Outdoor Public Demonstration

RyanTheNumberImp · #1 2014-09-02, 7:34am

I'll be doing a lampworking demo at a makerfaire this weekend and was hoping to get some tips. The audience will just be a mix of people, probably a lot of kids.

My sculptural skills really aren't that great, but I can pull some pretty good cane. What tends to get the best reactions?

I'm interested in any good party tricks as well. I remember Loren Stump licking a hot blob of glass but I don't think I have the confidence to pull that one off.

Dasi · #2 2014-09-02, 8:06am

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanTheNumberImp

I'll be doing a lampworking demo at a makerfaire this weekend and was hoping to get some tips. The audience will just be a mix of people, probably a lot of kids.

My sculptural skills really aren't that great, but I can pull some pretty good cane. What tends to get the best reactions?

I'm interested in any good party tricks as well. I remember Loren Stump licking a hot blob of glass but I don't think I have the confidence to pull that one off.

Kids love small critters... Maybe make a turtle? A fish. Stuff like that. Candies, the kind with the clear wrapper. All these can be made on a hot head if need be.

bshelle · #3 2014-09-02, 8:57am

I think making twisties and pulling them out, and pulling stringers - are pretty showy and effective.

preciousglass · #4 2014-09-02, 9:16am

I find that during my private demos, implosions, silver glass color changes, and latticino (sp?) cane are the most impressive for people.

ESC · #5 2014-09-02, 4:17pm

Geez, it's been years since I did a demo, but most were entranced by just seeing glass melt. Maybe some small beads demoing the way shapes change when you squeeze dots together, or dots next to lines.

losthelm · #6 2014-09-02, 5:48pm

Rupert's drops may be fun.
If you have any reactive glass like the copper black from divardi can be fun.

tassiebeads · #7 2014-09-02, 6:19pm

I used to demo for the tourists who came to town on the cruise ships - I'd do a Triton bead, or a bead decorated with a big swirl of triton. I first showed them the un-reduced bead, then cranked up the propane (flashy flame, they loved that), and reduced the "plain" bead to a "shiny, mirror finish" - like magic.

I sold a lot of pieces made with silver glass because folks wanted a souvenir of what they'd seen in the demo.

Good luck and have fun with your demo!

RyanTheNumberImp · #8 2014-09-03, 7:15am

Thanks for the tips so far.

I'll try to bring a lot of colour changing glass along (silver/striking) and work on my sculptural skills as I go. Should have plenty of time to practice...

The event has more of a science theme, so I like the idea of occasional experiments like rupert's drops. (Might be hard to safely pop them though).
I remember heating the air inside of a hollow vessel and putting the entrance underwater. It would fill as the air cools and contracts.
Doing the stringer test with different COEs might be fun as well since they will curl as they cool.

Any other science experiments you can perform with a torch? How about things that would be interesting to melt?

jeepinwelch · #9 2014-09-03, 8:00am

For some reason people love to watch twisties being made. That has always baffled me because to us it's no big deal. Simple black and white is always good and you can easily turn it into a tiger stripe bead.

2xMI · #10 2014-09-03, 8:41am

Yes to the twisties. Every time I've done a demo the twisties are the most asked for. And for a science twist, do some with ivory and turquoise or others that react, versus ones that don't.

Mimi

Eileen · #11 2014-09-03, 9:59am

Maybe have some beads made up to sell using the twisties to make snakes or worms wrapped around a base bead so they'll want to buy one to remember the twistie demo?

carolinainmymind · #12 2014-09-03, 10:23am

Make beads using blue and yellow, explain the copper/ sulphur reaction.

Leave a bead out of the flame for too long, explain thermal shock and the necessity of annealing.

Strike/ unstrike colors and explain the chemistry.

Maybe use a larger or press and explain the chill marks.

ROC · #13 2014-09-03, 12:03pm

Science immediately brings baking soda to mind. Pretty cool to see how it bubbles the glass, but you'll have to get an explanation of the reaction from someone other than me! Great to see you here; good luck!

sangita · #14 2014-09-03, 9:10pm

Kids love when I heat some glass and then let the glow go away and I stick it in water and the water bubbles or i can scorch wood with it still. I do that to show them that they cant touch the glass on my glass holder.
They also like touching the cold glass rods to see how hard it is.
I take extra sun glasses with me and ask people to wear them just in case some glass shatters

jaci · #15 2014-09-04, 6:38am

I find that they loose their attention span after bout 4-5min. I always bring a butter knife and my spiral tongs, or one press. That way I can make a heart with a butter knife (simple but people have no idea what I'm doing til I'm done, (and it's quick) they get this ah-ha moment.. Spiral tongs are great when someone asks why it costs so much, as is silver glass, but I demo only with cheep colors and trans red/orange, yellow's. They strike but are cheeper, and I'm not wasting glass. It's a real eye opener for some people when you tell them that this one tool cost $100 bucks, and this one little piece of glass runs $100 a lb. (know how many rods are in a lb when you tell them. It's their 1st question. I usually being a lb of cheep glass for comparison. It sounds like a lot but looks so much smaller.

Oh yea.. Frit. I always bring frit. They are fascinated by the way it sticks (or won't stick if not hot)

hyperT · #16 2014-09-04, 11:14am

Pay attention to what you are making and forget about the crowd. It's like moths to the flame lol