Things to do · Arts and crafts
Make glass beads at the flame
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Lampwork, or flamework, means melting rods of coloured glass in a torch flame and forming them on a metal rod to make beads. A first course takes you from lighting the torch to a plain bead and then decorated ones.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650An afternoonIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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What a first class is like
You start with the torch. West Dean College's one-day course begins with lighting and using the torch and heating glass safely, then making drops and stringers (thin threads of glass) before a first plain bead. After that come decorations with coloured glass and frit (crushed glass).
Longer courses build in small steps. West Dean's introductory course with Sarah Downton covers frits, canes, stringers, dots and metal leaf, shaping and encasing, and what makes a durable bead; students make 18 to 25 beads and leave able to set up a torch at home. Finished beads are fired overnight before you collect them.
In the US, Foci's four-week Intro to Beadmaking melts soda-lime ("soft") glass rods over a torch to make round, barrel and other shaped beads, with dots, lines and raking. The John C. Campbell Folk School class teaches heat control and timing, and moves from simple spacer beads to dichroic glass, metal foil and, time allowing, work off the mandrel (the metal rod the bead is formed on).
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| West Dean College, West Sussex | Introductory course with Sarah Downton over several days; glass and lunch included, dinner for residential students | £372 |
| West Dean College, West Sussex | One day, 9.15am to 5pm; materials, fuel and lunch included | Fee not shown on the course page |
| Glass School (online) | Pre-recorded course by Laura Quinn, 30 videos (3 hours 36 minutes), including setting up a safe workspace at home | £240 including VAT |
| Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, Minneapolis | Four Saturdays, 12 hours in all; no experience needed; all materials provided (October to November 2026 run) | $425 in the description ($400 in the page header); sold out when last listed |
| John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina | Six-day class (Sunday to Friday, May run); beginning and intermediate; age 18 and over | $950 tuition, plus $110 materials and $20 for gases |
West Dean asks you to bring a jam jar and, if you own them, didymium or AUR-92 tinted flame-worker's safety glasses; the college supplies glasses otherwise. The John C. Campbell Folk School provides standard bead tool kits and asks for leather or flame-resistant aprons.
How to start
- Book an introductory glass bead course at a craft college or glass studio, where torches, glass and tools are provided.
- Read the clothing list before you go; studios ask for cotton or other natural-fibre clothes, closed shoes and long hair tied back.
- Take a notebook and a jam jar, and note which glass colours and decorations you like for your next beads.
Where to go
- West Dean College: Making glass beads, an introduction (West Sussex) UK
- Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts: Intro to Beadmaking (Minneapolis) US
- John C. Campbell Folk School: Beginning and intermediate glass beadmaking (North Carolina) US
- International Society of Glass Beadmakers US
We opened these links on 11 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What is lampwork glass?
Glass beads and small pieces made by melting glass rods in a torch flame. It is also called flamework, and the beads are formed on a metal rod called a mandrel.
Do I need experience to take a glass bead making class?
No. Foci's Intro to Beadmaking says no experience is required, and West Dean's courses start with lighting the torch and making a first plain bead.
What should I wear to a lampworking class?
Cotton or other natural-fibre clothing, closed shoes and long hair tied back. West Dean also suggests an apron or old cotton shirt against burn holes.
Can you make glass beads at home?
Some courses prepare you for it. West Dean's introductory course aims to give you the confidence to set up a torch at home, and Glass School's online course covers gas bottles, regulators, flashback arrestors and extraction.
Where this comes from: West Dean College, Making glass beads – an introduction with Sarah Downton; West Dean College, Making glass beads (one day); Glass School, Artist Course – Laura Quinn – Getting Started with Lampworking; Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, Intro to Beadmaking; John C. Campbell Folk School, Beginning & Intermediate Glass Beadmaking; International Society of Glass Beadmakers, Events & Awards. Opened 11 November 2026.
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