The use of the word lampwork may be a bit of a misnomer in this day and age, but in centuries past, beads and other small glass items were made over the flame of an oil lamp, thus, "lampworked". Today, you will still hear this word commonly used, as well as the term "flameworked". Both are referring to the same principle of melting glass in a flame to make beads and glass items.
We've come a long way since the first beads were made over the heat of a lamp. Our glass properties are different, the flames and torches much hotter, and the possibilities of lampworking are endless. The array of tools to assist lampworkers in making beads is still in its infancy and new tools and techniques are constantly being introduced.
To begin making a simple bead, a mandrel (the rod going through the center of the bead, thus making the "hole") is coated with a bead release, making it possible to remove the bead after completion and cooling. Without bead release, the bead would be permanently affixed to the mandrel.
The mandrel is heated up in the flame along with the glass (which normally begins as a rod of glass about the diameter of a pencil), and as the glass softens and becomes molten, it is wrapped around the mandrel. Constant movement of the glass, using gravity as a tool, as well as moving the glass and mandrel in the flame in a rotating movement, begins the process of making a simple bead. There are so many bead making techniques that it would be next to impossible to cover them all, but suffice it to say, there is an amazing amount of work and finesse involved in making a balanced, simple bead. The more complex the bead, the more practice it takes to be successful in beadmaking.
After the bead is finished and I'm satisfied with the results, it is placed directly into a preheated kiln where it is brought back to room temperature over a period of several hours. This prevents the bead from cracking due to thermal shock and anneals the glass molecules into its new shape and form. Although made of glass, the bead is remarkably durable and long lasting which accounts for glass beads still found that are decades old.
Glass seems to have a life of its own and lampworking is a way to attempt to tame the glass and turn it into beautiful, lasting works of art. It's an exciting, creative, challenging, and rewarding expression of art that continues to amaze me!
