Lampwork Cats

For those of you who know me- I am allergic to cats. For as long as I can remember, I have never been a fan. When I started making lampwork puppies, pigs, sheep, and cows I figured it would be a matter of time before someone asked me about a cat.

It took me a while to get the ear placement and shape right. But finally I think I got it.

As with most Pandora/Euro bracelet-style glass beads, they are made of 104COE Italian soft glass. This glass expands quite a bit as it is heated which is okay as long as the entire piece expands at the same time. If one side is heated more than the other however, the bead will crack, and four-letter words will flow.

The kicker in sculpting these tiny little animals is that they crack very easily while in the flame and kiln. Problems arise when putting small details on the bead, such as the eyes and mouths of the cats. It's difficult to take your time to get the details right without letting the back side cool down too much. The entire bead needs to be taken back into the flame and warmed- being careful not to over heat the small ears and noses to the point where they soften and change shape. It is this reason that it is not uncommon to get less than 50% yield out of a batch of animals. That's right- make 4, sell 2, throw 2 in the garbage.

As I practice with a particular character, I tend to get faster at it. This means that I can whiz through the details almost like riding a bike, and focus more on keeping the bead evenly heated as I go.

I am always amazed to see the work that an experience lamp artist can produce.. with such defined shapes, rich details, and of course absence of cracks!

Happy lampworking (with lots of pratice)!