OceanMelt's Melty Thread

[OceanMelt]

Whats up TMP. Happily starting my progression thread here. Been interested in glass art my whole life. Even the cheap janky stuff in tourist shops would always catch my attention for whatever reason (still does). Learning how to blow glass was always a desire, but guess I always had too much other stuff going on to put it into motion. And for better/worse I chose science over art in college. I finally circled back around a few months ago and signed up for a class. I actually signed up for a hot-shop class, but fortuitously ended up in the flameworking class. Fast forward another 45min and I was hooked. The class turned out to be a 4 day/20 hour workshop on intro to boro. Not having a place to practice yet and obviously having not mastered any skills, I decided to take it again. Definitely expensive, but an invaluable opportunity in building some muscle memory on the basics. I have since finished setting up a studio in my garage.

Without a doubt I’m still humbled by the degree of difficulty with what it’ll take to learn this medium. I may have some understanding on a few techniques now (in theory), but a lot still seems almost like magic. Which is rad and why I love it so. No delusions about getting rich or quitting my job. I’ve just been searching for an artistic outlet, so here’s hoping this is the start to an endless journey:)

I’ll do my best to keep this a pic heavy thread. Thanks in advance for looking.

Cheers-

[OceanMelt]

Starting at the absolute beginning….these are the very first pieces of glass melted. Obviously nothing really to look at, but it was all about taking baby steps and getting a feel for the glass. I kept all of my class survivors for a reference point to look back at some day.

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[OceanMelt]

First bubble, point, and bit of creativity...

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[OceanMelt]

Getting to use some color and a bit more shaping.

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[OceanMelt]

Implosions and pendant shaping.

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[2wheeler]

Exciting times, ya got a good attitude. I think things will progress quickly for you.

[OceanMelt]

Can't fight the desire to learn pipe art. And everything I've read and watched lets me know it all starts with the spoon. I've also seen enough advice on leaving color alone in the beginning. So I set a goal of 50 clear to start out with.

First ten. Sorry, some of those are hard to even look at...

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[OceanMelt]

Tried twisting up some icicle ornaments for the holidays.

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[SethBickis]

Now the glass has you hooked! Looking good keep up the practice.

[OceanMelt]

Next set of ten. Having lots of trouble picking out the mouth hole and can't seem to push a straight bowl to save my life. Sizing is starting to get a hair consistent I suppose.

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[Nicholas Rado]

i can clearly see progress in just a fews day. good idea setting goals and sticking to them for clear shaping before moving on. your attitude is awesome and i can imagine you making some really cool stuff in no time! sub'd this thread

[hashmasta-kut]

it seems almost everyone thinks picking out the mouthpiece hole is an art you must master, but if its a pain, just get a pair of diamond shears and learn how to work them nicely; they leave a perfect hole easy to ream into a mouthpiece every time in very little time, after a little practice.

[OceanMelt]

it seems almost everyone thinks picking out the mouthpiece hole is an art you must master, but if its a pain, just get a pair of diamond shears and learn how to work them nicely; they leave a perfect hole easy to ream into a mouthpiece every time in very little time, after a little practice.

Just trying to figure it all out. Diamond shears are def on the next order!

[OceanMelt]

Next set of ten. Second to last one was shaping up to be one of my best to date, but I forgot to flash it before detaching the blow tube....and pop. Then I dropped a blank onto it. Double fail. Pushes seem to be getting straighter though.

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[OceanMelt]

Wanted to change it up and try some pendants, but obviously things don't survive without a kiln. Tax refund can't come soon enough!

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[OceanMelt]

First attempt at some wrap&rake. Finding that sweet spot where the color stretches off but doesn't tear is harder than I guessed.

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[GhostWorks]

Hey! Welcome and thanks for sharing!

Your spoons have a nice shape so props for that! I've been at it 4 months or so and finish all my mouthpieces by picking them open and it's still a pain. So just keep practicing, there's other techniques too. On pushing bowls, I'm just starting to get this down but I make sure to heat evenly around the bowl hole, then take care to have the piece and your push straight up and down when you push. Good luck on your new adventure!

[OceanMelt]

Thanks Ghost. Yeah, I've noticed that taking the extra time to ensure a straight push is key. That and endless repitition :)

[OceanMelt]

So what's up with my reamer (Sundance)? The edges have quickly worn down to the point where its going to be a round reamer soon. Didn't have any issues with the reamers used in my workshops.

So is it me or the tool?

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[LRG]

More heat on glass,less pressure on tool...I just use a pencil reamer same on last least few years.

[OceanMelt]

Ok cool, I'll pay more attention to that, thanks.

[oG Glocc Coma]

If its the economy reamer than yea, they are kind of cheaply made! Get some 1000 - 2000 grit sand paper and redo the edges(600 or 800 will work but not as smooth!) I just re-sanded all of my tools this weekend and yes my reamer looked exactly like yours! Nice progress, keep it up!

[LooseSeal Baller]

I start with one of these and then finish with fine sand paper or steel wool, then final stage is brown paper towels or wadded up newspaper 70581

[OceanMelt]

Thanks fellas, I have lots of fine sandpaper/files so I'll give it a go! And yeah, pretty sure I bought the economy one.

[OceanMelt]

Next set of ten. Feel more comfortable shaping, but straight pushes are still my nemace.

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Bare with me, I promise the pics will get more interesting eventually...

[OceanMelt]

Also made a litter dabber, prob a bit to thin for comfortable use, but fun to use some color!

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[James M]

The trick to the angled bowl push is hold the blow tube up at a 45 degree angle when you push your bowls. Keep it up buddy
It

[LRG]

^^FYI if you get tools from arrowspring they fix free.I got one of the kilns randomly and like better than the big names.

http://www.arrowsprings.com/html/tools.html

[paulsafo]

props! exciting stuff. looks like you're starting off right using clear and setting achievable goals. you seem very patient and disciplined.. a lot more so than i can say for myself anyways. subscribed. keep it coming! this thread is going to blow its cap in no time. as for the reamer - i ruined a graphite skull by using it while the glass was too cold. remember you should never have to FORCE anything. especially graphite. just remember your delicate pencil lead in grade school when you were taking that important test and that mean nun wouldn't let you get up to sharpen it if you broke it because men are dirty rotten cheaters and probably up to no good...

what were we talking about? oh yeah.. marver/ream when its still hot and moves. if you're having to push very hard, you're probably working it too cold. I'm still new to this as well, so this is beginner advice, but these are problems that i have run into as well. looking forward to more pics. cheers!

[OceanMelt]

And fifty. Definitely more consistent on shaping, but still much work to be done. It will be fun to start making some with color. I'm thinking it will also help show flaws and areas to focus on...

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[OceanMelt]

The trick to the angled bowl push is hold the blow tube up at a 45 degree angle when you push your bowls. Keep it up buddy
It

Big thanks James! Totally was spacing on this! Didn't get all of my last pushes great, but this was def part of the problem.

[OceanMelt]

So with hitting my little goal, I decided to push my limit. 1st attempt sherlock. Pretty much followed (or tried to) the Revere video exactly. My seal def had some gaps, and it was tough bringing it together, condensing, and reshaping. Felt good to struggle and make it to the end though :)

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[OceanMelt]

Another little dabber, this one a bit more usable.

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[OceanMelt]

Also trying to learn how to make cane. ISO still puts a smile on my face, so its def something I'll be working at down the road. If anyone has any pointers to cool cane making.....much appreciated!

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[OceanMelt]

Tried a frit implosion, with really no idea what it would look like. This one was nothing great, but it gave me some cool ideas to experiment with.

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That's all the updates for now. Thanks for looking!

[paulsafo]

Nice work! I was not expecting that on the frit implosion mine usually come out looking like a sea urchin or a kidney stone or something really spikey. What type frit did you use? Superfine ? Powder?

[OceanMelt]

Thanks paulsafo. It was GA triple passion (small). I covered the face and then laid down a spiral of clear.

[paulsafo]

I see. Good stuff man you're making me remember the importance of fundamentals. I'll be going back to clear spoons for a minute :) keep up the great work.

[OceanMelt]

Tried a single piece sherly.

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[OceanMelt]

First flower implosion. The colors are a bit drowned out bc I snapped a pic before it completely cooled (waiting on kiln) in anticipation of a crack.

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[OceanMelt]

I'll call this my first successful w&r. Nothing special to say the least, but I can't lie on being STOKED to finally figure out how to trail some color. And then of course get the color fully melted. It's the little wins :)

Shaping is a bit funky but condensing the whole tube and keeping the shape stable took some effort. I actually was looking forward to getting to the bubble!

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[monte]

Nice job! What green is that I like?

[OceanMelt]

Thanks Monte. The green is from Northstar, but no idea which one because it came in a bundle of shorts.

[OceanMelt]

Some improvement

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[OceanMelt]

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...same piece, just couldn't get these uploaded last night.

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

This turned out really cool. And so far has survived....if it lasts until my kiln arrives I'll throw a pendy loop on it.

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[OceanMelt]

Next few Sherlocks. Struggling with getting a nice round, even-walled bottom. And also a smooth neck bend, but I think my problem there was applying too much heat too quick. The last one worked out better though.

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

But really....its been a lot of crash and burn the past week :tantrum:

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:D

[Freefireglass]

Nice progress Ocean! Hopefully the crash and burn was a learning experience. Looking back I can see that the most important lessons I learned were from failed attempts

[OceanMelt]

For sure, its all nothing but contiual learning experiences at this point....the good and the bad.

[OceanMelt]

Slowly figuring out some of the shaping...

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[OceanMelt]

^why do some of my pictures go sideways, and others are fine??

[OceanMelt]

A spoon failure which turned into a chillum :)

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[OceanMelt]

Definitely was pleased with this one, minus a slightly off bowl hole

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[dplaza]

orange can be tricky to wrap. i had a pile of orange bangles as well at first. i made some wrap and rake ornaments with it during the holidays. it paid off though, they were the most popular design i did. helps me to set a pretty large flame and move the wrapping rod closer or farther from it to keep the color flowing without boiling.

looks like some good progress keep it up!

[Jxbey]

nice shapping on those sherlocks, im taking the picutres on phone and when i transfer them from phone into pictures to be able to upload them some of them will turn it seems randomly, i have to open picture and rotate then upload. cant wait to see what your knocking out once you get your kiln if you havent yet? that tie dieish flower pendant is awesome

[OceanMelt]

helps me to set a pretty large flame and move the wrapping rod closer or farther from it to keep the color flowing without boiling.

I def agree with adjusting the rod location since I've yet to find the sweet spot. Although I keep going back&forth with using the inner vs. outer fire... :question_



nice shapping on those sherlocks, im taking the picutres on phone and when i transfer them from phone into pictures to be able to upload them some of them will turn it seems randomly, i have to open picture and rotate then upload. cant wait to see what your knocking out once you get your kiln if you havent yet? that tie dieish flower pendant is awesome

Thanks dude. I'm really trying to get this shape down. I have to say that working clear has been greatly important with learning how to get even seals. Color would be nice to "cover up the mess", but geez I'd have no clue of what's going on inside.

Still no kiln. Glass Hive said 3-4 weeks to build it, and I'm nearing the end of 3. So hopefully in the very near future!

[OceanMelt]

Some recents

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[OceanMelt]

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Really need to work on loops, I get them sealed in now but they still have a crooked ass look to them...

[OceanMelt]

First marble. Didn't get it 100% rounded out, but close enough for this effort. I can see why people get hooked on these, this one is beyond basic but still found me staring at afterwards. Something about color suspended in an orb of glass is just awesome :grin:

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[Ray]

OceanMelt Im enjoying your progression.
I hope to be back up by this weekend. Moving my propane outside permanently instead of keeping it outside the window.
Then I hope to get back to doing pendants...then marbles.

[OceanMelt]

Thanks for looking, Ray. Hope you're up & running soon! I know I was frustrated at first with staging my propane outside - being in a rental I have no way to keep it in a fixed spot - so I just hook it up/disconnect each session and keep it off to the side/hidden when not in use. It honestly only takes 2min and my concentrator needs to warm up anyway. Hopefully you have a permanent solution available though. Funny thing (or scary) is that I know my neighbor keeps his spare BBQ propane tank inside his garage right next to mine. What can ya do.....

[OceanMelt]

Keepin on those w&r's...

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[OceanMelt]

I will....get this shaping down...

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I don't like the bottom transition I keep ending up with. I think part of the problem is where I'm connecting my seal, I think I need to join the bowl section much lower. ?

[OceanMelt]

First bit of linework. I pulled the tubing pretty thin and had trouble keeping things centered as I condensed back. Stoked enough for a first effort though.

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[OceanMelt]

Been meaning to try this shell tutorial for a while, had a lot of fun with it and looking forward to making a bunch more :D

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[Mattypo]

Nice progress!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OceanMelt]

Kiln arrival from GlassHive. Giddy up. This is one solid little box!! Can't wait to fire up some pieces.

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[paulsafo]

Well that's a game changer

[Freefireglass]

lookin good!

[OceanMelt]

The damn garage door broke yesterday as I was closing up (for the third time). Won't open even enough to slide under and take a look. Once again at the mercy of maintenance, with no torching until they decide to fix it. Renters remorse...

[paulsafo]

That happened to me!! (I mean recently) I had to kick it the fuck in have you tried that?

[OceanMelt]

Ha! No kicking....yet. My fear is that the whole f'ing thing would come off its hinges and then I'd be sleeping out there to prevent the looting. Landlord hit me up this morning, the main guy is on vaca which is why the lack of response. Assistant should be there today. It just needs to be replaced at this point...

[paulsafo]

I guess I couldn't call the landlord since I'm not supposed to be burning. I was on my own. Curse at it's mother a few times that usually gets her goin

[OceanMelt]

Garage fixed and back in biz. Unfortunately, this was the only decent thing waiting for me in the kiln. My flowers need work...

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[paulsafo]

Looks dope. Fuck your garage

[Ray]

That flower looks awesome!

[OceanMelt]

Couple from last night.

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[Montoya]

Cool to watch another newbie progressing. Your outlook on things makes it even better.

*edit- Do you have a link for the shell tut?
That looks sweet.

[OceanMelt]

Here ya go! http://www.r4glassstudio.com/

I actually ordered the implosion tut, but he was running a special and threw in the shells. Pretty cool.

[Montoya]

Thanks O, I got the flower tut from him...I think I'll go with galaxy marble before the shells next time i order one.

[OceanMelt]

Didn't give myself enough glass to start with, so it's just a little guy. But thinking it will be my first kept piece for the home collection. I may have already tested the seals...

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[OceanMelt]

Managed to get much closer on this one. I'm loving AP frit, it almost looks like fume in the sunlight. But there is def a point when it burns out and goes dark from too much heat. I also need to figure out how to keep it colored through the elbo when condensing/shaping. I think I just didn't have enough frit on the bottom of the bowl...

[OceanMelt]

^^no idea on the double image post. I swear iAnything devices drive me crazy somtimes.

[OceanMelt]

Just a lil guy.

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[OceanMelt]

Def my best pendant to date. Lost my punty seal at least three times, had it crack straight through the lens twice....somehow still managed to save it.

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Thanks for looking!

[paulsafo]

Ohhh nice flower ✌️✌️

[Ray]

Nice OceanMelt!

[OceanMelt]

Whole bunch of issues, but screw it...it's a progression thread.

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[OceanMelt]

I like these, but obviously quite off for AP. I just don't have enough oxy yet to properly work it in the outer flame. Should be good enough to gift a friend and get a smile:)

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[OceanMelt]

Haven't been getting much torch time lately, and most attempts have ended in the scrap bucket. Rocking the single concentrator has run its course, I'm going nuts and desperately need to get this thing properly powered.

Decided to take a shot at a hammer bubbler. The seal is sloppy, but I wanted to focus more on the shaping and steps involved. All about that muscle memory...
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Little pendant, I had no direction, just started melting.
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[paulsafo]

Nice bub I need to Learn how to drop a stem

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

Hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew with the exchange, I have almost no marble experience! Here is number three. The vortex cone got smooshed and the back is chaos. Better start practicing....quick!

http://youtu.be/0r-HTLmMoLw

[gihkal]

That video is set to private

[OceanMelt]

Oops, my bad...should be fixed now

[OceanMelt]

Few from the past couple days...

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[OceanMelt]

One of my fav pendants to date

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[OceanMelt]

Finally got it hooked up & running. I instantly love this thing.

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[Ray]

She's purdy!

[OceanMelt]

Thanks Ray, I have to agree:) The knobs will def take some getting used to. The opposite directions had me feeling like day 1 again. But I couldn't believe how easily (or maybe I should say 'proper') I was getting silver strikers to work. And that needle flame.....good lord....its something else.

[Zukie]

Congrats man. I like the black knobs.

[OceanMelt]

Can someone help me out, been making some frit spoons, and when using striking colors the middle almost always turns to molasses. Not enough frit? Burning the shit out of it?

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[James M]

I am not sure but I just happen to read this article about the amber purple family colors today http://northstarglass.com/users-manual/the-amber-purple-family/

[OceanMelt]

Thanks James, I've read through that before, but will take another read for sure. I guess what's tripping me up is that the mouth and bowl usually come out fine, but not the neck (i.e. where ever it's stretched).

[paulsafo]

Soooo what's wrong with molasses? I like it. Coincidentally I'm not really a fan of molasses but that spoon color looks pretty awesome to me. It could stand a little lighten up, but from what I see, the parts that are nice and colored up saw more of a reducing flame than the molasses.

[paulsafo]

Oh. Gtt. Perhaps the opposite. You may have laser flamed them once you popped the hole so they struck properly. Idk how you guys walk around with those things... (GTT's)

[OceanMelt]

Crap...didn't even think about direct flame contact through the holes...

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

Trying out some marble technique
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[OceanMelt]

Messing around with some more organic shaped pendants, still trying see what works/looks good.

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[OceanMelt]

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[Yeef]

it's tough to pull off organic forms, even with an awesome pallete, unless they're huge, because our brains look for patterns.

you've got the mai tai down though, those are sweet =o

[gomilobster]

I just wanted to possibly address your AP frit "situation" so to speak. How are you adding the frit to the point or blank? I myself do it in a way which some people seem to feel will end with my inability to breath, but I pull closed points and add my frit down the blow tube/handle into the closed egg. If you do it this way you are not really exposing the AP to the flame chemistry. The reason your mouth piece and bowl might be getting more striking action is when you are popping your carb and or removing your blow tube and fixing up the mouth piece, the flame can jump into those holes and strike the silver more in those areas, where the middle is kind of left unexposed the whole time. I have this happen with a variety of frit of such a nature and to be honest I kind of like it.

If you wish to get the center to strike out a bit more you can try doing a kiln strike cycle or two, its really helped me out. It can really make a difference and make the middle pop more and the ends possibly even more so. Another option though it takes an extra step if you indeed tend to pour your frit vs spoon it into an open point/blank where the flame is hitting it the whole time is to open the end up and blast it a bit with a reduction flame and close it up and then do your shaping.

One of these days I will go the other route and throw some open points onto rods or simply just melt the point handle solid near the blank and start the whole scoop in, melt/attach blow tube to opening, but for now I just need to make things. Doing so will probably allow me a lot more versatility in what I do with frit, depending on the kind. You could fume first or after depending on wanted effect with silver or gold, and even do some IO work before or after as well without having to reopen it after you get things melted in or tacked on. Just some thoughts...

[OceanMelt]

yeef - I hear ya, I find myself subconsciously going symmetrical even when trying to avoid it

gomilobster - thanks for the feedback. I scoop the frit into the open ended blank, I then go elbow down to get the frit bunched up around the mouth piece area so that I can heat up/close off the tube without melting in the frit yet. It makes sense how the bowl/carb/mouth sections can get striked with the flame. I was thinking that I'm not using enough frit and I end up burning it out while shaping. Is that possible? I know get frit fully melted in is critical and I figured more heat the better:/ Revere's frit spoon video shows him fully stuffing the blank, melting in enough to get stick, then dumping out the rest. I guess that's a sure way to know you have enough.

[OceanMelt]

Had to make some pendys for my lady's kiddos :grin:

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[OceanMelt]

Torch time has been way limited the past weeks (frustrating!) but managed to knock out a decent shell over the weekend. Keep stepping one....step....at....a time.

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Thanks for looking!

[monte]

shell looks sweet. keep it up

[Ray]

That IS a nice looking shell...and large.
I never liked the idea of shells till now :) thanks

[OceanMelt]

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[LooseSeal Baller]

i like those colors

[OceanMelt]

No worthwhile updates. Trying to piece together a homefill, and going back to shaping clear sherlocks until I get it down better. Did make nice little bday pendant for a friend though.

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[OceanMelt]

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These remind me of pineapple for some reason...
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[OceanMelt]

Decided to finally try some fume.

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^over did it on that one

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

Quick lessons learned with keeping vapor hot on the prep, and how squirrelly molten silver can be! Crack, pop, explode....and the torch has taken its first battle scars. Tear.

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[OceanMelt]

Happy mistake? Almost looks like the bloom is coming out of earth. We'll see what the kiln does to it....

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[OceanMelt]

Cleaner results on this one. Fume is magical, I see how people get hooked.

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[STROKER]

That last one really has nice range of colors. I like it.

[OceanMelt]

Thanks Stroker. I need to work on getting the silver colors to come out stronger.

[OceanMelt]

Last night's effort

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[dplaza]

nice, mystery adventurine? im almost done with my first lb. its pretty cool, also gives me an excuse to crash my kiln haha.

[OceanMelt]

Andromeda. Hard to see the sparkle in the frit, but I also took pictures in a dark garage with a crappy light.

[dplaza]

ahh nice. i can see the sparkle. i get similar results with the mystery adv. although sometimes it turns reddish where it strikes more, looks like that gets some nice purple.

nice shaping btw

[OceanMelt]

thanks dude

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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looks cool in sunlight
https://vimeo.com/142069772

[OceanMelt]

Been a while, so back to shaping some spoons. Able to go through the process much faster now, but was trying to get a more consistenly thicker piece and the results were a bit all over the place. Only using 25x4, thinking I might try something larger and condense it down?

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[OceanMelt]

Threw this together from pieces laying around. The camera gives it more justice than it deseces, haha.

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[OceanMelt]

GA snow white....how I despise thee. I swear this color boils just sensing a torch is in the room:bangHead: But gave it another try, of course boiled it no end, decided to curb my frustration by having some fun making an infected mushroom for the bench.

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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Mouth peice is wonky as shit, never made a hollow disc before

[OceanMelt]

26x4 is pretty small for frit. I've used probably 50lbs of frit 95% of the time 38x4. Recently been using 44x3.2 and like it better when using larger sized frit.

Would you mind explaining what you mean? Is it that 26mil doesn't leave enough room to condense down?

[OceanMelt]

Phantom. For a spoon, I prob start with ~5"

[OceanMelt]

Been a while, so wanted one last update for the year. Back east for the holidays so haven't been on the torch for a couple weeks now. Starting to jonze significantly....

I always like seeing shop pics so figured I post my own. Tight working quarters but happy with how I made it work. Likely moving in the new year...hopefully will get some more space.

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[OceanMelt]

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^first attempts at hollow pendants

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[OceanMelt]

Made a little vase and hummingbird feeder for my mom. Need to reshape the feeder because the adapter I have doesnt fit properly.

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[OceanMelt]

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https://vimeo.com/150444828

[OceanMelt]

Made an urn for my girlfriend, who tragically lost her sister earlier this year. It doesnt do any justice but figure it's at least something until I have some better skills.

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[OceanMelt]

Staying on those fundamentals!

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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I need both hands to list the problems on this piece, but still stoked on it. Certainly opened my eyes on how tricky linework is to the uneducated. Knowing where to pop holes, keeping away the clear gaps, lining up....lines. Humbled!

Anyway...thanks for looking, and happy new year everyone:party:

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[whirlpool]

This progression thread is awesome!! As a newbie this inspires me to challenge myself and nail fundamentals. keep up the great work!

[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

Buddy wanted a "gandolf pipe with mushroom feet". I told him it would have to be clear due to the size and it not actually fitting in my kiln. Pretty basic but it does feel lovely in hand and he was stoked, so call it a win.

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[OceanMelt]

Still messing around with organic shapes, I'll get something good eventually....

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[OceanMelt]

First legit prep I've been making. Been working with this style really understand what works and how to make it look the best. For now, its just been pretty cool making my own tube, and then being able to shape it.

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^foe the functional exchange

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[OceanMelt]

Vid of the sherlock, better to see the sparkle. Def my fav piece to date, and certainly most technical. The sherlock remains my master.....and I will learn all it has to teach. One day :)

https://vimeo.com/161396465

[OceanMelt]

Tubing came out great, but really bonked the shaping on the stem.

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[Nash]

Tube prep looking total crispness. Must be a nice feeling having a go to prep design to do

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[OceanMelt]

Thanks Nova. Not a complicated tech, but fun to try dif combinations.

[whirlpool]

That tubing is GORGEOUS! What was the tech involved? did you lay rod over some clear with fume?

[bepnewt]

I love these progression threads. Great glass, man.

-BEP

[OceanMelt]

Thanks guys.


What was the tech involved? did you lay rod over some clear with fume?

Stripe with color, then wrap clear perpendicularly (aka as reptilian tech). Some pieces were fumed in between steps, and the last sherlock was just heavy gold fume over black.

[doosight]

Now that you explained it i totally see it!

I would love to try that tech with a silver > gold fume fade when i get my studio up and running in my new place.

[OceanMelt]

Finally settled in at the new house. New shop build has commenced. Hopefully up & running again in a couple weeks!!

Going with a 6' long station with hood enclosure. Should be a nice upgrade from the previous tiny bench.

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I know there are mixed feelings on using exposed hardibacker (i.e. silica inhalation), so what about this for sides and the ceiling?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fabral-8-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Corrugated-Roof-Panel/100070312

[LowTideGlass]

Finally settled in at the new house. New shop build has commenced. Hopefully up & running again in a couple weeks!!

Going with a 6' long station with hood enclosure. Should be a nice upgrade from the previous tiny bench.

86738

I know there are mixed feelings on using exposed hardibacker (i.e. silica inhalation), so what about this for sides and the ceiling?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fabral-8-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Corrugated-Roof-Panel/100070312
Only issues I could see would be reflecting light and maybe heat. It may not be an issue, but given the galvanized finish I could see it potentially reflecting back a lot of light which would be annoying.


Looks good so far, congrats on the new setup!

[OceanMelt]

I was thinking the same about light reflection. Also didnt know if the waves or ridges in the paneling would cause issues with ventilation...?

[Mute]

Slap some black BBQ paint on there.

[OceanMelt]

Slap some black BBQ paint on there.

For real?

[Mute]

Yes. For real

Dark backgrounds help you see the heat base easier as well.

[OceanMelt]

Have you used personally? I'm curious if all black would produce the opposite effect, as in feel like I'm in a dark closet or something...

[Mute]

Yes.

[Sparko]

Wow, cool stuff Ocean. I like the color variety and how much attention you put in to the bowl head, like the encalmo on the sparkle lock. The accent colors also vibe really well with the pieces and enhance the look for sure.

[HerbChambers]

nice work man! love that scale looking tubing! I've been trying to make some and always get my coil too hot so it rakes haha.

[OceanMelt]

Bench done and everything unpacked. Went with a combo, hardi on the back, metal paneling for sides/top. Tile grouting was sloppy but whatever, cleanup should be nice and easy. Still need to finish the ventilation and connect hoses. So close...

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[BORO]

I would put a small front lip on the top panel of the station. Something a few inches that will catch the warm air and keep it inside the station till it's sucked up.

Perhaps your fan gets it all ?

On my set up , I could run the fan slower with my dimmer, and make less noise with that top trim piece in place.

[OceanMelt]

Thanks for the reminder. I actually have the peice cut to size already, just need to attach it. I also have a dimmer for the fan, so we'll see what works best.

[OceanMelt]

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[Misfitman]

sweet sidecar

[OceanMelt]

Still only getting on the torch about 10hrs a week, but some progress for the thread.

Photo dump from the past few months....

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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[OceanMelt]

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^Messed up the bowl piece on the marble attachment, really need to practice attaching large stuff, I get a bit careless with the excess heat.

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[OceanMelt]

That's all for now, thanks for looking :)

[Joe Userton]

That orange and blue sherlock looks really great, shame about the crack, that always drives me nuts when you get the one sneaky one.

I can't tell, was it a repair during creation that showed due to the pattern, or did it happen during annealing?

Really nice colors.

[OceanMelt]

Sheesh, I was taking pics so fast I didnt even realize that damn crack. It happended during annealing and this is the second time in the same spot. I previously worked it all out, and apparently it came back. Something is not happy there. Prob the carb seal.

[OceanMelt]

Ok...not going crazy, looked again this morning and no crack. Guess I just posted pics from after first anneal.

[Ranasp]

I just went through this entire thread. :: looks at my crap beads :: ......... :: lights them on fire :: .........Well, shit. That didn't work. Guess I'll just have to get better!

Seriously, amazing color and form, and your organic sculpting has really advanced since your first attempt.

[OceanMelt]

I just went through this entire thread. :: looks at my crap beads :: ......... :: lights them on fire :: .........Well, shit. That didn't work. Guess I'll just have to get better!

You're beads look great dude, no worries, just keep putting in the time...it's the only way for us to improve :)

[OceanMelt]

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