Question:
I do not make glass beads but really love to look at, and sometimes buy,
peoples creations. While I was doing my daily Ebay search for Lampwork an
idea came to me.
My idea is this. I think it would be so cool to make a set that looks like
the planets of the Solar System. If anyone decides to do this, please show
me your results. Hey, The focal bead could be the Sun! Or, the Earth. I
just think that could be the coolest set in the Galaxy
Answer:
I am a very anal retentive kind of grrl. As I read all the info I
could find on lampworking, I concluded that it would take a fortune to
get started, that I simply MUST have dedicated studio space and so on.
I had convinced myself that doing this would be impossible for me
because I had no studio, no garage, no basement...
My friend , who LEAPS into everything with both feet, dragged me
to a local stained glass shop where we bought a small (and very
overpriced!) bundle of rods. We went to Lorie's house and used her
propane torch to melt some glass on mandrels made from 14 gauge wire
she had in her basement. Voila! Booger beads!
So, let me preface my next comments with this warning: I strongly
recommend that ANYONE doing lampwork does so in a safe,
well-ventilated area.
I do lampwork in my dining room. The only electricity I use is for my
overhead lighting. I have a combination light/ceiling fan over the
table I work on. The sink is nearby in the kitchen, but it's mainly
used for rinsing off beads and cleaning them.
Personally, if you have a garage you can work in, I think that would
be better. It's not that messy, but you do have little shards of glass
to deal with as well as bead release fallout.
