black tube seals

[Gibsons Glassworks]

hey all im having a problem doing a but seal or the seal on say a hammer or sidecar when sealing black tube- black tube. i do it like all my other seals, hot hot and then i brace, when i go back to work the seal it always cracks, and even when its melted right in. im kinda confused here.

[Racer X]

Why don't you stuff and puff it first?

[Gibsons Glassworks]

well this is an optin, i have done so, but that wasnt my question. when stuff and puffed or sleeved which i have done it works ok but i want to work it just black tube

[Gibsons Glassworks]

ps im not trying to sound like an asshole there^ :D:D

[Racer X]

Well, the color tube doesn't encalmo up too good. I don't care what anyone says. Black, Blue or Lavender. I had to totaly rework how I deal with the cobalt shit to avoid alot of nasty devit.

Your best bet is to save the money you spent on that tube and avoid seals for now. Make something that doesn't need seals.

Take the Lavender tube for instance. I got some of the 58 by 2. I don't think I will be making much other than some beer glasses with it.

[Gibsons Glassworks]

back to spoons i guess thanks for ruining my dream

the seal worked if i was just doing a basic butt seal and i could spin with apunty in both hands like so ====< >===== but the sidesar or hammer attachments were garbage.

[onion]

wow 58 by 2 is big and purple

[mistahead]

brace it, stick it back in the kiln for 15 minutes, do somthing else, and go work at the seal again.

[Gibsons Glassworks]

i do brace it, and kiln it for 15 mins at 1050 and still problems fahhk, better make some spoons

[jusbag]

You can conect the seal. Use a little needle flame on one side of the seal, then wait a few seconds and do the same on the other side of the seal. Then throw it in the kiln for 15 minutes. Then take it out and put your brace on and put back in the kiln for 10-15 minutes. Then fix up your seal.

And maybe garage it at 1000 or even like 975. Could help with the cracking too.

[Firekist]

i've been garaging the black at 1080 when working, and after one rough day with it, the next two have been great...
after working a piece, i put it in the kiln "gently" i keep it way towards the front with the door partially open. i make sure whatever is touching the kiln floor is plenty warm. (ie, last thing i worked) in a few minutes, i put it all the way in (oh baby)
that helps me avoid other issues.

i guess i'll try some sidecar seals and see what happens.

if you're 100% sure it was smooth.. good. if not, black IS thick, and slow to move, so that is another reason it might give problems.. it won't smooth out as well.

i've been told lots of people have problems with the way they work and the black, and i've had some of those woes. i'm not sure if it's the color formula to blame, or just the fact that it's BLACK, so it naturally dumps heat, and gains heat faster than other colors.

mmm.. black butter

z---seth

[Racer X]

Instead of spoons do this.

http://www.glassartists.org/Gal25997_.asp

[Gibsons Glassworks]

good tipe firekist. going to have to keep on workin it. deffinitly going to not keep it cold as long. and getter right hot!

thats a crazy ass mug there racer X.

man i wish this color tube worked as easy as clear.

[Racer X]

Next I am going to do a stuff and puff with cadmium powders because you said you do it.

[Gibsons Glassworks]

mmmm cadmium powder stuff and puffmmmm

looks cool to fume the black tube, then stuff and puff into a clear sleeve pretty neato

the wonders of asian black tube

[petto]

The black is kinda like the blue, have to wrk carefull to avoid those cracks. The kiln method mentioned by Firekist is a good idea. If you take that black tube and shove it back in a blazing kiln the seal will end up cracking if there is any stress or shelving. For me I just make my own tube from GA's raven sleeved in clear. Very nice black, I'll try to find some pics.

[ShttrdSpctrm]

i've been working with the black tubingfor a couple of months now, i had a bunch of it crack on me in the beginnin.now its only once in a while. the black tube is a bitch. just keep tryin, its worth it.

[Racer X]

I can't speak for the black, but what I have come to understand is that one way or another the blue or the violet are going to have issues with the encalmo.

Obviously I am not making little seals within the pieces... but trying to start small and puff out doesn't work. It seems that the glass never gets hot enough to make the join in the first place. If there is a ridge, it's there to stay. If you work it out, you get terrible reduction by the time you work it out. Re-thickening the stuff is a bad idea too. If you want to see a piece explode, try thickening up some of the lavender, bench cooling it and then trying to rework it later.

My solution was to make the seal big enough and hot enough to not have to re-work it so much. Too many reheats and uneven heat memory seem to really amplify the problems with this glass.

I find it hard to believe that kiln ju-ju is the end all answer. I believe Seth hit it right with the nature of the color. I've talked with both Sizelove and Mickelsen about this stuff and they seem to have some similar points and complaints about it. I'm not getting any cracking, but I will be needing some sandblasting.

[ShttrdSpctrm]

i think the purple tube is shit, explodes all the time

[Bonz manifest]

I've been working the purple tube for almost two years and i never have any explode. , I've had a piece go devit on me, and i couldnt polish it out ,. oh well, i hope to sandblast it anyway.

[taylorp]

keep your seal red hot keep heating it a bit while you make your bridge heat it red then attach your bridge keep heating it while you are attaching it (dont let the red fade ) after your bridge is secure go stright to your weld that is already red hot no breaking no craking any of that its pretty eaisy i just did a hole set w black tube

[LaPlayaGlass]

You could always try a complimentry transition section between the 2 black sections.
AL

[Gibsons Glassworks]

yea, i tryed to coil up some star white but when i go to get the seals rippin hot the star white bubbles like whit. it looked nice with elvis red but could bairly notice the red.

[Bent]

I've never had much problem with black tube. All colors work different, just get used to it. I had bad reduction probs. on my friends redmax but my delta usually does fine. Never had exploding issues with any color tubing unless it was my own fault.