I have this life rule about learning new things. And the rule goes something like this: DO IT.
So when my friend Jenny offered to teach me how to make lamp work glass beads I said yes. Actually, first I said "that would be cool" and then a few months went by and then I was ready to learn.
So one sunny Friday afternoon, I got to play with fire and molten glass.
Once the beads are made, they go into a kiln to be annealed. Then you have to removed them from the mandrel with a special tool.
At first it was intimidating because that butane torch is both loud and REALLY REALLY hot and I was sure that I was going to make a huge mess.
My first bead was a sloppy lopsided melted lollipop looking thing. I asked Jenny to make another so I could watch her and figure out what I was doing wrong.
My next few beads turned out better. Obviously to be proficient I would need to make more than five beads. I had fun and it was really cool to see the finished product.
For the record, working with fire and molten glass is really satisfying.