Lampwork glass beads and their colorful artistry have always fascinated people. Lampwork beaded jewelry has had a huge market in the 19th century and even today the appeal of the handmade lampwork glass beads is showing no signs of waning.
Over time, some changes have come over in the way these were made - previously spirit / oil lamps were used for making these beads but these days fuel torches are being used - but it still continues to be an intense labor based effort. The whole process is so skill-based that not many people eagerly get involved in it even though they have sufficient exposure and know how to make lampwork glass beads. Beadmaking In The 19th Century In the Venetian industry, huge quantities of lampwork glass beads were made for facilitating the African trade. The industrial process was mainly managed by the men, who were involved in creating the core from molten glass at furnace temperatures. Once the core was ready, the coloring and decorating part was handled by women. Modern Way Of Making These days, gas torch is being used for making the lampwork glass beads. A glass rod is heated in the flame; the resulting thread is spun around a metal rod covered in bead ware. After the formation of the base bead, other colors of glass can be added to the surface for the creation of various designs. This is the primary stage of the bead-making technique; later the bead can be further treated in a kiln to last you longer. Modern bead making make use of single or duel fuel torches. The flameworking torches are usually "surface mix", where the oxygen and the fuel are mixed after coming out of the torch. This gives you a quieter tool and a flame that is less dirty. Unlike metalworking, flameworking keeps the torch fixed, with the bead and the glass moving in the flame. Glass Types Used For Making Lampwork Glass Beads - Dichroic Glass beads: For high-end art beads, this glass is excellent. The glass has a thin film of metal fused to its surface; this imparts the glass a metallic sheen that plays with two colors when viewed from different angles. - Lead crystal: The high lead content of this glass makes it sparkle remarkably on one side and inherently fragile on the other side. - Furnace Glass: This glass makes use of large decorated canes, enclosed in clear glass and finally taken out to create the beads with twisting as well as liner stripe patterns. - Soda LIME: This Italian glass is the most renowned lampworking glass. The popular soda-lime glasses come from companies like Effetre. Now that you know how to make lampwork glass beads and even know what you need, you too can try creating your own lampwork glass beads for some exquisite lampwork beaded jewelry. Decorate the lampwork glass beads the way you like - creating decorative designs like feathers and hearts or adorning them with metals.
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