Monday, January 2, 2012

Boro Dichro Scrap for Soft Glass Lampworkers



Creating in borosilicate glass sounds daunting for those of us in soft glass! It did for me. Especially because for years I have been reading about how I need more than a 5LPM oxy-con to work it, and preferably something more than a minor torch.  


I was working in the studio one day and came across a bag of dichro scrap. It looked like broken window scraps. Not much color, and it didnt go all the way to the edge. I clamped a piece and put it in the flame.. nothing happened. not cracking, no melting. Humm. I went back and read the label. It was COE 33! Boro! I cranked up the heat and played with it a bit. Of course what did I go for first? My Jim More Spiral Tongs! Amazing! I worked it like I would in soft glass, keeping the coated side out of the flame. The edges that were not coated by the dichro seemed to create a border to the texture and faded into the pattern as I worked. I was in love.... Thus a tutorial was born!










Tools/Supplies:
Dichro Scraps COE 33 (boro)
Locking Hemostats
Tweezers
Peter Tweezers
Spiral tongs
Leaf press
Any other tools to texture


Dichro scrap glass is redly available from many  major glass supply companies, and e-bay.

If you are a vendor who carries these supplies Please feel free to leave a link in the comments! :)