Using quarts rods for fuming?

[SNYD]

So I have heard about people using quarts rods for fume sticks so that you don't melt your rod down when fuming. So I bought an 8mm quartz rod and tried to us it and I cant get my silver or gold to stick to it. If anyone has a suggestion that would be great.

[HOSS]

I haven't gotten around to getting one myself, but from what I understand the trick is to make a liitle "spoon" on the end of the rod with a bowl push or something, and balance the little ball of metal in it, because it wont ever really stick right. I'd thought that quartz wasn't supposed to melt at boro temps, but then if thats true how do you shape it into a spoon? I dunno. Good luck!

[SNYD]

yea thats where i'm stumped. I ragged my phantom to the point that my hand got to hot to hold the rod and the end still wouldn't move.

[smutboy420]

A gtt is the only torch that will get quartz hot enought to move using only o2 and propane other wise you need a hydrogen torch to melt quartz.


But there are other ways to skin your cat. What I do with the quartz rod is stick a tiny tiny blob of boro glass to the end of it. Then I use the blob of boro to pick up my silver with it. I only use a speck of the boro so it don't shock and breaking off. like a pcs of small frit sized speck.

[SNYD]

Thanks Smutboy. I will give that a try.

[HOSS]

A gtt is the only torch that will get quartz hot enought to move using only o2 and propane other wise you need a hydrogen torch to melt quartz.

Well he did say he was using a Phantom.. thats still not enough? wow. Sure seems like some of the manufacturers/suppliers would be selling them pre-shaped (for an extra fee of course).

[somberbear]

it should be i melted quarts on myphantom . the key is putting a taper on the end , then taking the tip of your reamer and making a little cup in the tip this will suck a bead pretty well in place .... i can normaly use it no problems

and yea most people i know working quarts are on gtts or us hydrogen or acytline.

peace
rob

[cheng076]

After seeing Rod's quartz rods at AGI I had to try it. Got some 6mm from Winship (don't believe their website; the rods are only 11 to 14 inches long and at the moment they are out). I used my welding torch (premix) and it melted enough to taper it and push a dimple in the end. So far it has held the silver and gold just fine. I hold it verticle so the molten metal doesn't try to roll/spill out of the dimple and I haven't tried to hold it horizontally yet. You could put the dimple in the side of the rod and hold it horizontal I suppose. Sure does work better than a boro rod.... no flopping around or getting out of shape.
PJH

[TorchedGlass]

I have been using quarts for a couple of months and I love it. I have only been using it for silver though. When I am picking up a new piece of silver I will place my chunk on a cheap paddle and preheat it when the rod is already hot and then pick it us as normal. I usually preheat the silver in the back flame until it melts just a little bit. Be sure to keep your rod really hot too. I try not to look at the rod too much because that shit is bright as hell.

[Alfred]

A gtt is the only torch that will get quartz hot enought to move using only o2 and propane other wise you need a hydrogen torch to melt quartz.


Sorry Smutboy,gotta call BULLSHIT on that,cause I did it just fine on my CC.Trick is ya gotta shape it IN the flame not out.I hit it with my center fire:flamethro RAGING:flamethro and the outer fire on, got it white hot ,moved it out of the center fire but kept it in the outers,reached in with the mashers and smashed it then bent the flattened part into a spoonish shape.It doesn't move easy but you can do it.Both metals stick a little better after you've fumed with them a little and the rod itself has a little fume coating.

[FiredDesires]

I did about what you did Alfred, just yesterday... only I used a quartz tube I bought years ago. I just got the very tip screaming hot, pinched with mashers to create a little groove and dropped in a tiny ball of gold....it worked great and the gold is still hanging on. I'm sure, if it had been a rod, I wouldn't have been sucessful, as I did this on the Barracuda, it did take several minutes but I got it on the first try.

[Greymatter Glass]

sand blast the end, or use emery cloth to scuff up the end. That should help the metal stick. If you melt some boric acid (or borax) onto the quartz that might help a little too.... it acts as a flux and would maybe help the silver/gold fuse to the quartz better.

-Doug

[smutboy420]

I guess I stand corrected then ah :-) If it works for you I guess it works.
I haven't even tried on the gtt my self.

I have been abel to make a slight dimple using a premix single hole tip and getting it rip roaring hot and tried to get needle nose pliers on it. All I got was a mark before the pliers sucked all the heat out. But I find just puting a dot of pyrex on the end is just quicker then melting the quartz for me. Thats why I havn't even tried it my self first hand on the gtt. But I have seen quartz worked with a gtt.

[Alfred]

I'll admit the GTT probably makes it A LOT easier,and I wouldn't say that you can actually "work" quartz with the CC using propane/O2,but you can work it enough for our purposes of shaping the end of a fuming rod.