Spinning goblet tops

Is there a particular size rod recommended for spinning out goblets or is it a personal sweet spot kind of thing?

The other night I was spinning something open and I had (I think) 5mm on there and my fingers started cramping. I put 10mm on the next one and while there was no cramping, it was kind of slower and the extra weight wasn't exactly welcome.

I guess I can try the 5mm again with a ball on the end as a counterweight, that might help a little.

But does anyone have better advice or is it 'just find the size that doesn't cause *you* excruciating pain'?

I would go with 7.

I like 6 but thats cuz all i have in that range is 5,6, and 10. I think 7 or 8 would be ideal and yes a counterweight on the end makes it so much nicer. I use a chunk of 16mm on the end of 6 for dishes or flaring out something.

thanks all. I was starting to wonder if my hands were just getting worse. As a side note, Capsazin HP rocks.

I use 6 or 7 it's my standard punty rod and yeah second that on the counter weight really helps

I like 7 mm for just about any punty use, spun some bowls into almost flat plates before. I use 7 for just about everything. only other sizes I order are 3 for stringers, 10, and 20something, and i've had those 3 same cases for years.

When I make wine glasses I use 7mm punties. Give that a try, Menty

It depends on the size of the cup. Smaller rods are nice because you get more of a spin with a smaller motion. However, as the size goes up obviously you have to gauge it so the rod won't snap from the weight. I use anywhere from 5 to 10.

I used something a little more in between last night last night with a marble on the end and it was MUCH easier.

the bigger diameter you use, the easier it will be on your hands. But if you want to use centrifugal force to help shape at all, you need to be able to spin fast, in which case you need 6mm. 5mm is not very strong and doesn't hold up well to radiant heat and flame splash, 7mm is too wide to get rapid enough rotation. also the opposite is true. for example if you are making something with a large diameter bubble or opening ( lg. vase, or martini glass for example) the bubble or lip can move out very easily from centrifugal force, which can fuck you up if you have to fight against it. in this case i use a blowtube (12.5mm med wall) to make a hollow, counterweighted punty. the large diameter of the punty makes me unable to turn too fast.

maybe that is tmi.

in general, for cupmaking, i use 6mm counterweighted punties, with maybe <1" of 10 mm at the hot end of the punty (more of the same at the cold end of the punty as counterweight). the 10mm holds up to flame splash without getting hot enough to move

^^^^^^

My cups are never on a solid handle, I just work the whole thing from a blank on 9.5 and cork it when it comes time to spin it open.. Same for feet

Now that David has chimed in I guess it is ok for me to put in my two cents. There are so many accomplished cup-makers here that I do not need to go into much detail, but I do want to make a comment about counter-weights.

I don't use them. Instead, I like to use a long 6mm punti that allows me to shift my hand toward and away from the bubble. To me what is important is not the counterweight, it is the weight of the bubble. You do not want to counter that weight completely because you need it to control the spin. The punti fits into the crook of your pinky finger while your other four fingers do the spinning. Without some weight there your pinky would struggle to hold on. So some weight is needed. The question becomes, how much?

The answer is, of course, just the right amount. This can be achieved by counter-weighting, but I think it is easier to simply shift the punti's position in your hand to make small adjustments. At least that is what I do. A counter weight messes me up.

Also, depending on what sort of flaring tool you use, some of the weight is also used to do the work. You don't want to have to press down with the punti hand or up with the tool hand to affect force to open the flare. Instead, you want to simply control the rate of spin and placement in the flame while letting the weight of the project provide the force needed. So, again, you shift your hand up and down the punti slightly to adjust the amount of force being applied. The tip of the tool you are using bears some of the weight. It is inserted into the opening far enough to contact the cold, round part of the interior bubble so that it not only supports some of the weight, but provides an axis that facilitates even rotation. Then the tool is lifted so that contact is made with the lip in just the right way to affect the flare.

There is much more to it than just that, but I will leave it at that for now. I am a firm believer in TMI.

And if what I say does not work, do it David's way. He is the best!

- RAM

You guys are awesome, thank you everyone!

i use 4mm for feet (+1 for counterweights) and spin them out right on the stem. this way the stem takes the heat, not the tiny rod, and that heat base is works its way farther up the stem so its automatically more even and your feet will be stronger (as opposed to welding them on later cold). as soon as the foot is spun out, i punty a 6mm rod to the underside of the foot. if you do it right away, the foot wont crack. if you wait at all, it will.