Midwest Lampworkers Guild

Tips & Tricks

LAMPWORKING TOOL:
Thanks to Jeri Wiskus for sharing her great find!

A great tool - that you can purchase at your local hardware store - for making incision lines in hot glass is a paint scraper or wall paper cutter. This one was purchased for a little over $3.00 and works great as a replacement tool or alternative to a single-edge razor tool.

MAKING YOUR OWN MANDRELS:
Thanks to Tanya McGuire for sharing her technique.

The advantages to cutting your own mandrels include cost and being able to cut mandrels to the length you really need. Purchase stainless steel TIG welding rod from your local welding shop. Most of the time, you have to purchase it by the pound. Make sure you are getting TIG stainless steel, no flux. You can get 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8". To cut, use a lot of muscle with fencing wire cutters of big pliers (such as electrical). Since the ends where you cut are pinched, it's a good idea to smooth them with a stone wheel grinder. Keep the mandrel end on the front middle or slightly under and at a "T" to the wheel. To get any burrs off, you may want to brush the ends with a brush attachment on the grinder

Click here to submit your Tips & Tricks
(photos are welcomed)




Tips & Tricks LAMPWORKING TOOL: Thanks to Jeri Wiskus for sharing her great find! A great tool - that you can purchase at your local hardware store - for making incision lines in hot glass is a paint scraper or wall paper cutter. This one was purchased for a little over $3.00 and works great as a replacement tool or alternative to a single-edge razor tool. MAKING YOUR OWN MANDRELS: Thanks to Tanya McGuire for sharing her technique. The advantages to cutting your own mandrels include cost and being able to cut mandrels to the length you really need. Purchase stainless steel TIG welding rod from your local welding shop. Most of the time, you have to purchase it by the pound. Make sure you are getting TIG stainless steel, no flux. You can get 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8". To cut, use a lot of muscle with fencing wire cutters of big pliers (such as electrical). Since the ends where you cut are pinched, it's a good idea to smooth them with a stone wheel grinder. Keep the mandrel end on the front middle or slightly under and at a "T" to the wheel. To get any burrs off, you may want to brush the ends with a brush attachment on the grinder Click here to submit your Tips & Tricks (photos are welcomed)