Lamp working

Lamp worked glass is the term given to glass art that is made in a flame. The term "lamp working" dates back centuries. Before the development of modern gas torches, wax or oil lamps were used to heat small quantities of glass and form them into highly detailed beads, figures or novelties.

With modern gas torches this is a more simple and accurately controlled process. At Torbay Glass we make beads by winding molten glass around specially prepared mandrels whose removal forms the hole in the bead. The beads can be shaped into endless intricate forms using tools and the heat of the torch, and they can be decorated with opaque colours, enamels, and frits. Modern day lamp workers have the luxury of computer-controlled kilns to aid in the annealing and cooling of their artwork ensuring much greater success in the finished articles.

Other glass techniques: [copper-foiling] [etching] [painting] [kiln-forming]