Hot Head Torches and using Mapp gas canisters in Europe

This isn't a new issue, but I just discovered it a few weeks ago.  Mapp gas canisters that are sold in Europe are not the same design as in the USA.  So it makes it impossible to attach the Hot Head Torch to the European Mapp gas canisters, because the hole where the torch attaches is not the same size.  So European Hot Head users that want to use Mapp gas canisters need to buy an attachment, somewhere (if there is any attachment available) or find someplace that sells American Mapp gas canisters.  It would be nice for Hot Head to just make a special adapter for this very problem.

Lampwork disk bead tutorial video

Click here to see a Corning Museum of Glass disk bead tutorial on YouTube by Kristina Logan.  If you make lampwork beads or wondered how they are made, this is an excellent video to watch.  Kristina spends quite a bit of time showing how she creates her very complex disk beads.  

Video showing how to make a hollow bead using a Hot Head Torch

We ran across this YouTube video showing how to make a clear, soft glass hollow bead using a Hot Head torch, uploaded by Candyann22.  She makes it look extremely easy, but keep in mind, it's probably only after she's had a LOT of practice!  Click here to see the video.

Making a lampwork glass bead goddess, video

It's always interesting to watch a soft glass lampworker make sculptural beads.  They can make it look so easy.  The volume isn't the best on this video but it is still fun to watch!  Hopefully this video inspires some lampworkers to try making their own goddess beads.

Click here to view the video.

Making a lampwork triangle bead tutorial, video

This video shows glass artist, Jeannie Cox, making a triangle bead.  It's fun to watch how different lampwork artists create similar beads, such as these triangle beads.

In our studio, we start with the same round base bead and add the four dots on the opposite sides,  just as Jeannie does.  We then proceed to melt the dots almost all of the way into the bead, and then we encase the center of our beads with a thin strip, (on the center of the base bead only) yet tall,  band of clear glass.  When slowly and carefully melted in, the clear glass spreads out the dots and creates triangles.

Click here to watch the video.

Making a lampwork butterfly, video

You're sure to enjoy watching this lampworking video showing an artist creating a butterfly!
Click here to watch the video!

Blowing glass shards for lampworking or fusing, tutorial

Blowing Shards- a tutorial by Jennifer Geldard

A couple of people have asked me to do a tutorial about how I blow

my patterned shards... while nothing beats a live demo, I'll try to describe the process

as well as I can.

I start with a stainless steel hollow mandrel or blowpipe.

Heat the end to a glowing red so that the glass will stick well to the pipe.

I start my first wrap of glass a bit back from the very end so that

the glass can't travel to the inside of the tube.

I then continue to

wind on the glass as if I'm making a disc bead on the mandrel.

The process is very similar to making a hollow bead on a mandrel

except the other end of the bead is off the end of the tube somewhere :)

Be careful and try not to leave tiny holes in betwwen the wraps, or

when it's time to heat everything up, your bubble will collapse.

I like making shards with many colors of glass, so I'll change colors

often as I wind on the wraps, as well as add a bit of frit or twisties here and there.

As I get to the half-way point of the form, I start to wind each wrap

slightly to the inside of the previous wrap so that the shape begins to

close. What I'm aiming for is a hollow ball.

Don't forget to keep everything warm while you're building

up the walls... especcially where the metal touches the glass... the metal is like

a heat sink and will draw the heat from the glass.

Eventually the ball will close , and this is when I might add abit more color

with frits or some surface design. Try not to add too much

glass thickness to any one spot, or your bubble wont blow out evenly.

Ok... Now the tricky part...

Melting it all smooth and blowing your bubble:

The trick here is to keep the bubble molten without having it collapse

on you before you're ready to blow it out.

Remember that the tube is really a hole, and that the heat inside the bubble

wants to escape out that hole and make all your hard work collapse like a sad

little popped balloon hanging off the end of the tube. There are a couple

of things you can do to avoid this...

One, is to cover the hole at the mouth end of the tube with your finger

while you turn the bubble in the flame.

The second is to periodically blow in tiny soft puffs into the tube from time to

time to help the bubble keep it's shape. I do both of these things.

It is important to keep the mandrel/tube turning while you do this

so that the bubble stays on center.

To even out your wall thickness, you're going to want to expand and contract

the glass a few times before you do your final blow.... in other words,

puff up the shape a bit, and then let it collapse down a bit... back

and forth a few times. This really helps with your final bubble shape.

When you're ready, and the glass is evenly molten...the same glow

throughout the bubble, it's time to blow your big bubble.

Do not blow hard or you will blow out a side...

Not only does this ruin all of your hard work, but the little cellophane-like

glass pieces that float about are very dangerous to breathe in.

Using a soft breath should be just fine. If the glass isn't expanding

with a soft breath, it's not hot enough. Blow slow and steady until the ball is

about the size of an orange, and the walls are very thin.

As I couldn't photograph myself durring the blowing process, here are a

couple of pictures taken by Cindy Brown ( Cindybeads ) durring

my class in Omaha.

And then you're done!

I drop the whole shebang into a coffee can until it's cool, and then

bonk it with something heavy like a hammer ... the shattered pieces are

your shards. Have Fun!! Be Safe!!! And dont get too

discouraged if you fail the first few times...

it's a learning process, and you'll eventually get a feel for it!!

-Jen

 GALLERY \ ARTIST STATEMENT \ TEACHING \ SHOWS \ LINKS & PUBLICATIONS \ PURCHASE WORK \ HOME

Wavy Bead Tutorial

Wavy Bead Tutorial

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I would like to add that I do not claim to have developed this technique. There are other ways to make a wavy bead. This is how I do it.

1. Start by making a disk about 1 inch in diameter. For this Tutorial I used SS5.

TIP: - Try to make your disk layers as skinny as possible. More layers will add to the depth of the bead and make your end result that much more interesting. I try to have at least 5 layers or more in the disk.

2. Next, using a 6mm clear rod place a fairly large dot on the disk (does not matter which side you start on).

TIP: - Hold your mandrel perpendicular to the flame so that the disk is parallel with the flame. Once you place your dot pull your rod toward the flame and flame cut just above the disk. (See Picture)

Place another dot the same size directly opposite of the first one.

Now place another dot in between the first two.

TIP: - DO NOT - touch the mandrel with the dots.

DO NOT - Let the dots touch each other.

Make your dots as large as possible without doing the above.

3. Perform the above procedure on the other side of the disk placing the dots in between the ones on the other side.

TIP: - These clear dots (When melted) will travel across the face of the bead creating the wave pattern. The larger the dot, the farther across the face it will travel.

TIP: - When placing dots on the face of the disk, wait for a second before pulling it towards the flame to flame cut. This will ultimately leave more glass where you placed the dot.

4. Your next step is to melt everything down into a bead.

TIP: - When you first begin to melt down your wavy bead start by melting the tips of the dots where you flame cut them. After these are all melted down and even with the edge of the disk you can get more aggressive with the melt down.

Here is a pic before encasing it with clear

Here is a pic after encasing it with clear

Here is another example using a 3 color twistie.

1. Make your disk.

2. Apply your dots.

3. Melt it all down.

Before encasing.

After Encasing.

Final TIP: - Soft glass moves much different than Boro. Soft glass users will want to slow down the melt down. You may have to pull it out of the flame and let it cool for a few seconds, pull it out of the flame and let it cool for a few seconds, pull it out of the flame and let it cool for a few seconds, You get the idea. If you are using soft glass and you end up with a big blob and don't get that unmistakable wave pattern then your probably melting to fast!

I hope this helps some of the people out there that have struggled with this technique. Please post your questions and your pics.

Happy melting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Below we have included the information and links for the lampwork artist who made this great tutorial, Rob Keys!  We hope you enjoy this tutorial as much as we did.

__________________
Rob Keyes
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.

My Etsy, My Ebay, Wavey Bead Tutorial.

Moretti Glass Color Properties Chart

# - Color - Name - Properties and comments

Transparent

T-008 Very pale amber Looks very nice etched
T-012 Light Amber (topaz) All three topaz colors are great for animal prints
T-014 Med. Amber (topaz) same as above
T-016 Root Beer (dk. Topaz) same as above
T-018 Light Brown
T-019 Sage green Seems to be a darker version of dark grass green at 3X the $
T-020 Lt. Grass Green
T-022 Med. Grass green
T-024 Dk. Grass green
T-026 Light teal reduces if overheated
T-027 Dk. Teal reduces if overheated
T-028 Lt. Emerald green
T-030 Dk. Emerald green
T-031 Pale emerald green very stiff, color very pale
T-034 Lt. Aquamarine reduces and bubbles if overheated, very pretty over dk. Ivory
T-036 Dk. Aquamarine reduces and bubbles if overheated, very pretty over dk. Ivory
T-040 Light Amethyst nice color to encase with
T-042 Med. Amethyst looks nice over coral, periwinkle
T-044 Dk. Amethyst looks nice over coral, periwinkle
T-046 Pale Amethyst too pale for me
T-048 Pale Blue Gray don’t see the point to this one, very pale
T-049 Straw Yellow Very light soft pale yellow
T-052 Light Blue often very pale
T-054 Md. Blue often very little difference between these 3 colors
T-056 Dk. Blue sometimes hard to tell from the med blue
T-058 Ink Blue gorgeous blue-violet color, but often looks like cobalt
T-060 Cobalt very stiff, gorgeous color
T-064 black in reality a very dark purple if cased over white
T-066 Super d. black darker than T-064, great lace effect when overheated 
T-068 pale rose often very pale
T-069 yellow bright neon yellow, strikes
T-070 uranium yellow light yellow-green
T-071 yellow green
T-072 orange bright orange, strikes
T-076 red dark red, strikes, browns if overheated, turns blueish with silver
T-080 pale lavender very pretty etched
T-081 dark lavender lavender in daylight, blue under fluorescent lights
T-082 lavender blue pink a.k.a. rosato or rose, very pretty etched
T-084 light grey very nice over dk. Ivory
T-088 dk. Grey very nice over dk. Ivory

Pastel

P-204 white very soft, seeps out from underneath clear
P-208 light white a.k.a. anise white, stiffer than 204, slightly translucent
P-210 avocado green more like taupe or putty in color, can be shocky
P-211 sage green more like taupe or khaki, but slightly greener than 210
P-212 pea green very soft, spreads a lot, reacts with EDP
P-214 nile green slightly stiffer than 212, spreads a lot
P-216 lt. Grass green spreads a lot
P-218 petroleum gr. Reduces if over heated, mottles too, reacts with EDP
P-219 copper green reacts with many colors, reduces if overheated, stiff for green
P-220 periwinkle very soft, versatile color
P-221 lavender semi transluscent
P-223 mosaic green very variable in color from batch to batch
P-224 lt. Sky blue reduces if overheated, likes oxy, reacts with ivory
P-228 dk. Sky blue reduces if overheated, likes oxy, looks very similar to 236
P-232 lt. Turquoise reduces if overheated, likes oxy, reacts with ivory
P-236 dk. Turquoise reduces if overheated, likes oxy, reacts with ivory
P-240 lt. Cobalt a.k.a. lapis, color very variable
P-242 md. Cobalt a.k.a. lapis, color very variable
P-246 dk. Cobalt a.k.a. lapis, color very variable
P-248 lt. Gray
P-252 dk. Gray
P-254 purple more like orchid, a.k.a. EDP (evil devitrifying purple), reacts with many colors, great with silver, reduces easily, likes oxy, devitrifies easily, strikes darker
P-255 silver pink very hard to strike, rods look yellowish before striking
P-256 dk. Pink most batches very pale
P-258 tongue pink hard to strike, but lovely when struck
P-260 lt. Pink practically white, most batches very light
P-262 powder pink strikes to tera cotta, very pretty, good with silver 
P-264 ivory not as reactive as dk. Ivory
P-265 uranium pale yellow-green, very pretty
P-266 opal yellow difficult to strike, comes in yellow & caramel brown forms, reacts w/ silver
P-268 pearl grey
P-272 violet more like light mauve
P-273 soft violet has an interesting metallic sheen
P-274 bright violet more like aubergine
P-276 dark ivory “caramelizes” when overheated, reacts with many colors and with silver


Special Colors

S-404 lt. Lemon yellow a.k.a. acid yellow, bright yellow
S-408 md. Lemon yellow a little darker than 404
S-409 translucent yel. An odd batch, semi-translucent, very pretty, reacts with silver
S-412 Dk. Yellow school bus yellow
S-416 bright yellow also school bus yellow
S-418 butter yellow not! School bus yellow
S-420 coral color very variable, reacts with silver and many colors
S-422 orange color very variable, browns if overheated
S-424 carrot red dark orange, browns if overheated
S-428 lt. Red. Orange red-orange, browns if overheated 
S-432 med. Red more like light red, browns if overheated
S-436 dark red more like med. Red, browns if overheated
S-438 dark purple red more like Christmas red, very pretty, browns if overheated
S-444 light brown darkens after heating
S-448 dark brown darkens after heating
S-452 dk. Red brown chocolate brown after heating
S-456 rubino a.k.a. gold cranberry, reduces easily, likes oxy, fades if overheated, reacts with many colors and with silver, blackish reaction with dk. Ivory, work on the cool side
S-460 mustard color very variable


The information above was found on the WetCanvas site, and posted by AlexM.  The post is old but it has some colors and information that can still be quite viable to lampwork and fused glass artists.

Click on the image above to see it enlarged.  This sample chart came from Arrow Springs.

Excellent lampwork video

This is a wonderful lampwork video that we found on YouTube and decided to share with our readers today!  For people that do not know what lampwork is, it is the art of using a torch on glass rods to create glass beads and vessels.  

Click here to see the lampwork video!

Complex twisted cane tutorial

This tutorial was made by Corina Tettinger and can be found on her web page, Corinabeads.  This was one of the first tutorials we followed when learning how to make lampwork beads!  You can use these twisted canes to decorate lampwork beads and a variety of fused glass pieces.

 Today I wanted to show you something I learned from my friend Liane Jaehde, who was my teaching assistant in Germany this May. Her boyfriend is a glass-blower, and he showed her this method - it's nothing NEW, just a different way of making a complex twisted cane. I am still confident you will enjoy this, it's actually so much easier and cleaner than the "usual" method of building a complex cane, it might take your interest in cane-making to a different level. Every beadmaker I have met so far builds can more or less from a pancake, the way I have shown in Passing The Flame, which means that you build it the way it's twisted later on - with the punty more or less in case. This method requires a little shift in thinking, instead of building from the center out, you start with the glass that is on one SIDE of the cane. Just look at the pictures (which I took myself WHILE making this cane....holding the glass in my left hand and the camera in my right...they turned out pretty well, actually...)

1. Make a big blob in the color you want to be on one outside of the cane (I used transparent teal)

2. Flatten this blob with a graphite marver
 

3. Add a contrasting color (white)

4. Flatten this color, so there are no holes or dimples in the surface

   

5. Add more glass, flatten again (you can repeat these steps as often as you like, the more layers, the more complex the twist will be). The LAST layer will be the other outside of the cane (transparent grass green).

6. Melt this gather lightly, so the layers bond with each other.

   

If you want to, you can now add some stringer or filigrana around the CENTER of this gather (where the white and pea green meet, in this case).

7. Attach a punty to the SIDE of this gather!!! THis is the COOL moment!

8. Now melt OFF the initial rod of glass and attach it as a second punty opposite to the first punty. Get the idea where this is going? The most difficult part here is to move the entire thing in a way that the flame heats the part where the teal rod is still attached to the gather. It's a little like moving a wrench, you'll get the hang of this quickly.

   

9. Now all you have to do is melt the gather, pull it out slightly, twist and pull, just like a regular twisted cane. But I promise it will be a lot prettier than what you're used to!!!

Types of torch flames for lampworking

Hint:  The ratio at which you set your oxygen to propane is crucial for certain color effects. When dialing in flame settings you start with just propane.

A neutral flame is the hottest flame. Your flame is made up of "candles" at the base of the torch, and you want each candle to be about the same length; 1/4" to 1/3" or so, primarily rounded blue with a small slightly fuzzy whitish-yellow tip. You don't want to see any elongated yellow candles, or a strongly elongated center candle, because that means you have a reduction flame. It's OK for the center candle to be just slightly longer than the outer candles.

A reducing flame has more propane than the usual neutral flame, it's a cooler flame. A reducing flame has longer yellow fuzzy tips to the candles. The flame will look fatter than usual and the candles coming out of the torch will look very long. When you put a rod of ivory or white, (turquoise, yellow and other colors do this as well), you will get a brownish haze on the end of the heated rod. To remove an unwanted brownish stain on a bead or rod, if you DO NOT really want to use a reducing flame but are accidentally using one, turn down the propane on your torch then re introduce the bead or rod into the flame and the brown stain will burn off. If you can't turn down the propane on your torch, turn up the oxygen on your torch. A reduction flame also helps bring metallics to the surface.

An oxidizing flame has more oxygen than usual. An oxidizing flame has rounded end blue candles with no yellow/white tips to them. The further away from the torch head you work, the more oxidizing the flame. Oxidizing flames are good to use on striking colors. Metallic leaf also likes a slightly oxidizing flame.

Reducing flame on torch at Harrach Glass

How to make raku glass "pop" tutorial

This little hint is written for lampwork artists that are unable to get some nice colors with raku glass.  First of all, I use soda lime glass (soft glass) that is 104 coe.  I use both raku frit and raku glass rod.  I seem to get the best effect with frit.

So basically what you will need to do is form the bead to whatever shape you desire, first.  Then when the bead is still hot, add the raku frit or decorate with your glass rod.  Once done melt it all in to the base color, and let the bead cool down.  

Once the bead has cooled down, reheat the bead, this time using a lot of heat in a reducing flame.  A reducing flame means, a flame with more propane than usual.  Once heated up and molten, quickly cool the bead.  I cool my beads by placing them on the back of a cold, brass lampwork press.  I just lightly rub the bead around so that the raku cools down quickly.  Now take a look at your bead.  If the raku glass looks like it needs more color in a certain area, heat that spot up again and cool it quickly again with the brass press.  You can't heat and cool the bead too much because after awhile the raku color will fade away and look dark.  So you must try to get it right the first couple of times!

Practice, practice, practice and eventually it will become easy.  Good luck and have fun playing around.