About Us

Star of the North Glassworkers is a non-profit, educational organization of Minnesota glass lampworkers. We promote the development of our members at all levels through an open exchange of techniques and ideas as well as monthly demonstrations and bead challenges. We promote member art with an online gallery and group tables at bead shows and art fairs. We support our members with resources on safety, technique, materials and tools. We promote the ancient art of glass lampworking, encouraging newcomers with classes, demonstrations and support and by sharing our enthusiasm for this exciting medium.

Membership is open to any interested artists in Minnesota at all levels of experience. Membership is $24/year. The membership fee covers expenses for group activities - notably the monthly meetings which take place in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Visitors are welcome to attend up to 3 monthly meetings for free to learn more about us. Try making a bead at the open torch session at one of our meetings! Other member benefits include group bulk purchasing, group tables at bead sales and a spot on our web gallery.

 
Glass Lampworking FAQ

Q: How is a glass bead made?    

The glass, commonly starting as a pencil-thick rod, is melted in the flame from a tabletop torch. the molten glass is wound around a stainless steel rod coated with a ceramic bead release which will dissolve in water once the bead is cool. The beads are often annealed in a small kiln to relieve stress in the glass which can cause breaking.		  

 

Q: What kind of equipment do you need to get started?

The least expensive beginner setup is a torch called the "hot head". It runs on MAPP gas (a brazing fuel) which you can buy in small cylinders from places like home depot. To get started you can cool your beads slowly in vermiculite or a fiber blanket instead of having an expensive kiln. A complete beginner package including special filtered safety glass might run around $100.

Q: Is a special type of glass used?

The issue here is really compatibility. You could make a bead out of any glass but to mix glasses they need to be compatible in their thermal coefficients of expansion so the final product won't break as it cools. There are special lines of art glass designed to have a large set of compatible colors for lampworking or fusing or glassblowing. Some of these are soft glasses, meaning they have a relatively low melting point. Borosilicate glass is "hard", having a much higher melting point which requires a larger torch than the hot head. It has a low coefficient of expansion (Pyrex is a brand of borosilicate glass). The resources page has links to various suppliers of glass. Their catalogs list the melting points and coefficients of expansion for the various glass lines.



Our site was last updated 1/2/2008. All designs are the property of the individual artists.