Centered hole w/o a blow hose

[menty666]

For those of you that don't use a blow hose, how do you get a hole centered at the end of a point? I can usually get close to center, but ultimately when I pop a hole, it comes out with a rim that's sort of lopsided.

Other than "use a blowhose", any tips?

I actually do have one, I just hate using it.

[Swampy]

Pull away the picking rod whilst still rotating, that keeps the thin bit on centre. Pick at it with your picking rod till it gives in.

[Plum Tuckered]

Yeah i agree, pick it open! I fought picking holes for the longest but once you get it you're in a happier place.

[ALIEN!]

I like to blow a thin but not too thin bubble, torch it open and clean with a rod, goes quick, makes nice holes for encalmos.

[B-Rye-oNeR]

mirror can help, also looking through the tubing helps.

[HeartBurnGlass]

picking it open is the best way, if not at least pick until its thinner at the tip then when you blow it pops right in the middle

[B.C. Creations]

hold tip in flame, spin fast while blowing. it will pop a hole centered to your blow tube so you have to make sure your piece is on center. works everytime. not a fan of picking

[jseden]

I just like to blow a Thin spot and pick it

[smolder holder]

I do a variation on all three of the above posts^^^ above jseden's. I usually only pick open mouthpieces.

[Icon Glass Studio]

just heat up as little glass at the tip as you can, pull out of the flame and blow it out into a small mound kinda. then again heat up as little of the tip of the mound as possible, and blow open in the flame.

[hashmasta-kut]

diamond shears.

[coloringdan]

If i do blow it open it helps me the most to peek over my glasses so i can see the sodium flare when just the tip of the tube hits the side of the flame. Otherwise its hard to tell when you can't see through. but diamond shears are the way to go if possible.

[jr23]

D shears are not whats up all the time.

picking and popping all have there place.

Once you get a large off axis piece its not like your going to pull a little nub and then d shear that. There are plenty of place's for diamond shears.If you are not learning to pick holes and blow a hole out on center for the sole reason that you think diamond shears are the holy grail , Then your missing out on a skill sorry for you!

[menty666]

All that time telling my kids not to pick, and the answer was right there.

Thanks everyone!

[Dawg House Glass]

It is best to open it with a glass rod while spinning in the flame but if you insiste on blowing the hole then only heat the area you want to pop the hole and lightly give it a couple of puffs out of the flame til you see a little bubble start yo lift then concentrate your heat to that bubble and lightly blow it out . then if you still have a little thicker rim on one side simply clean up the glass at the hole with a piece of clear rod and adjust back to perfect circle.
But I will have to agree as well that once you start opening your holes with a piece of rod your hole will be much more on point! Hope this helps.

[gn0me]

Some good replies here... if it's big, I like to use rollers and a really sharp flame to heat up a nub on the very end of the piece, then blow it out a little... 3 or 4 times and the shape of the nub is enough to let you blow it thin and clean up with a tearing rod. Peeking over the glasses to see the sodium flare when the tube hits is a great tip.

[dmas0n]

From what I've been told a v-necker can give you a similar effect to diamond shears on larger tubes. I've never used diamond shears but I do use a v-necker to constrict tubes up to 25 mil for my prodo on blow tubes. If I'm careful with the crease it gives a very clean rim. It seems reasonable that this technique could be applied to a double point to get 2 points with nice rims as the end result.

ETA: It occurred to me that this might also give you what you want though I haven't tried it and am really just putting this out there for consideration.... Once you've pulled your centered point, instead of flame cutting the previous point away and opening up the mouth end of your point, just constrict it carefully with a v-necker (or even the edge of your marver since it's a small constriction) where it meets the previous point and it should snap away with a nice opening. Would probably add less time to the pulling of the actual point than it takes to open up the end clean anyway.

[Aaron Ellis]

^That's how I do my fumed capped prodo spoons quick and easy.
I've been avoiding the tearing tech for years too just started working it in last year lol. I use my diamond shears too some time.

[Master Yoda]

I've been traring a lot more then I used to, having a thin lynx flame helps a lot. If your blowing it out I would 2nd using a mirror, be careful though, looking in a mirror ALL day will may you more vein :)

[HOSS]

+1 for the pluckers.

[Aymie]

I don't pluck anything but the mouth piece. And since I do a lot of hitters with pushed bowls, rather than restrictions I pop a lot of centered holes.

Heat where you want to pop a hole and puff just a bit. Then put just that tip in the flame and blow softly while spinning. Softly is the key word. The glass just gently moves out of the way and pops open. When I blow too hard or too fast, it pops a little unevenly.

[hashmasta-kut]

D shears are not whats up all the time.

picking and popping all have there place.

Once you get a large off axis piece its not like your going to pull a little nub and then d shear that. There are plenty of place's for diamond shears.If you are not learning to pick holes and blow a hole out on center for the sole reason that you think diamond shears are the holy grail , Then your missing out on a skill sorry for you!


i pluck when i have to, i'm no expert, but i'm still a rookie overall. i do whatever is fastest and neatest for the job at hand. usually the d shears will win.

[Aymie]

If you are just a rookie, stop giving advice. Leave that to the pros...like me and bumble.

[hashmasta-kut]

make me, you big bully :)

[Plum Tuckered]

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT...sorry, thought i was on the playground for a minute.

I need to act like an adult...I got $100 on Aymie!!!!

[ALIEN!]

+ 1 for what Aymie said about holes for pushed bowl onnies. I like to elbow down, heat my spot, and watch the bubble move its way up, this way, if its positioned wrong, you can gather it back down, reposition in the flame the bring it back where you want it. Also, I like to watch the bubble grow to the diameter I want the hole to be (Or close) before I pop it all the way open.

[Aymie]

Also, I look through the glass to watch the point and where it's getting hot.

But that's only when I am not busy pushing people off swings and demanding they hand over their lunch money.

[smolder holder]

I don't pluck anything but the mouth piece. And since I do a lot of hitters with pushed bowls, rather than restrictions I pop a lot of centered holes.

Heat where you want to pop a hole and puff just a bit. Then put just that tip in the flame and blow softly while spinning. Softly is the key word. The glass just gently moves out of the way and pops open. When I blow too hard or too fast, it pops a little unevenly.

Great explaination aymie! Exactly how i do it +1 the soft puff is key.

[menty666]

Can't we all get along? Or barring that introduce some cooler weapons like hot punties?

[Greymatter Glass]

Pro-tip: Centered hole blowing robots.

[Matt P]

Great explaination aymie! Exactly how i do it +1 the soft puff is key.

yeah, the soft puff has made a huge difference for me. things are just so much better when the glass does what you want it to

[ALIEN!]

But that's only when I am not busy pushing people off swings and demanding they hand over their lunch money.


True story, I didn't eat a thing at Glassroots 2 years ago. But now that you're a thousand miles away, I feel safe to tell you that while I was laying on the ground bleeding from my ears, I peeked under your skirt.

[hashmasta-kut]

i've got a book that has an Emilio Santini demo of a goblet at the end, and he uses diamond shears exclusively to neck points down and open them, and gets great even lips on bases and goblets this way.

[Aymie]

Hopefully I had on cute undies.

[Slow]

Yeah, popping w/ diamond shears really works great for opening the end of a point or whatever, but good luck using them to pop a hole in the end of a re-ball for stacking (and other things of that nature). Every tech has its place.

[STROKER]

^^^yep

[hashmasta-kut]

Yeah, popping w/ diamond shears really works great for opening the end of a point or whatever, but good luck using them to pop a hole in the end of a re-ball for stacking (and other things of that nature). Every tech has its place.

i agree of course. gotta blow pop reballs.

if you have shears then you can make the choice when they are more appropriate, or even applicable. those who never used them or dont have them are missing out.

[Aymie]

Somewhat on topic, the trucker mudflap girls make an excellent necking tool.

[Slow]

the trucker mudflap girls make an excellent necking tool.

I know there's a good dirty joke in there somewhere, but for the life of me I can't find it.

[Aymie]

When you get me liquored up and limber, I make a great necking tool as well. And the scars just give me character.

[STROKER]

aymie are one zexxy bitch when you talk about liquor and limber.

[Aymie]

Only until you see me stretching and hiccuping on my back porch...which is what I am doing now.

I need a little spoon. Someone bring me my Na. Please...I need her.

[Ronin]

get a mirror, then you can see where you are going to blow the hole.

[Aymie]

I don't use my mirror for this trick, but everyone should have one in the studio. Best tool you never knew you needed.

[Julian]

I spin the end in the flame, blow it a little, see if it's where I want it, then return it to the flame and blow it open.

[hashmasta-kut]

one thing i dont think i see mentioned, which i just figured out in the last little while, is that when you are trying to get it even on the end where you are going to pop the hole, a few quick hard spins each way will help get the glass to flow all evenly at the end(centrifugal force), redistributing more uniformly in a short moment, and allow an even centered hole and lip. before i figure that out i had to usually keep tearing gobs off repeatedly to get a uniform end, unless it was a small tube.

[jr23]

I use diamond shears daily, And a v tool, But picking out glass and blowing holes on center are FUNDAMENTAL skills in glassblowing. And I think learning the fundamentals help you more in the long run.

I prep with all the standard prep techs and tools.

What I was really getting at was at some point you have to pop or pick hole's off axis and in wierd spots where spinning is not possible and clean popped and picked holes are a must.

[hashmasta-kut]

i'm sorry i was just being a retard, i always say diamond shears for everything, so i just ran with it. kind of a joke no one got except me.

BUT, i did get rep from the thread starter for saying D shears, so there, lol

[menty666]

Bah, I was just being polite :)

Thanks everyone!

[Matt P]

I spin the end in the flame, blow it a little, see if it's where I want it, then return it to the flame and blow it open.

:D

thats exactly what i do.... but mine aren't always pretty haha

difference in years of work and months eh?

[HeartBurnGlass]

I just wanted to add another super effective trick for opening holes on or off axis. heat up the spot you want your hole to be and with a rod tack the spot and pull out a string, flame cut it leaving a little point (point must be hollow for this to work) then get a rod hot and gather a blob then push the blob over the point. hold it still until it stiffens up then just break it off. The point should break off with it and you will have a super clean hole without a termination on any sides(like if you pop a spiral slightly off center and the termination is on one side of the hole) . Also you can tell how big the hole will be by the size of the point. this trick works great when you want to pop many holes but cant blow them all open or if picking it makes too big of a hole.

[Wilbur]

i didnt read all the replies here but,

if the end of your tube is even/rounded out, look at the sodium flare just past your tube.

if that is spitting out in the center of your flame, and you know the end of the tube is round and even, then the hole will be popped even.