Kiln dust and blow tubes

[Grape]

Kiln dust and opening the end of a blow tubes gets annoying. anyone else feel this way? Surprized there isnt a fix for kiln dust, with how much in and out of the kiln is required for lampworking.

[STROKER]

vac the kiln out everysooften and it makes a big difference.

as for opening blowtubes.

at the beginning of the day i use my wheeled tube cutters to score and break off the ends of 15-20 at once.
this way i have my blowtubes ready to go at all times during a build and all i gotta do it pick it up and go.

it takes me less than 10 seconds per tube to cut and break off in the water bucket. easy as could be.

fuck blowing or tearing open blowtubes...

[themoch]

^^^^^^

+1

i get like 2-3 12mm tubes when i'm starting out a fresh week and cut them into 4-5 pieces each and flair them open slightly. this makes it very easy to just pick up one and go when you need it.

[glassaxis]

I prep 15 or so blow tubes so that they are ready on the bench and then just bring them in with about a second or so of wide cool flame and they are ready to go. And if they are not prepped, being able to rip one open and flare it on a moment's notice is a necessary skill to have. Have fun!

[dmas0n]

This is a trick I learned from here, one of those big tips threads I read, so I take no personal credit for this. Whenever i finish using a blow tube and it's closed on the end i will heat it up and make a maria while plugging the open end with my finger... once you get the knack of it the maria will just pop right off once it's cooled and you have a tube ready for flaring. Since i use the corner of my L shaped marver to flare my tube this allows me to prep my blow tubes quickly as I go.

[FredLight]

I use a damp kevlar glove to wipe dust off.

I don't pick up the glove, it just sits next to the kiln on the bench.

[Tsnider]

the black high heat pads from mountain art glass work great.

[akmewon]

a dollar bill......whatever the money paper is it wipes kiln dust off great if ya dont have a kevlar sleeve or pad to wipe on....

[FredLight]

Clean dish rag works the same, honestly.

Leather glove,

patch of denim,

whatever you've got,

cotton preferably.

[davidwillisglass]

get a piece of kiln shelf that fits on the floor of your kiln. then you won't have dust.

[hashmasta-kut]

i use some plumber high heat cloth to wipe shit down, its a cheap alternative to glassblowing hi heat pads, and diamond shear 99% of blowtubes open. if you dont have diamond shears, get some now.

[Julian]

Newspaper or cardboard are my choices for kiln dust removal.

As for blowtubes, just heat the end, blow it thin, and pop it in the flame is my suggestion. Takes about 15 seconds.

[loco]

I' just stack my used blow tubes in a pile and when I get low I throw them in front of my Glass Bitches torch. He does all the work and I have a bucket of clean blow tubes, polished/mouth end up.

I usually have at least 50 clean ones to work with. If they get too short he makes one hitters and electroforms them. If I get low, lather rinse & repeat...

[B-Rye-oNeR]

sometimes I wonder how many uses I get of one pc of blow tube, I cut in 1/4 so I start with a nice long pc. Usually it goes on a flare for ISO spoon twice, then maybe a couple bubs, few wrap n rakes, handful of onnies, then when they are really short I use them for R ball sections, or maybe even some good ol old school slides (yes people still buy the shit ouuta them) When people tell me they pull points I am baffled.

I know this isn't at all what this tread was about, but after using a blo tube this many times they get really dirty. When I have a pile of used blow tubes I usually used a windexed paper towel to quickly wipe them all down before I score and snap. I use paper paper towels for kiln dust too.

[hashmasta-kut]

Newspaper or cardboard are my choices for kiln dust removal.

As for blowtubes, just heat the end, blow it thin, and pop it in the flame is my suggestion. Takes about 15 seconds.


but it takes about 5 to shear em. i never blow em anymore, its a waste of time, and also the hole isnt as true ended as d shears give ya. sometimes it is, but not every time so good like shearing. i guess that matters more for other tube end applications other than blowtubes, but i just shear everything pretty much now. i do a lot of tube joining and shearing seems best.

[Swampy]

Had to repair a piece this morning, I put two pieces of 10mm rod in the kiln, rest the piece on that then spark up the kiln = piece doesn't touch the kiln floor till I finished repair it.

[gn0me]

Word up to Kut pushin the diamond shears... it's the only way to roll. Less waste than the maria method once you've got it down and it's so fast and easy. The cheapies from various sources work just fine if you have nothin else, especially if you pay a little attention to the edges with a file (hint: a rounded bevel is best, just like on a v-necker, except that the shears come to a flat edge the one side. A straight sharp bevel leaves more junk on the constriction. Think of D shears as shaping tools more than cutting tools)

For kiln dust and for keeping your pieces from getting scratched on the floor of your kiln, a sheet of mica (http://www.ashevillemica.com/paper-products.html) works really well and is good to 1300ish F. It does occasionally need to be cleaned of the dust that the kiln sheds, which you can cut down on by painting the inside of the kiln with Sodium silicate or, even better, the Z-kit from Joppa glass (http://www.joppaglass.com/burner/zkit.html). Just be sure to either remove your elements first or be very careful to avoid painting them, since contact with it will decrease their life significantly.

[ITIS]

when I remove a blow tube, before it cools I reheat and blow a thin bubble, pop in flame and flare on corner of marver. it really takes almost no time since it is already hot from removal this way there is always a fresh supply and it never feels like a chore.

[Samson]

This is a trick I learned from here, one of those big tips threads I read, so I take no personal credit for this. Whenever i finish using a blow tube and it's closed on the end i will heat it up and make a maria while plugging the open end with my finger... once you get the knack of it the maria will just pop right off once it's cooled and you have a tube ready for flaring. Since i use the corner of my L shaped marver to flare my tube this allows me to prep my blow tubes quickly as I go.


bomb tactic .... been doing this ever since I saw some guy doing it...works perfect, quick, no mess +1

[mark206nj]

As for blow tubes, I just blow a thin bubble and tear it off. Reshape with my octagonal reamer and it's done. Takes about 8-10 seconds.

For the kiln dust, I have a piece of ceramic fiber cloth that I cut to fit the full width of the kiln. It goes from the front of the kiln to about 8 inches towards the back. This way, the pieces I'm working on never touch the kiln floor til I remove them from the blowtube and stand them in the back of the kiln. I also vac out the kiln once a week to get any dust out. But I also clean my bench and vac that every week as well.......usually just before I do a run of prep work tubing.

[HeartBurnGlass]

An easy fix for blowtubes: after you pull it off and the end is sealed heat it to a nice even ball and then press it straight down on your graphite so you will have a tight maria on the end with a little nub going into the tube, then when it cools just knock the maria off and you should have a perfect opening if you press down evenly (it helps to turn while pressing so you dont angle it)

As for the kiln dust i just sweep mine out now and then and wipe dust off before i put it back in the flame .

And i dont know if its true or not but i heard that using vacuums in your kiln can create static that messes with the heat sensor

[Grape]

Thank you all for the input! i tried a few suggestions... tried the maria at the end of the tube with no success. i heard that one before n didnt work for me then either. trieed the diamond shers, its not for me. tired of flame tearing open tube ends. i am thinking about a wet saw just for cutting tube ends off.lol anyone do this? and if so what is a good wet saw to buy, i dont need a big ass one, prolly just something small but still quality. i hope i dont sound lazy, i just really hate opening endless piles of tube ends.

[p.j.]

just score them, snap them and fire polish them.

you are making it too hard....a wet saw is a waste for blow tubes.

[Swampy]

Yeah doing it in the flame is the best way to go, looks better.

Practice melting closed then opening tube scraps, not your finished work. You will get there in the end, strive to excel in patience.

[Grape]

pj- how do u score n snap a 1/2" closed end, off the end of a blow tube??

swampy- i am talking about blow tube ends and its not that i am having trouble with tearing em open n flaring em. its just that i hate doing it is all.

[menty666]

You don't need the opening to be a full 12mm, pull it down, snap the end, and fire polish.

Or, close it, pick it open and there ya go. Most of the action's going on at the other end.

[mer]

wet saws are messy, cleaning up and drying takes a while. i wrap a bit of rod 4-7mm around the end of 12 or 9.5 blowtubes (if you are old you will see where the sizing came from). then slide a metal tool with a crisp edge (wrench, scoring knife) down the tube and smack the acute angle of the wrap that wants to break anyway. it took a couple but it was happening natural really fast. for points just a dot of clear with the same sliding tool motion will work.

[Grape]

i thought of the mess, but i think i'm gonna try it anyways. thanks for sharing your ideas guys!

[mer]

lol, so you just started a thread to ask for help, got suggestions from over 20 people, and decided to take none of it? this is ridiculously close to trolling. good luck!

[Grape]

im not trying to argue with anyone or make anyone upset. i tired some of the suggestions with an open mind they didnt work for me.. again thank you all and i will let you all know how the wet saw works. mer sorry i didnt mean to "troll". peace

[hashmasta-kut]

pj- how do u score n snap a 1/2" closed end, off the end of a blow tube??

swampy- i am talking about blow tube ends and its not that i am having trouble with tearing em open n flaring em. its just that i hate doing it is all.

sounds like a d shear would be perfect for that. did you get some yet?

[mer]

if I thought your actions were dishonorable you wouldn't still be posting. I am only trying to show you how it comes off from another perspective. there are many experienced people here trying to help you. you would do well to bookmark this thread, you will be back. the processes take a bit of practice but if glassblowing was as easy as a series of cheats then people would make their own glass instead of paying us. we were all in your shoes once, hoping we might out think the need to practice, many without the help of resources like this. you will come to respect it in time. keep moving forward and you will prevail.

[Plum Tuckered]

pj- how do u score n snap a 1/2" closed end, off the end of a blow tube??

I actually score my blow tubes 1/2 an inch from the end and use a pair of spark plug wire puller pliers to snap it. Just take off the rubber coating on the tips of the pliers. Takes me maybe 10 seconds tops and it doesn't matter if the end is still kinda hot.

I really need to get a good set of D Shears though. Who makes a good pair that will last?

[Mecha]

Carlo Donna!

Cutting edge look good too, as well as Jim Moore.

Spendy for scissors at first, but they will last a lifetime if taken care of.

And opening, Mer is spot on with wrap and crack. Also, the maria trick works, you just need to let it cool before you attempt to knock it off.

Also, for either of those techs, a smooth knock through motion helps. Don't be all jerky. Swing through like you are hitting a baseball, or a golf ball. A nice fluid follow through can make a big difference.

[STROKER]

pj- how do u score n snap a 1/2" closed end, off the end of a blow tube??

swampy- i am talking about blow tube ends and its not that i am having trouble with tearing em open n flaring em. its just that i hate doing it is all.


http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15770

this tool will allow you to score and snap a tube open in less than 10 seconds.

do 20 at a time and then do a quick firepolish to keep from cutting your lip.

truly easy...

[jr23]

d-shear, v-too, any thing but the wet saw I do em all ways but like mer said if you take one off a piece leave a little dab of glass on side of blowtube then I take a beat up pair of cheap d-shears and slide em down and knock the dab of glass off and have a clean edge.

I took a whole case of 12 and broke it down and flame polished the edge in like 30-40 min.

It would be a fucking waste of a time saw cutting them then cleaning not to mention wear snd tear on the blade for Nothing gained at all.

[Slow]

I suggest you buy a real nice wet saw, use it for a few weeks, realize it's overkill, and re-sell it to me at an incredible discount. Just my 2¢.

[re-vit]

i wanted to push what stroker first said a little further.

i use the disc nippers to score 3/4 of an inch in from whatever nasty end i left there, then use part of my disc nippers as a hammer, to strike off everything north of the score over the edge of the scrap bucket. but to each their own.
:chilling::chilling::chilling:

[STROKER]

^^^exactly my method

[Julian]

Scorers are handy, but I don't like covering my shop in glass dust. I open stuff in the flame.

You can also make a janky maria mash at the end, and flick that off with your tweezies a la El Harroun del Sol.

[gn0me]

If you need us, we'll be the ones quietly laughing once you've bought a wetsaw and realise that the actual time cutting on the saw is longer than any of the above methods, not to mention the boiling edges of glass that result from trying to heat sawn glass edges up too quickly, the tubes that need to be cleaned inside and out, and the glass dust/water spray that's all over your shop. Seriously - JAWS scoring tool if you can't be bothered to learn to d-shear or do the maria method and you need a new toy. Glass saws have their place but chopping blowtubes it ain't.

[menty666]

I can vouch for the JAWS cutters. I love mine.

The smaller set sees more use though.

[Grape]

yeah you guys r right prolly a dumb idea. sorry for the pointless thread. Thanks everyone for chiming in and i didnt me to sound ignoraint. i just know there is alot of joking that goes on, on these boards. so i didnt know if some of the ideas were meant to pull my leg or what...but i realize they were indeed legit answers. i try'd pretty much all these again the other day. Sometimes they would work n others not. so i'll just stick to what works for me now, which is tearing/poping em open. but keepin those in mind..... those jaws r nice.. i think i have seen someone using em before. i just have disk nips

[Bonelord]

I just draw (not squish) a maria around my blow tube, flick off with backside of tweezerz. Make sure your tweez handles is flat againt the blow tube as you knock the maria off. Works great.

I use 5mm rod to draw it on.

[gambitglass]

second the glass dust. I try and snap and score in good ventilation the micro glass dust gets sucked away. maybe wetting the score would help with that too but the scoring itself creates a little cloud of shit that I'm sure I dont want to breath. Probably already inhaled enough bad things in my life already.