In case you've been following (which of course I would be delighted to know), I've named this Post my Inspiration #7. Yes, it's true ~ I've completely and utterly ignored #'s 4, 5 and 6 - I wanted to make it easy for my brain to follow along... #7 for Jan 7th, and so forth.

 

Today's inspiration comes entirely from...myself! Okay - I know and realize that may sound a tad egocentric (which is not the way it was meant), but you see after compiling so many pictures of my work yesterday, it's got me all raring to jump into my Studio with Teddy (my loyal assistant) for a little flamework action today!

 

 

Borosilicate glass is magical and mystical.  It is referred to as "hard glass" with a coe (coefficient of expansion) of 33.  Many lampwork artists making beads tend to use "soft glass", which, for the most part, is WYSIWYG colors.  (What you see is what you get).

 

Call me a bit of a masochist, but I enjoy the learning process and chemistry behind the way Boro glass works.  I say 'masochist' because Borosilicate glass is loaded with various metals. 

 

The colors that can be achieved with Boro glass are unparalleled, and are dependent on many factors:

*  The proportion of oxygen vs. propane set for the flame of your torch

*  The way the glass is heated (and re-heated) during the process of creation

*  The temperature and length of time your work anneals in a kiln

*  Whether or not the glass has been layered and mixed with other colors

*  The moon and the stars - and many, many other factors.

 

Like I said before, it's not for everyone, but I truly enjoy the challenge.  Then again, because of all these factors I've outlined, it can as frustrating as it is rewarding.  After I create a piece in the hot flame of my torch, I then transfer the glass into my pre-heated kiln.  This process anneals the glass, i.e:  it essentially allows the glass to slowly come down to room temperature, to avoid any thermal cracking.

 

This annealing takes time - several hours in the kiln, and then even more hours before I can open the kiln and peek inside.  The fact that I have been lampworking for more than six years now has caused me also to wake up at like 4:00 a.m.  No guff - no lies.  I'm just SO excited to open up my kiln, and see what I made the day before.  It still excites me to this day, and no doubt, with the huge variety of glass there is to work with, I'll be blissfully happy melting glass for years to come.

 

Starting with today.