History of Handmade Lampwork Borosilicate Glass Beads. Lampworked Boro, History of beads.

Chaotic Glass handmade lampwork borosilicate glass beads, jars, and other art glass. Beadmaking lessons available.

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A Brief History Of
Borosilicate Glass

The use of glass in a utilitarian manner dates back
to 1400 A.D. Ancient man used natural glass (in
the form of volcanic obsidian) to fashion spears,
knives or arrow points. Due to the internal molecular
structure of natural glass, it tends to fracture into
curvaceous chips, which makes it a versatile
substance for many different purposes. Man-made
glass beads have been excavated from cemeteries
and dated at around 2450-2600 B.C. Although it
has been debated, the actual origin of man-made
glass is not known. The technologies used to
produce glass have evolved tremendously as
advances in science have been achieved.

A borosilicate glass recipe was developed and
published in 1689, although a formula for a
commercialized product for borosilicate glass wasn't
used until 1894. It was at this time that a very strong
relationship between scientific advances and glass
production was formed. In 1914, Corning
Glassworks introduced their borosilicates, WWI
had made an american made source of borosilicate
glass essential.

Until Corning's development of borosilicates, most
glass used in lampworking was made from sodium or
potassium based flux. Lead glass was also used
widely, but due to it's darker color, has to be blown
thinner. The borosilicates are formulated to be made
into any shape of scientific apparatus imaginable,
resist chemical corrosion and be resistant to
shattering due to thermal shock.

Multi colored lampwork borosilicate glass beads

During the 1930's lard oil lamps were still used for making lampworked ornaments in some parts of the world. The old-fashioned "lamp" setup was being phased out as early as the 1920's by natural or manufactured gas torches. Oil lamps were mainly powered by foot operated bellows, while gas machines were being used by J.E. Ritzer, the founder of Dow Chemical Apparatus Department. The gas machine was operated by turning a crank, which produced pressure to power the torch. This method was considered to be highly dangerous and occasionally proved fatal.

Even with the new possibilities made available with borosilicates, lampworkers still continue to work exclusively with soda-lime glass. Soda-lime glass is commonly used, although it's resistance to high temperatures, sudden temperature changes and chemicals is only fair at best.

Lead glass is fairly soft, and more expensive than soda-lime glass. Lead glass contains at least 20% of lead oxide in each batch of product. Lead glass has excellent insulating properties, so it is favored for electrical applications, thermometer tubing and sometimes art glass, although it is unable to withstand higher temperatures or sudden temperature fluctuations.

Borosilicate glass is considered to be any silicate glass having at least 5% boric acid in it's composition. Borosilicates are not as easy to fabricate as soda-lime or lead glass, and is more expensive than soda-lime glass. But when compared with it's versatility in everyday use, the cost is relatively moderate. Light bulbs, laboratory ware, cook ware, sealed-beam headlights, photochromic glasses and pipelines are just a few items produced from borosilicate glass.

A Brief History Of Borosilicate Glass

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A Brief History Of
Borosilicate Glass