After visiting the markets, I went to Cedi Beads for an amazing glass bead workshop. Cedi and his family and apprentices showed me the step by step process for making beads from bottled glass. Glass frit is very expensive, so I was really excited to learn his techniques for converting old bottles into beads. This is something we could definitely do at Lane.
Be(ad) All You Can Be(ad)
Cedi with some of his lamp-worked beads
Tools for beadmaking, including molds, needle tools, scoops, presses and sieves
Pounding the glass bottles into powder
Using a sieve to strain fine glass powder
Handmade tin scoops for pouring
Filling the ceramic bead mold with glass powder (The stick is from a plant. It is positioned upright and manages to make the hole in the bead before it burns away.)
Example of a finished bead
Kaolin – a white clay dug up close by – is ground up and the powder is used to release the bead from the clay mold (like flour in a cake pan).
One of the many bead molds & shapes
The molds are filled and ready for the kiln
Wood is the fuel for the kiln
A giant metal spatula with a wooden stick is used to place and remove molds from the kiln.
The glass becoming molten in the kiln
The temperature is between 800-1000°C (about 1500-2000°F).
An artist shaping the molten beads and making the holes
A stone dug from a nearby mountain is used for polishing, along with sand and water taken right from the ground.
The final, shiny beads