Lampwork Glass Bead Making

  1. Image of glass rods Glassworking Supplies Betty has a large selection of different color glass rods, ground glass (called frit), silver and gold foil, and other materials that she uses to make her beads.
  2. Image of working hot glass with a torch Starting Work on a Bead Betty's glass beads are made on stainless steel mandrels of various diameters that she has coated with a clay-like bead release. She starts by laying down a foundation of glass that she heats with her torch to about 1,300°F/700°C and winds on the mandrel.
  3. Image of working hot glass with a torch Using Heat to Form a Bead As glass is wound on the mandrel, Betty heats it to even it out. She then adds additional glass of different colors and uses various tools to manipulate and sculpt the soft glass.
  4. Image of glass annealing in a kiln Annealing the Hot Glass Beads in a Kiln When all the work of building up and sculpting the glass is done, Betty places her beads in a kiln that holds the beads at 940°F/504°C for a period of time and then slowly lowers the temparature. This ensures that any stress in the beads from heating in the torch is relieved and that the beads don't experience any thermal shock as they cool.
  5. Image of a bead on a mandrill A Finished Bead After a bead has slowly cooled to room temperature, Betty removes the mandrel from the kiln, soaks it in water to soften the bead release, slides the bead off the mandrel, and cleans and inspects it. Some beads are done at this point and others are further cold worked, which may include grinding and selective or full etching using an acid solution.