Making your own glass beads
Glass bead making, or lampworking, is an age old tradition which has survived the test of time. Whilst the equipment to make glass beads has improved and made life easier for lampworkers, the basic principle and never changed, and glass beads are largely the same today as they were 1000 years ago.
Preparing to make a bead
You will need to get a special metal rod, called a mandrel, which has been designed for creating glass beads. This needs to be coated with ‘bead release’ to stop the bead sticking to the rod. You will also need a blow torch or propane torch to work with and a heatproof surface to work on, as well as British standard safety goggles.
Making the bead
Use your blowtorch to heat the mandrel evenly up and down its length and then start warming your glass rod. Try to warm it slowly otherwise it can just shatter. When the glass rod starts to glow, move it into the hottest part of the flame to start melting the glass. Move the rod around in a circular motion until the molten glass starts to form a blob. At this stage the melted glass should be of a similar consistency of treacle or thick honey. Bring your hot mandrel back to the work surface and touch the tip of the blob of glass onto the coated surface of the rod. Turn the rod around to move the glass and evenly coat the mandrel all the way around. When your glass bead is of the desired size move the glass rod away, separating the new bead from the rod.
Shaping the bead
Whilst the glass is still hot and pliable, roll the bead on the mandrel on your heatproof surface to even up the shape and smooth the surface. You will need to keep moving the mandrel in a rotational fashion until the glass stops glowing. Once cool the bead should just pop off with the use of a pair of pliers. Once you have mastered the art of basic manufacture of glass beads, you can add interest to your design using different coloured glass or special techniques to create your own unique designs.
Glass Beads
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