flaring a foot help

[kelly]

the instructional step by steps i have seen about flareing a foot in the flame give the impression that all of the flareing is done by the heat of the flame and placement of the heat. is this correct? how fast must the foot be turning in the flame to accomplish this. or is the flareing actually done in tiny steps with jacks or a reamer up to a point and then flared out by the flame. :bangHead: i have failed miserably with both methods and was wondering how to achieve that perfectly round foot. any tips are appreciated.

[jusbag]

Done with the flame. The faster you can spin the better I think. Here is a video of a foot flare.
http://www.thegldg.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113
You want to start with a bubble that is kind of flat. Punty up to the end of it and blow a hole where your blow tube is then flare by spinning from your punty.

[somberbear]

centrifical flare... even heat mainly on the outter edge sence i has to move the most and spin spin till your arm falls off... remeber to keep the heat even as possable

[eternalfrost]

everything ahs to be really perfectly heated and centered for this to work. Ive bever gotten it very good before. I always end up with thick spots that flare out more and end up with like a paint splat shape instead of a circle :P

for me just using a reaming rod / jacks is alot easier

[Cameron Reed]

for a flat foot its best to have a squated bubble to start. heat from the center to opening, chill the lip of the opening with a paddle, use heat and cintrifical force, the lip should be the last to catch the heat and flare open. thats the way i learned from Brian Kerkvliet. Emilio Santini uses jacks, parchoffis, and maybee a little cintrifical. both can make round feet. I have not tried the jacks to much. good luck any wich way it comes out

[BearAssNaked]

You also want to use a somewhat bushy flame and let the piece soak in the heat until it starts moving on its own, then go for it. The flame should be just soft enough that the foot moves, but does'nt thicken up much. Flared feet are tough to nail.

Jacob

[Robert Mickelsen]

Sounds like you should be in the goblet workshop I am hosting... starting tomorrow! :D

There are several "secrets" to controlling the flare and getting the foot to come out round. Here they are in a list:

1. Your setup needs to be perfectly concentric and round to begin with. It should also be relatively flat at the point of attachment... not pointed or conic. The setup bubble should be 1/2 as long as it is wide and 1/2 of the intended diameter of the finished foot.

2. Always attach your punti before flaring. I do not use an actual avoglio, but if you do, get it on straight before continuing. Open the other end using either a diamond shears or flame cut. Make sure the resulting opening is no bigger than a nickel.

3. When executing the flare, the single most common mistake is to tip the punti up at an angle while spinning. It is natural to want to do this as a means of control, but you have to resist this impulse. Hold the handle HORIZONTALLY at all times!

4. To get the foot round, use jacks or a graphite reamer to open the bubble until the opening is the same diameter as the widest point of the bubble. If your lip is still unwaveringly perpendicular at this point, you will get a round foot. If it is not, heat and paddle the upper third of the bubble until it is.

5. Use centrifugal force to spin the foot completely flat. If you are not holding the punti horizontally, you will not be able to get it perfectly flat. To get the heat to the center, heat the opening foot from the bottom, not the top. Then, while it is still hot, use the jacks to grasp the attachment point and lean on the lip to give the foot either a conic or slightly domed shape. Alternatively, you can raise the handle about 15 degrees to let the foot sag slightly. This is more difficult to control, but can work as well as jacks to achieve the same result.

Be prepared to flare about 50 feet before you are consistent and about 100 before you have it perfected. Good luck!

- RAM

[2scoops]

there is a million and one ways to skin a cat, use what these folks have said and figure out what works for you, i use a combonation of techniques, it just depends on what your goin for.

[themoch]

... and i signed up for the class why?....

haha no really, i'm super excited for the class, and i can't wait.