Meghan: Flameworking is the art of shaping decorative glass with a flame and I am here today with artist Ben Taylor at Louisville Glassworks to see how it is done.
I am hitting the road, searching for answers and finding great design. It is a quest for beauty, function and of course, inspiration.
Watching Ben work is pretty incredible. Within a matter of minutes, he can turn a piece of glass into a horse’s head and be modest while doing it. And even though he tried to convince me that anyone could shape glass, I did not believe him. Flame working takes talent and Ben is an artist.
To shape the glass, Ben uses an extremely hot flame.
Ben: Flame working is basically using a propane oxygen torch which the propane is the flammable segment of it. The fire as it was and then if I mix the oxygen section, so basically that is what you have when it is just the propane flame. The oxygen is propelling in excess and it heats up the flame.
Meghan: So really, you have to set your flame right. If you do not adjust the flame right, it would not melt the glass down to what you need?
Ben: Exactly. So, the oxygen allows the propane to burn much hotter.
Meghan: And when he says hot, he is talking about roughly 2000 degrees. You do not want your fingers caught in that flame. Ben knows, it takes guts just to work next to it. But he assures me that his hands normally do not get that hot.
Ben: I guess glass is a fairly good insulator, fiberglass insulation, etcetera, etcetera.
Meghan: Other than the flame, Ben uses a variety of tools while flame working.
Ben: These cups basically, it can form an entire ball with it. It is made out of graphite, so they do not melt and then I have other things that I use, a blade, a pair of pliers, a spoon which is there. There is my trusty spoon.
Meghan: And you might have noticed that Ben is wearing glasses. Do not think those things are just for protection. They are much cooler than that.
I notice that you are wearing some pretty cool shades.
Ben: Yes.
Meghan: Is that to protect your eyes?
Ben: Yes also and it filters out what is called the soda flare, that bright yellow flare that you see.
Meghan: Without the glasses, this is what you would see. And here is what it looks like with the glasses. Those glasses make a big difference.
Ben: Yes without the glasses, it would be extremely difficult.
Meghan: Difficult to shape it.
While the glasses help to make shaping the glass easier, you still have to know the proper technique and that is the trickiest part.
You do most of the shaping under the flame?
Ben: Yes, but it depends on what you are making, at what point you need the glass to be able to move. However, it is all about controlling the heat. You do not want it too hot, certain things, depending on what you are making. You want part of the glass to move, be more malleable while another section of it is stiffer, so you actually have something to push against.
Meghan: Besides shaping the glass, Ben also has to add color to it. One way he does that is by using powder. The other way is to wrap a colored glass stick around a clear glass stick. He makes it look easy but I promise it is not.
Flame working takes an incredible amount of skill and talent even if Ben does not want to admit it.
For extra information about where I have been and what I have learned, visit my website, www.askthedecorator.com.
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