wtb metal blowtube / punties.

[The Lorax]

where the best deals at?

[BombDiggity]

Frantz had some for $30 but they are sold out. Steinert mini blowpipes are $66 straight from Steinert
http://steinertindustries.com/osc/product_info.php?products_id=202&osCsid=1566a9525c7db72fafefc836311361a7
punties are $33
http://steinertindustries.com/osc/product_info.php?products_id=203&osCsid=1b04315fc5f2511b7402c4cba92a1c7d
you can get the Steinert mini blowpipe from other glass suppliers, but they run fro $70-$100
I have this blowpipe and like it very much

There is a Carlo Dona mini blow pipe $68
http://www.spiralarts.com/products/pc/Mini-Blowpipe-65p358.htm
hth

[The Lorax]

damn, i was reading on the forum about frantz having the same ones for $15 at one point... don't wanna fork over much more than that if possible but might have to.

thanks for the links bomb!

[ralph]

Hit up Marcel! He has the mini ones that are like 16in or something, for about $40. The bigger ones are like 24in or maybe 30in and I think they are $80. I dont remember the exact details, but I know when I need new blowpipes, I just hit him up. I have like 5 of them now. They are the best!

[The Lorax]

I was thinking of hitting him up but i am not gonna fork over $40 for a tiny rod / tube... I recall even asking my first soft glass teacher how much a hotshop blowtube costs and he said $100... and thats 4-5 feet long and a much bigger diameter... Maybe the prices were a tad lower in 06' also but i was never the type of guy willing to pay out the ass for simple things.... might as well pay 50+ for a frit tray while i'm at it... ha ha ha

[chayes]

The ones Marcel makes are bad ass. That is seriously what ya want. Well worth every penny. The ones Frantz has are much smaller and more for soft glass. You can work boro on em small scale, but the Marcel ones rage the big boro.

[WORLD FAMOUS]

I also recommend the punty/blowpipes Marcel sells. I've been rocking a borrowed a set of 'em for the last few months, but I finally broke down and bought my own set this last weekend. Stoked!

[The Lorax]

i might fork over the loot for em... prob gonna ask a machinist buddy if he can make me some first... they are just regular stainless steal, right?

[lenhoffman2876]

Hey not sure if this helps man but I do a little more off hand blowing currently and the guy whos shop I use made his own punties as they really are just stainless steel rods and you can create your own handle.....and it'll save you a messload....just an idea

[Bo Diddles]

I got a couple fourteen inch 3/8" s.s. tubes cut for me by a guy I work with, and they work great. I think there was a post recently where someone talked about going to a metal shop and getting a bunch cut for cheap.
I can't imagine spending $40 on one... is there something special about them?

[bifwitsis209]

whats marcel's contact info cause i could use one.....

[somewhere]

304 stainless. Resists pitting and is the industry standard. If you really want heavy duty instead of welding 304 on the end weld a inconel head on the end of the 304 blowpipe. That should last forever.

I would recommend buying your blowpipe finished if you don't tig weld and have a machine shop. Puntys on the other hand are a no brainer. Buy a SS 304 rod and cut it to length.

[The Lorax]

good info all around, exact reason i love this place. thanks everyone, i appreciate it

[ralph]

To get a hold of Marcel, I would just pm him.
There are a number of reasons that make Marcel's blowpipes/punties sweet. The first I would say is they are used and tested by him ( a bad ass glassblower). Marcel customize's his pipes for lampworking.
I really like mine for the weight. They are super light. After a taco pull and some flat cane, I am spent. Any tool that makes my job easier at that point, I need to have. The more I can work the more money I can spend on toys!
Or maybe I should use the dumbells from the gym? Haha! then I could pump iron while I do tube pulls. Haha! jk

[VED]

definatly hit up the machine shop for punties, i scored a 12ft rod for 15$ and they cut them down to lenght, kept what i needed and hooked my buddies up with the rest they work great for big cane pulls, blow tubes on the other hand, u might want to talk to someone who knows what there doing.

[Conchis]

The blow tubes that I've seen (and the one that I have) have a flattened bell shape at the end with a small hole in the middle of the bell. I'm assuming that this configuration discourages air moving back up the tube because of the pressure gradients that this configuration places on air movement. A straight tube would work, but it would also create some potential risks. I spent some money on a little Steinert tube a few years back. It's really held up well, but I don't use it as much as I thought I might.

[Rosentech]

Marcel's punties are not simply cut lengths of solid rod. They are hollow shafts with solid heads welded on and a plastic tip/cap. They are very well made and honestly if you go to a machinist it will probably end up costing close to the same. The only way to get a great deal is having many made up.

Also, stainless is quite heavy check out Spiral Arts in Seattle to get a better idea of the proper blowpipe design. Marcel's are made the same. A hollow shaft with a solid head in a couple different styles just like punties and blowpipes used at the furnace.

Oh yeah, the bigger ones rock for large prep and solid work. First time I held one I couldn't resist to go bigger than usual!

[VED]

^^^ that definatly sounds alot nicer than the punties i have, but i rarely use mine, if u planning on using them alot, i would toss down the loot for some quality shit

[somewhere]

Agreed Marcel's punties are hollow with or without a step down. I don't see much use for a punty in the lampshop that has a head bigger then 1/4" But I do see the benefit of having a handle that is larger then a 1/4" So if you want to buy a hollow punty I would recommend the stepdown. Here's a link so you can see:
http://www.winshipdesigns.com/home2/ws3/smartlist_83/off_hand_supplies.html
Disappointed it doesn't list sizes, weights or type of steel. I would still just rock the 1/4" 304 stailnless rod it really is not that heavy. If you figure the punty is 18" long and a cubic inch of stainless steel weighing .286 lbs. What will the solid punty weigh. I didn't do the math but since I own many I can say not much.
Here's another link from Steinert:
http://www.steinertindustries.com/osc/
If you look at the blowpipe it has a nice blueprint of all the dimensions.