Lol ^^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by smolder holder
That's the step that I'm on :)
And definitely your best work yet!
Printable View
Lol ^^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by smolder holder
That's the step that I'm on :)
And definitely your best work yet!
Thanks bro 10 down 490 to go.Quote:
Originally Posted by smolder holder
New wrap and rake's I've been working on. I'm getting more comfortable behind the torch lately. Let me know what you think melting pot :D
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2747/dsc04758nw.jpg
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9536/dsc04759m.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6362/dsc04768l.jpg
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/3760/dsc04770a.jpg
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4668/dsc04774v.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/543/dsc04775y.jpg
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5199/dsc04768bn.jpg
Wow, those look great! Nice colors, good shapes. You're progressing very quickly! My only advice would be to really make sure to melt the little marbles in more. No acute angles. Some look like they would pop off fairly easily, compared to the strength they could have.
It really helps to give some puffs into the piece after you place the bit of glass. The walls will even out and get did of those evil acute angles. If you have trouble getting pressure plug your bowl hole and place the bits before popping your carb. Also, some colors can be stiff and stubborn. I try to make a note of which ones are, and treat them accordingly next time.
Double post...
I like that orange and red one best. Looks like your noticing that when your laying the extra glass from the color and clear rakes that you can work the piece a little bigger and it feels more sturdy. Like you know and like others have said the more you repeat these processes the better and easier things will become.
how about a little challenge at this point. Try making a spoon using a reverse ball. This is the basic process which you may already know.
take a blank and cover it with straight lines (either color or fume and clear or both) melt the color in and when its pretty much melted in get the whole pod hot and twist the lines. now it make have gotten a little bit kinky and or mishapen in the process but as long as its not too wanky you will be ok.
now condense and reblow out your twisted lines starting in the center, have a punty on the front and heat the center and puff lightly while lightly pushing your hands together. You are trying to even out the wall thickness here and create a hollow ball shaped section with twisted lines.
now with the middle area blown out it probably looks like a poorly rolled J (like a snake eating an egg) I usually now work the front part round by melting and blowing it out slightly upward angled. get that even with the middle and now work the blowtube side. ok if you got it round just clean the front termination (spiral) as best you can. pop a hole out the middle side of the ball (like popping a carb) ream it a little to open it to match a blowtube.
you can now either weld the blowtube to the hole trying to keep it center by eye or if your comfortable with cold seals you can make a small cold seal on the front and tear the ball off the blowtube side and clean that termination on the cold seal. Otherwise you will have to kinda rip and fix with a small rod the termination while the ball is on the new blowtube. Either way clean up that rear termination and start to spin condense and puff the reball on its new axis. Typically the spiralled ends will be thinner and can collapse a bit while recondensing. its ok just spin it even and melt it down slowly and puff it out to keep it from collapsing. work the front and puff it out while angling up. once you have melted and puffed a bunch it should be even enough to shape into a spoon pipe.
good luck. if you dont feel your ready to try this then dont feel pressured at all. your progress is good but I figured this may be a cool next step in your exploration.
@Rookie Thanks bro I'll be sure to work the marbles in better.
@gambitglass I've been trying to work up the courage to try a r-ball I think you just motivated me. I'll give it a try tonight.
Thanks for the mini-tutorial gambit! I say go for it lever, try an rball. Perhaps I will tonight as well? It would be a first for me and definitely pushing my comfort level.
Go for it rookie if you haven't already :D
So I didn't even get on the torch last night I took a little night off and spent some time with the family. I had dreams of making r balls all night though lol. Now I'm really stoked to try one It will be pushing my comfort level to the outer limits that's for sure. I'll post my results tonight good or bad lol.
I know this may sound as a step backward but probably the best thing you could do for your control is simply fume clear glass and make a hundred fumed clear spoons. try to make them all the same shape and size. adding no lines or color to your glass can really teach you a lot about how to gather and stretch glass properly. As this might be boring I 200% guarantee you it will help you be a faster better glass blower. Working clear is not as easy as it sounds it can be tricky not having extra glass to thicken up your tube hence learning how to gather properly. Anyways just my two cents to any rookie is save your money and work clear till you can mimic your pieces, or at least have basic shaping down. Stuff is looking good though keep it up.
Thanks HumaneLathe, It's not a step backwards I was just getting a little bit ahead of myself. I will return to the clear fume I just wanted to push my boundaries a little and try something new and got a little hooked on the wrap and rakes as they are fun to make. I've noticed how clear all by itself can be a little tricky it's harder for me to read the heat base as with color the shades are a lot more distinctive. I'll keep at it, Thanks for taking a look :D
Its funny, we all take different roads...
I find working clear is much easier then adding any color to the piece. I can push out clear spoons with no cracks ever, I add a lil color tho, I crack 1/3!
And for me it is harder to read heat base on colored glass over clear...
Just an interesting observation.
I love those colored pieces you did, the blue yellow and red one is my favorite!
I had a little bit of tubing left and I made these 2 clear fume spoons now I'm out of tubing and broke :( I'm working on getting some cash together for tubing now. In the mean time I have been working on my solid work mostly tube implosions and the like.
I almost had them the same then I blew the bubble on the one on the left a little bit bigger Doh!.
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/4700/dsc04800co.jpg
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3300/dsc04801ya.jpg
Here's all the implosions that I've been working on
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6402/dsc04802v.jpg
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/409/dsc04803y.jpg
Fumed tube implosion, This one is my favorite the depth on it is insane.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/963/dsc04808v.jpg
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4865/dsc04810y.jpg
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2524/dsc04811z.jpg
A honeycomb pendant didn't quite turn out like I planned but it sold immediately.
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/3010/dsc04815b.jpg
Cool little marble I'll put it on a spoon on a later date.
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/9277/dsc04821xg.jpg
Another implosion pendant it cracked at the end and I chased it out but messed up the hook and shaping fixing the crack.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3420/img2931or.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3297/img2932uw.jpg
Here is the shop hound Fiona
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1724/img2923di.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4514/img2918c.jpg
Thanks for looking
Levi
I know it's not glass but my wife is rocking out this sick zombie painting and I just had to share. She's my inspiration to keep on keepin on....
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7999/img2971y.jpg
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9522/img2974z.jpg
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/572/img2975jf.jpg
Got some propane today and made maybe 20 mushroom pendants in a row pretty fun knocking em' out like that. I noticed my hooks got alot better by the last few that I got done.
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/3807/img3005is.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8852/img3008fd.jpg
Laterz
Levi
Hell yeah, aren't they fun to make, don't take long either. For your loops, the bail biter works wonders, a must have for pendants imo.
http://www.mountainglass.com/Bail-Biter.html
Yeah Twist they are alot of fun. Thanks for the info on the bail biters I'll get me a pair after I master making the loops by hand then I'll take the easy route. I'll make bout 75-100 more and I should be on point. I got plenty of time to make pendants till my glass order comes in this week.
I've been using simax tube and rod but I'm giving kimble a go. I just ordered couple tubes of 25 x 4 and 32 x 4 and a bunch of rod so I can see how it works compared to simax the price is defiantly better and it is made right here in the USA which is a plus for me.
Yesterday I got a order of 25 wrap and rake spoons I'm super excited :bouncy: Now I'm just waiting for my kiln to be finished so I can fill the order. I'll be off to get oxy here shortly and get to practicing. I got a good sized glass order that came in yesterday too but I really don't want to go making any spoons though till I get my kiln. I get 1 out of 5 that crack and I don't like wasting my time and glass on pieces that crack.
Just got some Handy Andy's. Can't wait to use them. Should make the mushroom pendants twice as fun. Good work and good luck on your recent prodo orders.
I got a couple new tools today I got some diamond shears, tungsten pick, and a octagon reamer what a difference the reamer made on my pendant loops and flares way better than want I was using. I really like the diamond shears too they made breaking the tubes down and mouth pieces alot easier.
Here's a couple of pendants I did tonight they were supposed to be opposing spirals, they didn't quite turn out right but they are still pretty kewl.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7194/dsc04854ek.jpg
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/558/dsc04855x.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2100/dsc04856o.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/2802/dsc04861v.jpg
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/6842/dsc04860a.jpg
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5238/dsc04865qo.jpg
LEVI