How to Make Hand Blown Glass Roses

Create roses in glass using the lampwork process.

Blown glass roses are incredibly detailed glass flowers that are made as part of a bouquet or designed to stand alone. Although the glass is not actually blown, the rose is constructed by heating and shaping solid glass in the flame of a bench-burner torch in the process known as lampworking. These roses are commonly created in all stages of development, from a budding bloom to a fully opened blossom. Using the tools in a public glass studio or in your own studio setup, make the hand-blown glass rose that you desire.

Things You'll Need

• Ventilation system
• Didymium glasses
• Torch with propane gas and pressurized oxygen supply
• Glass rod: 10 mm
• 2 glass rods: 8 mm
• Tweezers
• Fiber blanket
• Petal mashers
• Leaf mashers
• Kiln

Instructions

1. Turn on your ventilation system, put on your didymium glasses (glassblowing safety glasses created from a mixture of the elements praseodymium and neodymium) and light your torch.

2. Rotate the top inch of the 10 mm glass rod in the flame of the torch and heat it until molten. Remove the glass from the fire and then angle the rod down so that the heated glass forms a teardrop shape.

3. Circle the tip of an 8 mm rod and the bottom of your teardrop simultaneously in the flame. When both pieces of glass are glowing orange, touch the two of them together and continue to rotate them. Pull the connected glass pieces out of the fire, while still turning the glass, and then gently stretch your hands apart. This action creates a seamless connection, with the 8 mm rod being the stem of the rose and the teardrop shape being the bulk of the flower.

4. Heat the top of the teardrop shape and separate (fire-cut) the remainder of the 10 mm rod. Heat the newly separated tip of the teardrop until glowing and then pull it out of the fire. Quickly grasp this heated tip with tweezers and twist the glass to create the top, center of the rose.

5. Place your rose between two pieces of fiber blanket. This material keeps your glass warm while you work on the next steps.

6. Rotate the top inch of another 8 mm rod in the fire until glowing orange. Remove the glass from the fire and squeeze the heated portion with petal mashers. Grasp the petal with tweezers and fire-cut the portion of the petal attached to the rod. Repeat this process at least two more times to create a minimum of three petals.

7. Circle the top 1/2 inch of the 8 mm rod in the flame and then remove it from the fire when it is glowing orange. Squeeze the heated tip between leaf mashers and then separate the leaf from the rod. Repeat this process as many times as you want to create the number of leaves that you desire for your glass rose.

8. Retrieve your glass rose from the fiber blanket by holding it by its stem. Grab a petal with tweezers and heat one side of the petal and the base of your rose at the same time. When both pieces of glass are glowing, remove them from the fire and touch the petal to the rose to create a solid connection. Attach the remaining petals to the open areas on the base.

9. Grasp the leaf with tweezers and heat the bottom of the leaf and the portion of the stem where you want to attach it. When the leaf and stem are glowing orange, pull them out of the fire and touch the two pieces of glass to connect them. Repeat this process for any remaining leaves.

10. Inspect your petal and leaf connections to make sure they are properly welded to the rose. There should be no obvious ridges and the connection must be smooth. If you find any trouble spots, hold the petal or leaf with tweezers and gently heat the connection area again until the attachment is secure.

11. Place your blown-glass rose in your kiln. Remove it when a full kiln cycle is complete (usually eight hours).

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have leaf mashers you can squeeze the molten glass between your tweezers to achieve a similar foliage effect.

• Never begin lampworking until you are set up with a proper ventilation system and understand the safety and health considerations.

• Always position your glass over your work table so that the glass does not accidentally fall into your lap.

References

• Lampwork Etc.: Off Mandrel Rose Tutorial
• “Essential Lampworking with Freeman Corbin;” Freeman Corbin; 2002
• "Contemporary Lampworking: A Practical Guide to Shaping Glass in the Flame (Volume 1 and 2)"; Bandhu Scott Dunham; 2003
• "Crystal Myths Inc. Presents Lewis C. Wilson on Sculptural Glassworking" (DVD set); Lewis C. Wilson; 1995

Resources

• Lampwork Etc: Discussion Forums
• Corning Museum of Glass
• Glass Art Society