What types of Glass Does a Lampworker use?
There are many types of glass and techniques. For the sake of time and space, I will break down the main two types of glass. Soft Glass – Moretti, Bullseye, Lauscha and a bundle of other glasses fall into this category. The term soft glass does not mean that the glass actually feels soft – it mainly refers to the temperature that the glass reaches it’s melting point. Soft glass comes in a rainbow of colors – a bit like having a box of crayons in glass! It is easily melted in a torch. My personal favorite for the beginning lampworker is Bullseye, as the colors are more consistent and the glass is a bit “stiffer” in the torch, giving the beginning lampworker more time to work the glass. Each class of soft glass has it’s own COE (coefficiency of expansion), this is a very technical area and should be studied carefully if you are planning on becoming a glass artist. It is very important that the artist anneal beads made with soft glass.Many of the beads made in China, Japan and other areas
