Because I am currently not able to afford the setup for proper lampwork, I thought I'd have a go at a low cost alternative - and the results are Amazing!

As I can't melt glass I looked around for an affordable alternative and found one at my local DIY store - Hot Melt Glue!

Apart from the temperature differences it behaves EXACTLY like glass!

Here's a shot from my 3rd attempt - (my first and second attempts got a bit stuck together - it is glue after all!)



Once up to temperature, the hot melt glue stick transforms into a glassy, fluid state which can be readily transferred on to almost any available substrate - but you need to be careful as the drips are VERY hot - as I found out by accident. I used twisted copper wire.

This is the result - I call this piece 'Umbilical union by DNA' - as it mirrors the feelings I had for my firstborn son who had a difficult delivery, and contains the double helical spiral so reminiscent of the ground breaking work performed in 1953 by James D. Watson and Francis Crick who proposed what is now accepted as the first correct double-helix model of DNA structure in the journal Nature



All you need is a hand torch and some sticks of Hot Melt glue - plus talent and a little patience - Go for it!