a little trick

[chayes]

cleaning up the ends of your handles.

fig 1 heat up the end of your rod

fig 2 Press your thumb on the open end of the tube while flattening the hot end on your graphite pad

fig 3 it should have pulled glass up into the tube

Allow to cool

fig 4 tap the cooled end

fig 5 there ya go a nice cleaned end ready for your next attachment.

[Lambs Bread]

very nice chris i have used solid rod on hollow to do that but hollow condenced and smashed make since too .. its looks real fast too

[IrieGuy05]

I have bad luck with that one and just do the finger over the end till it pops open from pressure thing and ream it back out. The just cut looking end on it looks nice tho. Nice picture instructions too.

[Glassbackwards]

yeah ive gotten cracks from that tech maybe im just f-in it up.

[Julian]

JK showed us a trick like that, I think it might be in some sort of archive tip and trick thread hidden deep within this forum... he would flatten the end and then use tweezers to knock off the end, attacking his shop mate with it (cold, not hot, the post indicated).
I wish I knew these back when I used a lot of blowtubes, slarky@!

[Satori]

I have tried this method, but instead of tapping, I would use tweezers as julian said. I got it to work maybe 1 every 20 times. My problem would be that when I flattened the glass on the marver, some of it would inevitably smash up inside the tube (even with my finger capping the other end.) This little plug of glass inside the tube would always stick when I tried to knock off the head of the nail. All the edges of the disc would pop right off, leaving the plug still stuck in the tube. Anyone have any tips on what I might be doing wrong?

[Mac Maestro]

I usualy set them at the end of a large graphite plate, let them cool, and just slide the blowtube back to knock the end off.
If you have a large gather on the end of your blowtube you are going to create a large disc on the end. Large disks don't like to pop off. make a thin gather and a thin disk. These pop off with just a touch. If you have one you beat up and the middle is still in it, stick it in the flame for an instant. It usually pops out clean.

Tip#2 Save the disks. They make for good additions to a variety of art pieces.
Tip#3 roll the end of your jagged blowtube in frit, then mash, you have colorful disks.

[jiminyrootkit]

sweet.
i'll try that next time i make a buncha reballs.....that's about all i use blowtubes for, but man, it can seriously fuck up the flow of things to have to stop, grab a cold 9mil, scratch/snap/flare to make a handle mid piece cause all the ones you had made are melted shut already.
-f

[The Bigles]

As a rule I ALWAYS pop open my blowtube in the flame right after I take it off of the piece. Even if its a big crazy piece. It saves a lot of time.

[J Howard]

i think the trick to this method is the right amount of melted glass (i don't cap the end of the tube, i just press down). seems like you need to gather a marble that's as round as the tube is wide. then just press down and make the patty. if you leave them alone, they'll usually pop off by themselves. otherwise, at least let it cool and nick the middle of the patty with a small flame, and you'll get a perfect edge everytime. knocking it off with tweezers sometimes rips off extra chuncks.

great pics btw

[NUBBLET]

I allow the tube to cool , just let the glow leave and give about another ten 15 seconds ( I slide it around on the pad to draw the heat out quicker ) , then flash it in the flame , you will hear a tink real quick , now slide down the shaft with your tweezers or needlenoses ( you dont need to touch just hover ) and tap the disk , POP it comes right off and 99% of the time pefectly straight and clean . I have known this tech to be called "The V-POP" . Very quick and easy , takes a couple practice tries but way worth the time . I use it for point handles also and sometimes if done right you can use for mouth pieces .