FlameworkingPittsburgh Glass Center
According to the Corning Museum of Glass,
Flameworking is the technique of forming objects from rods and tubes of glass that, when heated in a flame, become soft and can be manipulated into the desired shape.
FlameworkingPittsburgh Glass Center
Lampworking
In earlier eras, the source of the flame was an oil or paraffin lamp used in conjunction with foot-powered bellows which is why this technique is sometimes called lampworking; today, gas-fueled torches are used.
BeadmakingPittsburgh Glass Center
Flameworking techniques include:
Beadmaking, marblemaking, networking, and more. This is an example of beadmaking.
NetworkingPittsburgh Glass Center
Networking
This specialized technique allows you to easily make complex pieces that would be impossible by any other means simply by bending and welding small diameter rods together.
As a public access education center, the Pittsburgh Glass Center teaches all types of studio glass techniques including flameworking.
Flame ShopPittsburgh Glass Center
The flame shop at PGC
Equipped with 12 workstations
Flame ShopPittsburgh Glass Center
Nortel major and minor torches
The torches mix gas and oxygen to make a flame that reaches at least 3,000 degrees.
Flame ShopPittsburgh Glass Center
Benchtop annealing kilns
Kilns slowly cool and anneal glass after it has been worked and shaped by an artist. If glass is not cooled properly, it can shatter or crack due to thermal stress.
Flame ShopPittsburgh Glass Center
Ventilation hoods overhead
Proper ventilation is important to keep fresh air circulating. Plus, natural light floods the studio.
Flameworking ToolsPittsburgh Glass Center
Glassworking tools
Artists use tools such as tweezers, graphite paddles, reamers, rods and molds.
Flameworking ToolsPittsburgh Glass Center
These tools are essential in the creative process!
The working temperature of glass in the flame shop is over 2,200 degrees, much too hot to touch with your bare hands!
Flameworkers use two main types of glass:
Soda lime glass and Borosilicate glass.
Soda-Lime Glass
Soda lime is referred to as “soft glass” It is made from silica, soda, and calcium. Soda lime glass melts at a much lower temperature than Borosilicate glass and is more fluid when it's hot. Artists often use a soda lime glass called Moretti. Created in Murano, Italy, Moretti is known for its bright, beautiful palate.
Soda-Lime Glass
Sode lime glass accounts for about 90% of the world’s manufactured glass.
Borosilicate Glass
Borosilicate (often referred to as “boro”) is what glass artists refer to as “hard glass.” It is made from silica and boron, melts at a higher temperature than “soft glass” and is easier to manipulate because it is less susceptible to sudden temperature changes.
Borosilicate Glass
Pyrex, a popular kitchenware brand, is an example of Borosilicate glass, which is resistant to temperature changes allowing the glassware go from the freezer to the oven without cracking or shattering.
Eun Suh Choi by Eun Suh ChoiPittsburgh Glass Center
The Glass Center has hosted many acclaimed artists.
Eun Suh Choi's work specifically focuses on communicating the graceful flow of our emotional tendencies through flameworked glass.
Tim Drier by Tim DrierPittsburgh Glass Center
Tim Drier
Drier has been a glassblower for over 25 years, and applies his scientific glassblowing expertise to artistic flameworking. His focus is applying scientific glass techniques to bar glassware while attempting to inspire, teach and have a little fun. Learn More
Robert Mickelsen by Robert MickelsenPittsburgh Glass Center
Robert Mickelsen
A master lampworker and excellent instructor. For Mickelsen, knowledge is infinite and life is for learning. Learn More
Janis Miltenberger by Janis MiltenbergerPittsburgh Glass Center
Janis Miltenberger
Miltenberger is a fan of stories, fables, parables, allegory, and soliloquy. She says," I appreciate the quest, the subtle roles and meaning within the story." Learn More
Mauro Vianello by Mauro VianelloPittsburgh Glass Center
Mauro Vianello
Vianello is a glass artisan, specializing in the creation of sea creatures. He says, "Living in Venice has made it really easy for me to fall in love with the marine world." Learn More
Christopher McElroy by Christopher McElroyPittsburgh Glass Center
Christopher McElroy
McElroy creates sculptural forms, actions, environments, video, and photographs that negotiate ideas of civilization and wilderness. Learn More
Roger Parramore by Roger ParramorePittsburgh Glass Center
Roger Parramore
Growing out of his experiences in the worlds of chemistry and physics, Parramore is not only fascinated with the glassblowing process, but also glass as a material. Learn More
Jill Reynolds by Jill ReynoldsPittsburgh Glass Center
Jill Reynolds
Reynolds, an award-winning visual artist known for her innovative use of flameworked glass. Learn More
Corina Tettinger by Corina TettingerPittsburgh Glass Center
Corina Tettinger
Tettinger is a well-known beadmaker and author of "Passing the Flame: A Beadmakers Guide to Detail and Design." Learn More
FlameworkingPittsburgh Glass Center
Critical to scientific discoveries
Scientific glassblowing is a specialty field for flameworkers used in industry, research, design, and science. It has been used in Galileo’s thermometers, Thomas Edison’s light bulbs, and early radios, TVs, and computers. Today, the field has helped advance fiber optics, lasers, and atomic and subatomic particle research.
Photographer: Nathan J. Shaulis
