pulling points

Sure it is..i can constrict just as fast without another tool on my bench. And due to its temp <warm from radiant heat from the torch > i never have had any issues with doing it that way...

oi, stick to the point!!!!!!
this isn't a poll about how to constrict, go make your own poll and stop gatecrashing mine!!!
my beautiful beautiful poll .... besmirched! aaaargh
mwahahaha

tell me about the rabbits ...

I do both its whatever the situation calls for.

Pulling points is one of the very first thing I learned from my dad. Yeah, they're a real pain in the ass at first, but it teaches rotation, heating and balance. I've been working boro for over 30 years and still use points. If you can't make one straight and true, you need practice, practice, practice!

good point!! :bounce

I guess i'm just opposite to most people. I use blowtubes on all of my smaller prodo stuff (19mm-32mm), but i pull points on my larger tube(38mm and 50mm). my reason is that when i blowtube to a larger tube, I seem more likely to thermo shock the blowtube seal, and lose my piece. i pull thick points, and almost never have one break on me. there is nothing more annoying to me than flaring out a piece of 50x5, and decorating it inside, only to have it fall off the blowtube before I even get it closed down. Like I said, i'm bass-ackwards sometimes...

Sounds like you need to work your fuses better. I flare my blowtube out slightly and thicken up the end by pushing inward with my graphite reamer while spinning. Then when you fuse together push it so it thickens up and then pull away so it isn't all lumped up and thick. Also it helps to close the side of your tube with a paper towel so you can blow through it to make the weld nice and even. This is great for all fusing. If you don't want to waste that time then you can just put a towel on your bench to close the tube off and tilt your tube down and blow into it.

I actually just tried using blow tubes today on my 50X5 prodo and didn't like it. It kept wobbling and rolling. I think this is b/c i am using med. wall blowtubles. My mistake buying glass last time. However i have no problems with my super thick 50X5 points.

Lejune...wheres some pics ? I wanna see some...

Interesting thread I use point for most of my work in standard wall , for anything heavy I use blow tubes.

I have always used a graphite V tool attached on the top of my CC not the wimpy ones that are being sold today in graphite or brass. My V tool is made with 1/4" graphite with a taper on one side and wide enough to constrict 50m/m

There is no reason to use brass or steal to constrict boro tubes. Graphite is self lubricating it wears away slowly and without sticking or squeaking. Also there is no need for wax to be anywhere on your glass bench.

Getting back to points, after pulling a nice heavy point I use the V tool to heavy up the shoulder and straighten my point to perfect alignment. This technique helps to keep the tube in alignment when blowing bulbs. When using points I always hold the tube downward and then blow into the point. The heat rises but the bulb is thinner then the point so everything stays in line. I also think this slows me down just enough to blow a very round bulb.

Remember fire polish your point ALWAYS

Bear

i like points...

unless i'm banging out prodo and using small stock
it's points only for me...

points are stronger and less thermal shock-ish,
when you have pulled a proper point (imho)...

..

i like points... i'm pretty new, haven't had reason to use blowtubes much i think... and right now i usually just get 32 heavy tubes one at a time, so i'm not super worried about breaking them down fast... i like to start my day off pulling a couple points and doing some prep work (even if i have everything prepped for the pieces i plan to do that day) because i feel like it sets the tone and gets me "warmed up" and when i have tried to just start in making pieces, esp. sculptural w/ lots of constrictions, i've done not so hot, and then pulled a couple points and was back on again... that said, the only thing i don't like about points is i would like to start using a blowhose, cause i can't see what i'm doing when i blow on the end of the tube, and i've been to lazy to just go get a mirror...
anyone use a blowhose on points? got any pics of how it's constructed?
i can't remember starting out anything except slides with a blowtube, but for reversals i feel like they are kind of nessesary? i don't pull color tubes yet though, usually i just lay lines on a blank i pulled a point in, melt, twist, reverse w/ blowtube as handle.
i've been lucky enough to be able to pull pretty perfect points sinse i started, and i've never had one break on me while i was still working on the piece it was holding. though i've not done anything larger than 2 sections...
never tried working w/ 55mil or nething like that, though i would think it would be hard to pull points on so idk... probably i'd use a tube for that. i don't really buy the argument that blowtubes are faster, 'cause i've seen people take longer attaching a blowtube than i do to pull a point, and i've taken longer to attach blowtubes than pull points. though i do feel sad throwing away a handful of dead points at the end of the day...

Blowtube + blowhose. I'll never go back to points.

I always pull points. In fact, it was the first thing I taught myself to do. The tricky part is pulling them strait or or just fixing the shoulder to spin strait. Unless I'm going to pour frit into the point, everything gets a handle. ^^^^I use my blowhose too. The swivel it attatched to a one hole rubber stopper. I jam my blowtube (from the point) inside the stopper hole. I took me a minute to figure this out b/c I always saw a stopper jammed into a blowtube.

both techniques are necessary

i started pulling points.

i'm using blow tubes now.

i still pull an occasional point.

if you pull a good point, it uses more glass, but if you make it thick and long enough you should be able to reuse it as a blowpipe a few times, or at least a punty to wipe stuff. if you make prodo on thin little points and go through a lot every day, then your point scraps might not get used.

Someone HAD to vote on the poll without posting anything, so I just read an OLD ASS thread in it's entirety.

I use both and enjoy pulling a nice point from 32mm contour tube. But if someone ever is in my shop (garage/hobbit hole) and they ask why I did what I did or why I used a blowtube instead of a point, I'll have to ask them to leave. Game over.

At AGI 2006, after Emilio Santini's demo (which is point-based), I bought some contour tube and pulled points for nearly two hours, until they were pretty damn good. SO, he came by and I showed him, he just shrugged and said "That's good, but you don't HAVE to pull points" and then he walked away shaking his head.

And there you have it. That dude's my hero. Hahaha.

I pull points because I never seem to have the right size tube for a handle anywhere I can find it. Plus, that's how I learned, so that's what I'm most comfortable doing. When I'm using larger tubing I always use a handle though...

Like most, if it's prodo I pull points. If it's a bigger multi section piece I use 12mm hvy.

i like pulling points more than i like using them , and i've been known to occasionally use a 12 mm blowtube. but in general i'd just rather work off of the tube. 25 mm is the largest is usually use.