Lampworking and Fusing....what's the dealio?

What is lampworking? Lampworking is a form of hot glass work using a torch to melt and shape the glass. Sometimes referred to as flameworking the original name came from the oil-fueled lamps which early lampworkers used as torches. In my studio rods of glass, either borosilicate or soda-lime glass are melted using an oxygen-propane torch flame and then either sculpted offhand or wound onto a stainless steel rod, called a mandrel.

Fused Glass work is a bit different from lampwork as it is not created HOT in a torch. Fused glass is often referred to as a warm glass technique. Glass pieces are cut into shapes or designs, layered, placed in a cold kiln and then heated to melting temperatures. Sometimes when the glass is molten the glass is manipulted using long tools and kevlar heat protection. Once the glass has melted together, or fused, the piece is slowly cooled for annealing.

Often I will incorporate small lamwporked glass pieces into my fused pieces for added range and texture in my work.

Studio Pictures

First off let me introduce you to Zippy.

He likes to watch over things. This year Zip will be 12, making him the old man of the place.

This is my largest kiln, used for fusing large plates, bowls, wall art etc.


Here is a shot of the cutting area (where I cut up sheet glass). You can also see my little hot box kiln in the photo.


This photo shows a bunch of my fusing molds. Many of these started as greenware which I fired to bisque.


I painted an old dresser and some old file cabinets in my favorite hues. This is where my books, beads and printed info gets housed.


In the wet area I do all the grinding, sawing, shaping and bead core cleaning. It can get messy.


This is a shot of my old workbench. My new one is a 4x8 standing bench but I haven't taken a photo yet.


Here I am melting some glass. If you stop by you'll often find me in bandana and pony tails!


This is my bead annealing kiln. Ain't she purdy?


I use glass rods like these in my work.


Here is some of my glass rod storage.


and lest we forget, here is the ambience portion of the shop - glitter light and fiber optic tree. Ooooooo colors!

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