Air trapped in tube pulls...Help

[Shanman]

I have been completely unsuccesfull in my stick stack tube pulls. At first glance everything goes smooth with the pull, but when I start to benderback the tubing all kinds of air bubbles come rushing to the surface. If you have experienced this, please tell me where I am going wrong and how to correct it. Should I blend my stick stack thoroughly before the pull, should I angle it so the hot air rises out, should I attach a blow tube and try to suck the air out, should I just get it hot and pull quickly before blend?(I've tried everything here) Any insight is appreciated, thanks for your help.

[smolder holder]

What color are you using? Iis there a lot of air in the color rods themselves? Are your interior walls melted in all the way when you look down into your pulled tube?

Have you looked into vac stacks? They work really well at getting all the air out of your pull.

[B-Rye-oNeR]

Are you using a vacuum? If not I'd say you should. WHat size tubes are you using? I've only done a few stacks, but many tube pulls. You really wanna get it super hot, at least a little hotter than if you were trying to flame cut the outer tube. When sucking the air out keep it parallel, or angled slightly so the air can escape the open side. Keep the flame completely on the side of the tube you already have melted in, take it slow working from one end to the other. Check out vacuum stick stack thread.

[styles1 torchlife]

Vacstack and you'll save a ton of time and effort!

[LTD]

The problem you are having (if I am reading this right) is caused by not having everything melted all the way in. It will look like it is melted in way before it really is. If you do a few stacks of a pattern that fades to clear so you have a nice clear area to see the inside you will be able to see just how melted in it is as you go.

[Shanman]

Yeah I get the same feeling...I'm not totally blended on the inside and when I benderback those ridges are trapping air. I know Vac Stack is todays staple but I don't have a lot of space or extra electricity, but thanks for the suggestions. I am using glass alchemy colors... white included which i know is airy but not this airy. Anyways, any other ideas are appreciated.

[LTD]

maybe if you described your technique we could help more...

[Shanman]

Yeah it was a blending issue, i had initially thought because I'd pull it down to almost nothing that it wouldn't be a problem...but even those milimeter sized ridges completely reaked havic on my benderbacks. Thanks for the insight now that I'm blending thoroughly, my tube pulls work as smooth as butter.