Process & Information

Unlike most glassblowers I am proficient in two types of glassblowing: Lampworking and Offhand. The term Lampworking dates back to the olden days when oil lamps were used instead of modern day torches to manipulate the glass. The torch uses oxygen and propane to create the needed heat to melt the glass. The torch I use to heat the glass for manipulation has a flame that is about 6000 degrees (F).

With offhand glass blowing, a blowpipe (hollow steel tube) is inserted into a furnace with a cauldron full of molten glass. The pipe is then spun within the furnace and glass is gathered around the tip similar to gathering honey from the honey jar. The glass on the end of the blowpipe is then made into the desired shape. To keep the glass pliable throughout the process it is frequently inserted into another furnace called a glory hole to be reheated.

Each form of glass blowing has its own special tools and techniques, there are some similarities between the to methods such as keen attention to gravity and centrifugal force. I must constantly turn and spin the piece making sure to keep it on center; this is a delicate skill only to be achieved by much practice and a steady hand. The piece is then placed in a kiln overnight to come down slowly in temperature and will then be ready to be loved by you.

Heat is more of a factor than temperature generally speaking. A large flame that is 5000 degrees will melt an average sized piece of glass much more effectively than a pin point flame that is 10,000 degrees. Even though a larger flame has a lower temperature it has more heat due to its size. Thus producing more BTU’s, which will melt more glass. Temperature is very critical however for melting some materials which can have adverse effects if there temperature rises above a certain point.

The transparent color you see in the perfume bottles, pendants and earrings. Is created by heating up pure gold or silver to the point where the metal changes from a solid to gaseous state. The propane and oxygen rushing out of the torch creates airflow moving forward which brings the precious metal gas into contact with the glass. Since the precious metal gasses are at a higher temperature than the glass. Heat is transferred from the silver and gold gases into the glass. When the precious metal gas drop in temperature they go through another phase change turning back into a solid state becoming the final transparent layer you see in the glass. Which is then manipulated into a delightful design.

DICHROIC GLASS

Dichroic is a multi layer coating placed on glass by using a highly technical vacuum deposition process. Quartz Crystal and Metal Oxides are vaporized with an electron beam gun in an airless vacuum chamber and the vapor then floats upward and attaches then condenses on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. Some of the colors have up to 30 layers of these thing coatings thickness but still the total thickness of the coating is around 35 millionths of an inch. The coating that is created is very similar to a gemstone and by careful control in thickness, different colors are obtained. Dichroic Glass was originally created for the Aerospace industry for Satellite mirrors, but it now has many technical uses including: Lighting, Fiber Optics, Infrared Lasers, Motion Picture Equipment, Sun Glasses, and more. The main characteristic of Dichroic Glass is that it has a transmitted color and a completely different reflective color. The "Transmitted Color" is the color you see in a clear piece of glass when you can actually see through the glass. The "Reflected Color" is the color you see in a clear or opaque piece of glass when the light bounces off of the surface of the glass. Furthermore, these two colors shift depending on angle of view.