Lampwork glass beads made with Stained Glass Scrap



Tutor : Kate Drew-Wilkinson web

Plowden and Thompson

This beginner's class covers working with the torch, understanding oxygen and propane tank safety, the making of simple lampwork beads with an emphasis on centring and shape control, pulling stringers, polychrome decoration and cleaning and finishing.

*You will learn to hold small pieces of flat glass in the flame with a hemostat, attach them to a punty (a rod of clear glass) form the hot coloured glass so that it can be rolled onto a mandrel to make a bead. You will learn to centre the bead.

* How to make different shapes of bead. It is important to learn how to control the glass and make good beads before you learn to decorate them.

* How to make stringers. How to form and stretch the molten glass to make long wands of thin glass used for making dots. Leaves and other polychrome decorations on your beads.

* How to twist two or three colours out of small pieces of flat glass. These are known as latticino. We will work on various types of latticino and also cut them into small chips to use in a different way for decoration

* How to use silver foil to achieve exciting light effects under the glass.

* How to move glass around to achieve effects you have not dreamed of yet

* How to layer glass to lift colors, and how to avoid scumming the glass

* Every now and then, we will stop the class and I will demonstrate different techniques while you rest your weary fingers.

Expect to have a wonderful time as we explore the ancient art of melting glass into beads!

Cost: £220 for two days including all glass and gas

FULL - Please register your interest for the next class

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Please go to my web page www.katedrew-wilkinson.com and go to the section where my articles from the Lapidary Journal are to be found. You can download them if you wish.

Kate Drew-Wilkinson Designs
Author, lecturer, bead maker and jewellery designer

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