The process of Murrini, murrine, murrina, spell it however you want

I have been working on some documentation (free and for sale) of my processes for my peers and customers. I thought it would be nice to share some of the process pictures here.

I showed a bead made with this murrini in my last post here at WMC.

This is a radial pattern murrini made with yellow, orange and red Vetrofond glass. I know you can see the colors. I just want you (the non-lampworker) to understand that the glass I used to create this murrini was the same color when I started.

We have access to a very large quantity of man made (and mastered) art glass colors. Unlike the past; We would be mixing metals, and wondering what we would get. Today, that is all mastered by glass manufacturers.

“Murrini” is spelled many ways; “Murrina”, “murrine” or “murrini”;and I have seen one “r”, and no “i” or “e” at the end too.

I like the “murrini” spelling the most. I could not find the word in the dictionary yet… You can read a great definition at Milissa Montini’s web site. (The thought of glass being like taffy! go check the work out!) After the “taffy” becomes a pencil sized piece of glass. Then the glass is “nipped” into these chips you see here, becoming what we call a “murrini”.

I set my murrine on a hot plate to bring the temperature up.

When the bead is ready, I add the murrine chip to the bead.

The possibilities are endless. Making murrini is a real science. Everything has to be defined in order to get to the final piece. The engineering is fascinating to me.

The murrini can be melted flush with your bead, or be left raised above the surface. Using different glasses over and around the murrini can create many different effects.

I make the “cane” (or 1-1/2″ round x 1-1/2″ thick chunk of glass) on a large scale, and pull it (like taffy) to a smaller scale. This pull gave me about 2 feet of cane.

When I get my pencil like size rod of glass , I then nip them into many murrini. Usually I only need a few for the project I am working on. If I was a bead production type of person, I would make some really sweet sets. I may just give it a go some day? For today, I either save it for another time or sell it at the shop.

Sometimes I make more detailed murrini by welding the different rods of glass together (called a “mosaic cane”); people, faces, all types of designs…

In all parts of the world people have been creating multiples with glass in this way since 350 BC (and even longer!). Some people nip the murrini chips 1/4″ thick and drill holes right there in the murrini; making the murrini a bead.

This part of my process is experimentation. I wanted to make a murrini (for practice), and test different approaches to installing the murrini in the beads. I have practiced at least a dozen different techniques.

This knowledge that I have gained from this experience will help me out with future sculpture projects. One thing at a time is what it seams to take, to reach my goals. Art takes a lifetime!

Making beads (for me) in general, is like making little proto-types of the sculptures I want to make some day. The possibilities are endless.

Sheila Morley blogs from her home office, and has a website. This particular murrini, and beads made with it are available at her Etsy shop. (while supplies last)