If you have a question which is not on this page, please email us, and maybe we can add your question to our FAQ for others to share. What is lampworking? Basically, lampworking is the softening of glass rod tubing by heating it in the flame of a torch. The softened glass is then formed into a finished piece by blowing, manipulating it by hand, and shaping it with hand tools. Where does the term Lampworker come from? The term Lampworker comes from the alchemists of the Middle Ages, who by blowing air through a tube or reed and directing it across the flame of an oil or alcohol lamp, were able to create a flame much hotter than normal. This exceptionally hot flame permitted them to soften glass rods and tubing to make their laboratory ware. How do you get the colors in the glass? Sometimes we used colored glass. Sometimes we use 22kt and 24kt gold, and .999 fine silver, and even some platinum enhanced fine silver. We also use a lot of kiln fired metallic lusters and cold applied stains, and even a little paint once in a while. It all depends on what effect we are trying to end up with. What kind of glass do you use? We use all Corning Pyrex or its equivalent. Our glass is the same type of glass that your coffee pots and cookware are made of. That's one of the reasons we can guarantee our glass in shipping because we know it's as tough as can be, once its annealed. Look how much abuse your coffee pots can take! What is annealing? Annealing is the process of very slow cooling, which makes the glass unbelievably tough. Once a glass sculpture has been built, if it is allowed to cool quickly this often produces brittle glass. By using the annealing process we give our glass sculptures amazing strength. What do you burn to make your flame? We burn a combination of propane and oxygen in a premix burner to attain nealy 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, in order to build our glass sculptures. How long have you been working with glass? I (Bradley) have been working with glass since 1986, and Angela since 1990. So between us we have well over 20 years' experience! Where are you located? We are from Sedalia, Missouri, USA. Almost in the center of the USA! Where can we see your work? We hope you will visit us. If you would like to visit our studio in Sedalia, please contact us first to make sure we will be home! You will find our address and other details on our Contact Us page.

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