He produces a fabulous line of reduction and striking glass. For those of you who don't know what this means I will try to explain. The glass has a high silver content making some wonderful things happen when you strike or reduce it.
Glass is melted using a torch as you all know. The torch is powered by gas (usually propane but natural gas is often used too) and oxygen.
Below the spacer beads have been struck in the flame to acquire the mirror like finish. Striking is done by turning up your propane flow and flashing the bead in and out of the flame until you arrive at the desired results.
Then we have reducing....cool reducing is turning down your oxygen. Hot reducing is turning up your propane. Some glass requires hot and some require cool reduction. The bead below was done with cool reduction.
Lamp Working has certainly come a long way from it's crude beginnings. If you would like to know more about it's history this is a great article: http://www.theglassmuseum.com/lampwork.html
Please come back soon. At some point next week I will be posting a "give away". I think you will like the gift.
Have a great weekend everyone.
