Lampworking Process

 

The majority of my work is made out of borosilicate glass and is made in the lampworked tradition meaning the glass is manipulated in front of a torch using only the flame and a small variety of hand tools. A mixture of liquid oxygen and propane combine to produce a flame that is hot enough to melt the glass at temperatures around 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The glass is heated and shaped by blowing and using a variety of hand motions. Color and applied decoration is added to the glass through the use of cane, frit and powder along with the fuming of various metal oxides. Often times I use dichroic glass in my work as well as complex murrine, millifiori, latticino, filligrana and other zanfirico canes. After a piece is completed it is placed into a kiln a to properly anneal at about 1050 degrees. This relieves any unwanted stress that is left in the glass.