Flameworking is the art of manipulating molten glass in a flame.

Flameworked glass beads are made by melting 4 to 12 mm thick glass rods in a propane and oxygen mix torch. Kim works primarily with Effetre and Vetro Fond glass rods from Murano, Italy.  The glass rod is wound, as it melts, around a steel wire "mandrel" that has been coated with clay "release". This allows the bead to be removed when cool.

After the base layer of glass is applied, it is shaped with a "graphite paddle". At this point the possibilities are endless. The beadmaker can create various shapes, styles and color combinations to create the desired affect.

Many of Kim’s beads take the form of art deco style jardinières or vases.

Kim continues, by applying many layers to the base, hand-blended colors, ground glass, enamel powders, reduction frit, copper/silver/gold/palladium/platinum leaf or foil, dichroic glass, and fine silver wire.

These layers can then be covered by winding clear glass over the base, thus "casing" the bead. After re-shaping, the bead is ready if desired to decorate with surface embellishments.

Decorative canes of glass are made, by combining various colored glass rods together in the flame. This "bundle" is heated, then either stretched, or twisted and stretched, to create a 1 to 4 mm thick cane. The multi colored cane is then applied to the surface of the bead, much like painting on a canvas. Kim’s beads incorporate representational natural decorative forms, flowers, vines, branches, Dragonflies and aquatic themes.

After the decorations are applied, the bead is placed into an "annealing oven" to strengthen and slowly cool. When cool, the bead is removed from the annealing oven and taken off the mandrel with pliers leaving a hole. The clay is then removed from the hole of the bead and the bead is cleaned.

The finished bead is now ready to string.

Click on the links here to view some of Kim's class handouts on Making Fancy Canes at the Torch, Working with Precious Metals.