Lampwerking

Lampwerking, known in English as lampworking or flame-working, is a glassworking technique in which glass is melted and shaped using a flame from a gas-fueled torch. The flame melts glass rods or tubes so the softened material can be formed into beads, sculptures, or components for jewelry and decorative objects. It is distinct from furnace glassmaking, which uses a large furnace for melting and shaping.

Materials and equipment: Typical glasses are soda-lime or borosilicate glass. The main tools are a handheld torch (often propane or natural gas with oxygen), mandrels for beads, graphite shaping tools, tweezers, and wire or rods. An annealing kiln is used to slowly cool finished pieces to relieve internal stress.

Process: The artist brings the end of a glass rod into the flame until it becomes viscous and malleable, then shapes it by rotating the object in the flame and applying tools. Color is added with frits, stringers, or prefabricated color canes. Beads are built around a mandrel and then slid off to be annealed. After shaping, the piece is placed in a kiln for controlled cooling.

Applications and styles: Lampworking covers beadmaking for jewelry, small sculptural pieces, and laboratory components on a small scale. Colorful effects are achieved by layering different glass colors and by controlled cooling and reheating.

History and terminology: The term derives from the use of a lamp as the heat source in early beadmaking. Modern lampworking relies on compact torches and precise temperature control, enabling intricate and miniature glassworks.