Tools for Glass Beadmakers - Lampwork Resources

Review: Jim Moore Tools
Web Site: ToolsForGlass.com
All photos © by Jim Moore, used with permission
Clicking on each photo will open up a new window with a larger view.

I met Jim Moore in October 2006 while in Port Townsend taking glass classes with Andrea Guarino-Slemmons and Michael Barley. I was also fortunate enough to tour the machine shop where these tools are made! Jim truly knows about tools and various metals. This review will cover the presses and glass shears that I have used and purchased for my own glasswork.

Prior to this trip, I was not a big user of hand tools for glass. I make most all of my beads with a tweezer masher, stump shaper, dental tool, poker and a couple of pliers from Harbor Freight. Nothing fancy. I have tried table-top bead presses before, but quickly became frustrated with breaking bead release and the "fussiness" of having just the right amount of glass on the mandrel to get the desired final shape.

When I saw Jim's tools, I loved the fact that they are art in themselves -- so beautiful to look at and incredible craftsmanship! After trying out several of Jim's tools at Andrea's studio, I became a tool user convert! Jim's tools work much like my beloved tweezer masher, and any size of mandrel and any amount of glass works! I can also easily "re-mash" beads after adding design details. The additional glass (from the design) is easily accommodated by the press, and the final shape is beautiful.

Additionally, if you have a torch-mounted marver, you can slide just one side of the press (i.e. the spiral press) to the glass for a design just on one side or offset from the other side of your glass. Versatile!
Read on below..

I had only cut glass a few times when I was starting out with glass in 2003. It was frustrating, because I was just using a cheap pair of garden cutters, and the glass kept slipping away from the tool. Jim's shears grabbed and cut the glass so well that I made longer cuts that I thought I would! It cuts hot glass so smoothly! I am now exploring several new directions with my beads using the shears...

Both the presses and the shears fit easily into my hands. They aren't cumbersome - they are easy to hold and use. One suggestion: wash the tool with dishwashing detergent (take care to dry thoroughly, especially the shears) prior to use. Otherwise, they have an oily residue from the machining that can spot the beads a bit.

In summary: these tools are well crafted and well worth the money! As a non-tool type of person, I LOVE my Jim Moore tools, and I love the new directions that I can explore with my glass work.

Please visit Jim's web site for more info or to contact him with tool questions. Tip: the lampworking tools are new to his site, and photos have yet to be added (as of 11/10/06) click here for lampwork tool ordering info.

I actually use very few hand tools when making beads. I never seemed to get the hang of bead presses, so I use those infrequently, too. LOL But tools do have their place, and this site will be for highlighting various tools and "intellectual tools" like books and DVDs. The hand tools that I use most frequently are pictured here. From left to right: tweezer masher, razor blade, long nose pliers, and brass Stump Shaper (paddle).

I started out on the Nortel Minor Torch, and love it. I also have a teaching studio, Firefly Art Center, that is equipped with Carlisle Mini CC torches in addition to a few Minors.

I love the Minor because it is a good working torch, not fussy, and with a larger bushy flame that I particularly like for my sculptural beads.

If you have ever done lampworking, you know how mesmerizing it is! If you haven't, well... it is very absorbing. Time and space are forgotten when you are watching glass melt in the flame. As a result, shoulders, neck, arms and wrists can also be forgotten. This can lead to headaches and neck/shoulder strain. I use a tool called a Creation Station that is ergonomically designed to provide support and comfort for my elbows and wrists, thereby reducing neck and shoulder strain. It also aids in keeping a steady hand for fine detail work. I highly recommend this tool! Pictured is a photo of my studio with Creation Stations attached to the work table. Please click on the Creation Station link for a close up photo and more information from the vendor. Here is a photo from the vendor of a Creation Station in use.

Kilns are used in glass beadmaking to anneal beads. As glass is worked in the flame, structural stress is introduced as the glass is shaped. Annealing is a process of controlled slow cooling to allow the as much of the stress as possible to be released from the glass. Glass that is not cooled slowly will crack; especially soft glass, the glass I use. Hard glass, or boro, does not crack as easily, but can, and definitely should be annealed.

My kiln is an AIM 84BD, and I love it! Very easy to use, and great customer service from the manufacturer, AIM Kilns, located in Corvallis, Oregon.