Once glass has been heated, it developes internal stress as it cools.  This can cause the glass to crack or dangerously shatter later in its life.  Sometimes it happens as soon as it cools, sometimes months later.  To avoid this probem, glass needs to be properly kiln annealed.  Once I make a bead, it immediately goes in my kiln which has an internal temperature of 968 degrees.  At the end of a bead making session, the kiln will stay at that temperature for two hours without the door being opened.  This process is the annealing process.  After two hours, the kiln will slowly ramp down so that no stress is created in the glass.  It's often hard to wait until the next day to see my days work, but it is best for the beads. 

 

Aren't all beads kiln annealed?

     No, unfortunately many, many lampwork beads are not properly kiln annealed.  Many of the imported lampwork beads that are made in production shops do not go through this time consuming process.  Each glass has its own heat requirement.  The length of time a bead anneals is also dependent on the size of the bead.  Larger beads require a longer annealing cycle.  Buying directly from lampwork artists is one way to insure your beads are annealed.  Most artists care a great deal about the quality of their work and consider the annealing process a mandatory step in making their beads.

 

What does SRA mean?

     Self Representing Artsit!  That means the person who is selling the bead is also the person who made the bead.  Many low cost beads are being imported from China and other countries.  Unfortunately Ebay and discount stores have become flooded with these beads that tend to be low quality.  Sure, some are pretty, but do you really want to put all the work into making a piece of jewelry with beads of questionable quality.  Many lampwork artists include SRA in their auction listings to aid you in your search for quality beads.  Watch for the SRA logo!

             S - 50

 

 

How are lampwork beads made?

     The answer to this could fill books!  So, I'll give you the simplified version.  Glass rods are melted in a torch.  Once molten, the glass is applied to a steel mandrel (thin rod).  Most of the time, each color you see on the bead has been individually placed there by the artist.  Many different rods of colored glass can be used on just one bead.  One hand holds the mandrel and slowly keeps the bead turning, while the other hand adds glass or manipulates the hot glass.  It can be a fine balancing act!  Sometimes I use copper, gold or silver foil in my beads.  Each element has a different effect and some are quite unexpected.

After the bead is formed, it garaged in the kiln until the end of the day when all are annealed.  After the beads are cooled, they must be removed from the mandrels, and the bead release cleaned from the holes.