What is Frit?
If you've been around lampwork beads very long, you'll have heard the term frit. But what exactly is frit, and why do some of us go ga-ga over it?
Frit is an addictive tool in the lampworker's box of tricks, so let's talk about it today.
First -- What is Frit Anyway?
Frit is a term for ground glass. It can be ground as fine as powder, or can be coarse as large gravel. Somewhere in-between is where most of the frit action happens with lampwork.
Now here's a photo of some frit that I made up myself. I bought some single colors, then I combined a few of them together. If I recall correctly, this one had 4 different glass colors in it. Most of it is size 1, which is about like medium-grind coffee in size and texture.
You can buy frit in single colors, or in ready-made blends. It's available in COEs 33, 90, 96 and 104.
Using Frit
So now you have some of this stuff -- how in the world do you use it? And for that matter, why would you want to use it?
Because of the wonderful designs it can create in your glass beads!
To the left are some beads I made with some frit; I believe I got the frit blend from Robin at Glass Diversions. (While I still enjoy creating my own blends, I also still like to buy some from other people.)
You can roll the beads in frit lightly (like I did with this white set) or you can roll it on very thickly for a completely different look.
You can swirl the melted frit, rake it, make it into frit twisties and use those for decoration -- the possibilities are endless!
And if you like, get some fine clear frit and make sugar beads out of them! That is, roll the hot beads in the clear frit and just barely melt it in. It looks like it's sugar-coated!
I do have to warn you, though -- frit is addicting to use! I myself probably have more than 50 colors and blends. I know people who have many, many more.
Mixing COEs in Frit
This is a touchy subject for the most part. Some people say never, ever mix different COEs (frit versus base bead) and others say a little is OK -- like a light roll in 96 COE frit on a 104 COE base bead.
You'll have to make up your own mind on that, but here are my general rules:
- COE 33 frit can be used on boro beads only.
- COE 90 frit can be used on Bullseye beads only.
- COE 96 frit can be used on both Bullseye and soft (COE 104) glass in small amounts. And of course used with abandon on COE 96 base beads.
- COE 104 frit can be used on a base bead of COE 104.
You'll have to read all the arguements for and against, make some test beads, then decide for yourself. Like I said, these are my general rules, and so far they have worked well for me.
Well, that's it for now. You can look in my lampwork galleries for examples of other frit beads I've made. Come to think of it, I should devote a page just for frit beads!
Meanwhile, here's some frit that I found on ebay, both the actual frit and beads made with it. Enjoy!
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 FENTON SATiN CUSTARD BiRD HP PiNK BLOSSOMS FLOWERSFRiT  US $23.50
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 System 96 Lot of 10 packs of Frit in Mixed colours 1 US $24.35
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 Sports Balls 4 Cabs Tray Glass Fusing Frit Kiln Mold US $12.50
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 Frit WHITE OPAL System 96 COE Glass Fusing FINE US $1.99
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 Frit MARIGOLD OPAL System 96 COE Glass Fusing FINE US $1.99
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 Frit COTTON CANDY PINK OPAL 96 COE Glass Fusing MEDIUM US $2.99
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 Frit PLUM OPAL System 96 COE Glass Fusing FINE US $1.99
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 Frit COTTON CANDY GRAPE OPAL 96 COE Glass Fusing FINE US $2.99
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 Frit RIVIERA BLUE OPAL System 96 COE Glass Fusing FINE US $1.99
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Lampwork Beads With Silver
It's not all that difficult to make lampwork beads with silver, but the trick is knowing how much you can heat the glass once you have put on the silver. Not enough heat and the bead cracks, too much heat and the silver melts into oblivion.
I've had some silver mesh for a few years now, and mostly have used it on the outside, like this set on the right. Fairly easy; make sure you have your bead all shaped and fire-polished, then let it cool slightly.
Once it's cool (but not cold), spot heat to red the place where you want the silver mesh to be. Gently place the mesh on the bead and burnish in. Then oh-so-gently heat up the spot again, to make sure the silver has bonded to the glass.
But be careful! Too much heat and the silver mesh will melt into blobs. Which can be pretty in its own right, but maybe not what you were hoping for.
However, I've had a love-hate relationship between encased mesh; I had been getting the silver blob look, and couldn't get the mesh to stay mesh-like.
Finally I decided that the mesh was not going to get the best of me, and that I would be able to encase it properly.
Here's one of my beads from this weekend, where the silver mesh is encased. Success!
(Whoops, sorry about the bright light reflections on this bead.)
When it comes to encasing silver, you really have to go slower and gentler with the heat. It takes longer to make these kinds of beads, because instead of the mesh being the final step, it comes sooner -- before you shape the bead.
So the trick was once I placed the silver mesh on the bead, I immediately encased it with clear. Then once all the clear was on, I moved the bead waaaaay back in the flame.
Heated slowly, the mesh keeps its look.
One more thing to mention. When working with silver leaf, foil, wire or mesh on a lampwork bead, it must be 99.9% fine silver. Sterling will just turn a really ugly gray.
So that's it in a nutshell -- working with silver on a lampwork bead. I'll probably do a set of these beads (like the one above), 'cause I think it's awful darn pretty! When the set is ready, I'll let ya'll know.
Meanwhile, here are some pretties from ebay for your viewing pleasure.
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 JGAB LAMPWORK HANDMADE GLASS BORO BEADS SRA Everything US $24.99
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 PIKALDAhandmade lampwork 15 beads glassCREAMYSRA US $35.00
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 ESTUARY Handmade Lampwork Focal Bead DAVID SIVERS SRA US $63.00
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 GP Lampwork Glass Flower Pendant Boro Focal Bead SRA US $19.99
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 TANERES sra Lampwork Bead COBALT BLUE GLASS CAP US $18.00
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 FLYING GLASS Handmade Lampwork Beads DOUBLE BUBBLE SRA US $16.00
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 LGL ARTISTS Beads MAGIC FOREST Boro Lampwork SRA US $24.99
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 AQUA RAKU RUFFLES Lampwork Art Beads by Glass Clown SRA US $10.50
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 SHERBERT TWIST Lampwork Art Beads by Glass Clown SRA US $9.99
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Lampworking and Eye Protection
Eye protection is extremely important when lampworking; after all, if you can't see, you can't work with the glass. And there's more than one meaning to that.
First, lampworking involved bright flame and light, and you need to sheild your eyes from the light and the UV radiation.
Second, if you don't wear your eye protection, your vision will suffer and you won't be able to see to lampwork!
Types of Eye Protection
The most common lampworking eye protection are glasses. They not only help with the light, but they also help to protect the eyes from flying glass.
The other protection is called a bench shield, which operates on the same principle (protect against light and flying glass). It mounts on your table and you adjust it so that when you look through it to your torch, it filters the light and UV from your eyes.
There are two main types of lampworking glasses or shields:
- Soft glass: The two most common are AUR92 and Phillips. Both filter out the unwanted light and protect from the UV radiation. Either choice is good. They are available in glasses (plastic and metal frames), flip-ups (if you wear prescrition glasses) and even in prescription strength.
- Boro: You need a stronger eye filter for working with borosilicate. Boroshields are available in shade 3 and shade 5 (which are very dark indeed). Shade 3 should be fine for beads; shade 5 is best for larger work.
The cost ranges from about $50 for an inexpensive pair of AUR92 or Phillips, up through several hundred dollars. My AUR92 glasses cost abound $100, because I decided to get a set with lightweight frames (which makes them very comfortable to wear). And I have not regreted a single penny of that.
Boro shields are more expensive, and start around $50 for a pair of flip-ups, up through several hundred dollars. If you're not sure you're going to want to work boro, get a pair of the flip-ups to start, because even an "inexpensive" pair of boro glasses are expensive.
Bench shields are in the neighborhood of $200.
Are Regular Safety Glasses OK?
In a word - no. While safety glasses do help protect against flying glass, they do not help with the light and radiation that lampworking creates. So don't think that a regular pair of safety glasses will work for lampworking.
The same goes for sunglasses and prescription glasses -- neither are adequate.
Where to Get Protective Eyewear
There are several places to get lampworking glasses. Most lampworking supply sites carry a small selection of inexpensive lenses. If you want to step up a little, or if you want to explore prescription lampworking glasses, you can check with the AuraLens or Phillips sites. Both sites offer protection for soft glass and borosilicate work.
Whatever you do, don't be tempted to do lampworking without the proper eye protection; your vision is not something to take lightly.
Lampwork Beads and Shards
If you've ever made lampwork beads, you know there are days when it's pure joy. The ideas flow and you are able to make what you are dreaming of.
Then again, there are also days when even a simple round spacer bead is a struggle. On those days I've learned that instead of trying to concentrate on making sets or Pandora-style beads, it's time to experiment!
The experiments can be anything from trying new color combinations, playing with some new glass, using frits or (like the past couple weeks) try out some lampworking shards. And since yesterday was one of my "struggling" days, I decided there was no time like the present to get them out.
What are Shards?
Lampworking shards have been around for quite a few years, so I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to play with them. But now that I have a few different kinds, I'm maving fun!
If you've never played with shards (or aren't familiar with lampworking supplies), they are very, very thin pieces of glass. They are made by blowing a bubble of molten glass, then when cool, breaking up the bubble into pieces.
So, why use shards? I mean, why not just swipe on a thin layer of glass instead? Probably because the shards are so very thin that they provide a different effect.
The photos are both sides of the same bead. The shards I used were striking, and since I am terrible at striking glass colors, I thought maybe a super-thin piece might give me more luck.
While the colors aren't exactly what I had originally hoped for, I still like them. Glass does what it does, and as long as I can get a pretty bead for a result, I'm happy. And now I know it's a color combination that I want to make a set with (which means I need to get more of that color). 
In about a month or so I'll be re-opening my lampwork bead store and will put some beads on ebay as well. But since I don't have any of my own to offer yet, how about some eye candy from other artisan lampwork bead sellers in the meanwhile?
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JGAB LAMPWORK HANDMADE GLASS BORO BEADS SRA Everything US $24.99
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PIKALDAhandmade lampwork 15 beads glassCREAMYSRA US $35.00
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FLYING GLASS Handmade Lampwork Beads DOUBLE BUBBLE SRA US $16.00
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 10 Handmade Orange Dot Glass Rondelle Lampwork Beads US $5.99
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 FLYING GLASS Handmade Lampwork Beads RED DRESS SRA US $34.00
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 75 PIECES HANDMADE LAMPWORK GLASS PENDANTS BEADS FOCALS US $.99
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 50PCs Mixed Color Handmade Lampwork Charm Glass Beads US $.01
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 10 Handmade Green Pink Glass Rondelle Lampwork Beads US $5.99
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 EDJ ANTIQUE TOPAZ Handmade Glass Lampwork Beads SRA US $24.99
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