newbie to boro tube need some boro tube advice

[Jim Bastian]

i am having a problem with always shocking my glass tubing and it always cracking, i was wondering if their is something i can do different or i am doing wrong ? any advice would be appreciated very much, right now i heat it under the flame for a little bit and then introduce it to the top of the flame and the move it down to start working and BLAMO! (insert curse word here ) it shocks ? i dont have a problem with solid rod just the tubing thick or thin walled .i run a mega minor on o2 thanks for any advice anyone may be able to give me

[mattholimeau]

Dunno what you mean, nor why you would want to, heat it under the flame.

Keep it out in the bushy outer flame for a while, like four or five turns. Slowly move it into the middle, leave it there for a couple spins. Then move it into the working area.

Might also have to do with the kind of glass you got... but lets leave that alone for now. Just heat it more slowly.

[oG Glocc Coma]

Anything below 26mm I can just stick directly in. any bigger and i get the shock. I have been kilning my ends until im ready, not only does it save time heating it to melting it also saves allot of shock I was getting


Matt's tips above are going to help you for sure!

[oG Glocc Coma]

Double post

[Joe Userton]

The glass is probably breaking as it cools. Once you introduce the tube to the fire, be sure to heat it up fairly well before taking it back out or moving on to another area. If you just heat up one spot and move on, the stress can make that spot crack.

I've seen people suggest putting the tube in the fire, holding it still until you see a spot go a bit red, then spinning that red point around in the flame until the tube is hot throughout, and it's worked well for me.

[James M]

I usually start the big tubes in the back of the flame, as far away from you as you can get basically. Then when the condensation stops moving away from the spot you are heating slowing bring it toward you into the working area.

Another way to do this, start with a small neutral flame. Then just crank up the propane till you have a fucking blowtorch going in front of you, introduce the blank and let it soak in that super bush flame for a bit, usually with my GTT it will build a nice layer of soot on the tube. Then turn down your propane a bit, but still keep a decent torch going. It will start to make the soot glow orange. You will slowly see the soot burn off, and you may notice how uneven this happens. Once all the soot is gone you should be good to rage. This is the same way you would flame anneal something and make all the glass happy. Once you get comfy, I usually will just start with the middle of the road annealing flame which is somewhere on your journey from raging fucking blowtorch flame to normal small flame. I am not sure about other torches but this works for me on the GTT.

[Jim Bastian]

ok great thanks for the info i really appreciate it ,

[BORO]

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?61654-Learning-Tubing&highlight=tubing+basics