tube used to blow glass
Yesterday we talked about mandrels and how you can cut costs by making your own from stainless steel welding rod. But what is that odd ended thing in the photo on the right? It is a piece of brake line tubing. This is a little trick that another lampworker taught me years ago. You use it to blow smaller glass balls and ornaments. I got mine at the local automotive supply store. They were also kind enough to cut it in two for me. (got that with a smile)
I’ve had fun playing with my brake line tube. I practice blowing small ornaments every now and then but could probably use more practice, or maybe a glass blowing class would be fun.
What’s your favorite glass blowing tip?
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mandrels come in many sizes
You hear the word “mandrel”, what is it? A mandrel is the rod that you use to make lampwork beads. The mandrel is dipped in a separating solution called sludge before it is heated by the torch and melted glass is swirled around it. If you’re a lampworker already, then you know what a mandrel is. But, did you know that there are alternatives to the standard mandrels that you buy from your glass supplier?
It is great to purchase a package of mandrels from a glass supply store because they come in a neat little package, each one is the same size as the next and all ends are rounded, not sharp or jagged. I especially like the larger mandrels from the supplier because they are lighter in weight.
But here is an affordable alternative to buying every mandrel, because we all know how quickly you can use up a thin mandrel and need to replace it. Buy Stainless Steel Welding Rod from your local welding store. It comes in bulk packages that are three feet long and costs a lot less than mandrels purchased from the glass supply store. You need to make sure you ask for “stainless steel” rod. My favorite sizes are 1/16″ and 3/32″ because they are easier to cut with heavy cutters.
I have become extremely lazy about cutting welding rod too. buying it in bulk gives you tons of mandrels because you can cut each rod into 1/3rds. As you cut the rod, don’t cut it in one swift cut, but rather “dent” the rod with the cutters, then rotate the rod slightly, dent it again, rotate, dent again . . . until the rod is cut and has rounded ends, not jagged. I can accomplish this in about 4 squeezes of the cutters. Anything larger than 3/32″ is almost too difficult for a person to hand cut, but you can use a cutting saw to cut through larger mandrels if you like. Just remember to smooth and taper the ends so that the beads you make don’t get hung up when you try to take them off. Also remember that larger homemade mandrels will weigh more than purchased ones. (you can see in the photo above that the large hole mandrels on the left were purchased and have easily managed thin handles which takes away the extra weight)
Do you have ways to trim $$ in your lampwork? Please tell me.
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properly annealed beads
So, you’ve started making glass beads, awesome! You hear about annealing your beads, but what does that really mean, and do you really need to do it?
The definition of “anneal” : to cool slowly; to heat and cool to make less brittle; to strengthen or toughen.
In lampworking, annealing glass beads means to heat and hold at a temperature of 950 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then slowly reducing the temperture over 6 – 8 hours until the kiln can be turned off at 500 degrees.
Why Anneal? The best way to explain why a glass bead needs annealed is this; a bead cools a lot like a cream soup. Have you ever made soup and as it cooled it got a “skin” on the top, but under the “skin” it is piping hot? That is similar to a glass bead. The outside of the bead will harden and be cooler than the inside, which is hotter. If you don’t control the speed in which the bead cools and allow the outside to cool at the same time as the inside, it causes internal stresses to occur and you will usually end up with a cracked bead.
Even if you don’t anneal your beads and you get lucky and have some survive, they are not likely to last long due to the stresses that remain inside the bead. They don’t even have to be dropped to just crack for no reason. A properly annealed bead will almost never crack. They are super strong and can literally be dropped on the floor without breaking. I call that “quality control”.
Now, if you have no intention of selling your beads or giving them as gifts, and you just want to keep them for yourself, then annealing is only important if you want them to last a long time.
What are your thoughts on annealing? I would love to hear from you.
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two graphite paddles on left and a brass shaper on right with beads that were shaped with a marver
A couple of posts ago, We talked about the essential tools you need to get started in lampworking.
So, let’s take a look at one of the basic tools you will need, a marver.
A marver is a shaping tool used when working with molten glass. They are usually made of graphite so that molten glass doesn’t stick to them. You can purchase marvers at your glass supply store where you can choose many different sizes and shapes. I think for your first marver you would really enjoy something like the one in the picture on the left. It has a beveled edge, a rounded edge, a square edge, and a large flat surface. A very handy first marver. You can purchase something similar from Arrow Springs.
The marver in the picture on the right is a brass marver. A brass marver is a little different than a graphite marver in that it will “push” and “pull” molten glass easier, making sculpting quicker. Brass and graphite paddles have a different feel when working with them, so it comes down to personal preference.
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I found this YouTube video today that I thought you would enjoy. This guy in Romania makes these imploded spider pendants that are so cool. I think you will enjoy his very nice tutorial on how to make these unique beads. Enjoy!
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Not your "Mummy"s Trunk Show
Still working on some great pieces for this weekend’s SPOOKY TRUNK SHOW. Here are some mummy beads before I finish them and one Frankenstein who is anything but scary. There are some fabulous artists and lots of tricks and treats for all. Bring a friend, someone to cling to in case you’re frightened by all the great products you’ll find.
See you there if you dare!
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Happy Thursday! The weekend is almost here, not that it means any rest or relaxation, though I do get to go to the opera on Friday night at Simpson College. Excited about that! I hope you all are having a productive week.
Here are a few projects you have ordered and are ready to ship:
Beads to slide on a necklace
Spooky earrings
Pumpkin Earrings
Enjoy the beautiful autumn week we are having and make the most of your day!
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Lori Murga
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