Glass Flameworking
Using the intense heat of an oxygen-propane torch, learn how to melt and shape borosilicate or soft glass. Students create beautiful and interesting pieces including beads, marbles, small sculptures, and hollow vessels.
We offer a range of flameworking classes, from learning the fundamentals to more advanced bead making, for both adults and youth. If you’ve ever wanted to learn the beautiful art of flameworking, look no further!
Adult Classes
The Crucible offers a wide variety of adult classes teaching different glass flameworking techniques. Whether you want to learn the fundamentals of marble making or how to make blown vessels with glass tubing, The Crucible has you covered. See the complete list of glass flameworking classes offered below.
3-Hour Taster: Glass Flameworking
3-Hour Tasters are a great way to explore a new art form without the deeper commitment of a full course. After a basic introduction to melting and shaping borosilicate glass with an oxy-propane torch, create small glass marbles, mushrooms, or hearts to take home. Take a Taster and meet new friends or give the gift of creativity to someone special.
Advanced Marble Making Techniques
The magical world of glass marble making continues in this course for the enthusiast. Explore advanced techniques, such as color, depth, texture, organic detail, murrine and cane use, and surface decoration. Students create vortex marbles, implosion marbles, and mystical dichroic galaxy marbles.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I
Adventures in Soft Glass: Fabulous Fish
This intermediate-level class will have you sculpting fabulous solid and hollow-bodied fish. Emphasis will be on both structural and delightful decorative glass flameworking techniques, along with an exploration of various aquatic life forms. Fun is the main ingredient!
PREREQUISITE: Glass Beads I or Glass Flameworking I
Adventures In Soft Glass: Finding Your Inner Monster
Extend your glass experience by learning techniques in creating open hollow forms. Monster expert Ralph McCaskey takes you on a journey in soft glass sharing secrets to creating facial expressions (if, indeed a bead could have a face) with a concentration on the eyes, thought of as windows to the soul. A brief historical look at monsters will give you a good starting point for your project. The class will wind up with embellishment techniques, such as feathers and electroforming.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Beads I or Glass Flameworking
Beginning Marbles
Create nature’s most perfect form—the sphere—in glass! After a basic introduction to melting and shaping borosilicate glass, you will complete several marble designs, including the clear gravity marble, the outside twist, the ribbon, or the eyeball. Techniques include hold and cold seals, color pulling, and color application.
Eggs!
Create Easter Eggs—in glass! After a basic introduction to melting and shaping borosilicate glass, you will complete several egg designs, including the clear gravity marble, the outside twist, the ribbon, or the eyeball. Techniques include hold and cold seals, color pulling, and color application.
Glass Bead Hearts
Open your heart to soft Italian glass, while making unique glass bead hearts in beautiful colors. Using table top Bravo torch, students will shape glass into heart beads, while adding decorative elements like wings, if desired! You will make several beads to take home or gift to a friend.
Glass Beads I
Learn to make colorful glass beads from Effettre glass rods (a soft glass) using an oxy-propane torch. This class teaches you how to make a variety of bead shapes, introduces tools to form and alter surface patterns, and shows you how to make stringers and twistees.
Glass Beads II
This intermediate class explores new bead making skills, tools, and materials. Shape beads into hearts, flowers, or animals. Experiment with new techniques, including drawing with stringers and creating overlapping fish scales. Learn to use silver foil, dichroic glass, and other materials to add depth and sophistication to your beads.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Beads I
Glass Dragons
Develop your sculptural skills on an oxy-propane torch transforming borosilicate glass. Using the dragon’s own breath—fire—you will make wild and wonderful dragons of all colors and styles.
Glass Flameworked Ornaments
After a basic introduction to melting and shaping borosilicate glass with an oxy-propane torch, create elegant, icicle-inspired ornaments or miniature candy canes ideal for holiday gifting or for your own ornament collection.
This class is part of Family Day, where parents and guardians with children ages 8 and up are welcome to register with their kids and get hands-on making ornaments—just in time for the holidays.
Glass Flameworked Pendant
After a basic introduction to melting and shaping borosilicate glass with an oxy-propane torch, create elegant, organic and beautiful pendants for holiday gifting or for your own adornment.
Glass Flameworking I
Create beautiful glass ornaments, pendants, marbles, and more! Learn how to use tools and equipment like an oxy-propane torch to melt and shape glass. We will cover a variety of techniques including color pulling and applying, color pattern application, and marble making.
Glass Flameworking II
In this intermediate course, we expand on the fundamentals and investigate the intricacies of borosilicate glass flameworking in more involved projects and contemporary designs. In addition to learning more progressive solid glass techniques, you will learn to use glass tubing to make blown glass perfume bottles and vessels. Color application to blown glass and annealing hollow form pieces will also be discussed.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I
Glass Flameworking Lab
Lab sessions are a great benefit, exclusively for Crucible members! Practice the skills you learn in class and explore new possibilities with your craft. No instruction is provided during lab sessions, but a lab monitor will be present to answer questions, manage safety, and provide overall support. You are free to come and go at your convenience during open lab hours, however, you must provide your own materials.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I or Glass Beads I and Crucible membership
Glass Flameworking Lab – 1 Day
Lab sessions are a great benefit, exclusively for Crucible members! Practice the skills you learn in class and explore new possibilities with your craft. No instruction is provided during lab sessions, but a lab monitor will be present to answer questions, manage safety, and provide overall support. You are free to come and go at your convenience during open lab hours, however, you must provide your own materials.
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I or Glass Beads I and Crucible membership
Glass Hearts
Open your heart to borosilicate glass, while making unique glass hearts in a variety of colors. Using an oxy-propane torch, students will shape glass into pendants and light catchers, while adding decorative elements like wings, if desired!
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I
Glass Sea Creatures
Explore the underwater world of sea creatures with borosilicate glass. Using an oxy-propane torch, students will sculpt octopus, shells, fish, and starfish!
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I
Glass Sea Shells
Explore the underwater world of sea shells with borosilicate glass. Using an oxy-propane torch, students will sculpt shells in both natural and adventurous color ways.
Hollow Vessels
Learn to flamework hollow glass, making unique vessels like terrariums, vases, trinket dishes, and spice jars! You will learn proper techniques for shaping and creating a stable vessel structure, as well as how to use the tools necessary to create vessels of your own design. This class is open to student exploration so have your ideas ready!
PREREQUISITE: Glass Flameworking I
Youth Classes
In the Glass Flameworking Department, we offer youth classes specifically for ages 12-18. In these classes, The Crucible provides a unique setting for youth to get hands-on with glass, exploring their creative voices and absorbing real-life lessons in science, technology, engineering, and math. You can see all The Crucible’s offerings for youth here.
Youth Glass Beads, Bugs, and Monsters
Students will be taken on a journey to explore colorful glass beads, bugs, and monsters with crazy eyes and wacky facial expressions, using an oxy-propane torch. We will cover bead surface patterns, shaping and forming glass, and will also take a brief historical look at monsters to inspire your very own projects.
Youth Glass Flameworking I (ages 12-18)
Create beautiful glass ornaments, pendants, marbles, and more! Learn how to use tools and equipment like an oxy-propane torch to melt and shape glass with confidence. We will cover a variety of techniques including color pulling and applying, color pattern application, and marble making.
Youth Glass Flameworking II (ages 12-18)
Expand your skills and techniques for working with borosilicate glass flameworking in this intermediate class. Create complex marbles, detailed sculptures, implosion pendants, and work with expert faculty on crafting unique designs.
PREREQUISITE: Youth Glass Flameworking I
Youth Glass Flameworking II Immersion (ages 12-18)
Dive deep in this continuing level youth workshop. Students take an immersive step into weeklong study, becoming young artisans along the way. Expand your skills and techniques for working with borosilicate glass flameworking in this intermediate class. Create complex marbles, detailed sculptures, implosion pendants, and work with expert faculty on crafting unique designs. You will also be exposed to theory, principles, and extensive techniques that let you design and create your own independent projects. Advanced color pulling, glass compatibility, and patterning techniques will have you brimming with new ideas!
PREREQUISITE: Youth Glass Flameworking I
Youth Soft Glass Beads (ages 14-18)
Learn to make colorful glass beads from Effettre soft glass rods using an oxy-propane torch. Youth will make a variety of bead shapes, stringers, and twistees and build skill using tools to form and alter surface patterns.
Youth Tiny Wild Things
Students will be taken on a journey to explore colorful glass beads, expressive figurines, and creatures with unique features, using an oxy-propane torch and soft glass. We will cover bead surface patterns, shaping and forming glass, and take inspiration from the wild things among us.
Meet The Glass Flameworking Department Heads
Lauren Ekman
Lauren took her first flameworking class in 1999. She has been dedicated to education for decades, from teaching Glass Flameworking at The Crucible to being a school principal. “I just love watching as the glass turns into a bead or critter at the torch,” she told us. “And I’m so glad I get to share that with others at The Crucible.”
Ralph McCaskey
Ralph began teaching at The Crucible back in 2009, and as his students know, his passion for Glass Flameworking is infectious. “The energy in The Crucible is what draws me here,” he shared with us. “You can never be 100% sure what you’re going to encounter when you walk in the door. It recharges me, spiritually and creatively.”
Flameworking Class FAQs
What is flameworking?
Flameworking is a type of glasswork that uses a torch to melt and shape glass. Once the glass is heated to a molten state, it is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It is also known as lampworking or torchworking.
Is flameworking different from lampworking?
Essentially, flameworking and lampworking are the same. The term lampworking originated from when Venitian glass workers would heat their glass over an oil lamp. Flameworking is a more modern take since present-day glass artists primarily work with an oxygen-propane torch.
How do I learn flameworking?
The Crucible offers a wide variety of adult classes teaching different glass flameworking techniques. Whether you want to learn the fundamentals of marble making or how to make blown vessels, The Crucible has you covered. Start with a 3-Hour Taster or Glass Flameworking I to cover the basics, then move into more advanced classes.
Being Prepared For Your Glass Flameworking Class
Glass Flameworking classes are held on the first floor of our building. Please contact us if you have any questions about accessibility and we will be happy to accommodate.
Students must arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing, long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not allowed around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames.
The Crucible requests students always arrive in studio safe clothing when working. Layers are encouraged as the studio can be very cold or very hot.
