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I got kinda screwed into a deal with a company because i was told the nortel midrange w/ premix torch can do this that and the other. I have a nortel midrange plus w/ premix top and a few hundred bucks id love to consider trading if someone is trying to downgrade. im just trying to get my flame on and i cant do the specific things i need with this torch. its a great torch though espechially for sculpturing. please someone, help me out because i have a kid to support with this.
I dont have a torch to trade, but what is it your trying to do with it that you cant?
yeah, very interested... because a nortel midrange can do , this that and the other...
I am interested in what your problem is You just started and that is a starter torch should do three - four inch iso spoons .
There are some old you tube vids of guys on middies rocking out side car bubs small iso tube pulls and such.
My advise is to start by making small chillies and stuff so you can learn your hottest flames there not always tuned in by turning up your oxy that starts to cool it at some point.
I just remember you had a thread up about not being able to seal a blow tube on a blank without it cracking. Should deff learn to do your prep on this torch before selling and getting a hotter bigger flame which will only compound your probs.
no since iv gotten my kiln things have been comin along nicely. i just want to do more than just three inch spoons. to anyone who was interested send a pm
dude u also gotta remember im self taught and havent been doin this long at all. i just know that this torch is very limiting, especially if you want to do like 1.5 inch inside out, dont think the nortel could hack it.
which reminds me does anyone also have any advice for inside out glass
chek this dude out...he rocks that torch wit no rider on top http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMInw...bCQXJJunWUA%3D
and that nortel will rock an i/o piece no problem.....DO NOT SELL THAT TORCH...U NEED THAT TORCH.....If you get a better hotter torch its just gonna be the same headache with a nicer torch.Learn the hell outta that torch .LEARN what it can and can't do.Do not assume shit.Prove it to yourself.
im sayin 1.5 inch heavy wall wall not 1.5 inch in length. been got that buddy my first week on the torch
and that message as thread as i recall was doing just that. not sealing a blank tube.
if you're really not able to do that on that torch, the problem isn't the torch.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dizzle720
do more research lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dizzle720
i have no idea what to say to that...Quote:
been got that buddy my first week on the torch
The torch is not your problem. Trust me. Great stuff has been made on lesser torches.
They are not the best torch in the world, but it's the experience and skill of the person using them that really dictates what they can do.
Look at it this way. A 93 Ford Taurus isn't "stylin", nor is it much fun to drive. It won't get you laid, and probably won't tow a boat, but it will get you to work each day, which is what you're going to use it for a good majority of the time.
Give yourself some time to see what you can really get the torch to do for you.
Best possible advice is to stick with outside-out until you have fully mastered it (and understand how to properly use your torch).Quote:
Originally Posted by Dizzle720
look im saying that a torch that takes forever to even get through the 38 mil heavy, once you lay youre glass and everything by then its just too thick to get hot enough with this torch. look ill admit im a noob, but i also have been makin some pretty pipes, sherlocks, some custom oil burners for a few of my other friends. if anyone can point me in the right direction let me know. iv been readin bandhu 1 and 2, watchin vids, everything. theres just a limit you and i dont want to be stuck with a torch that can only do so much. i plan on making a living at this one day. its a passion if not an obssession. i wake up every morning and even with this little torch can empty a 250 in like 5 days. iv just been puttin alot of work in. someone let me know how that red max is because if someone isnt tryin to get off a gtt or a carlisle i might just convert this one. is it worth itQuote:
Originally Posted by HOSS
dude....I've been making all the same complaints as you, about my torch. But, difference is I'm raging a Nortel Minor to 125%, funny thing is I am trying to find a Midrange (with no rider) and mount my minor on it, to solve my "torch too small" problem :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dizzle720
You're being pointed in the right direction, you're just not listening. Your torch can not only do what youre describing, it can do much more. Practically everything I've ever made over the last 6 years has been done on a similar size torch, which includes things like 12-18" fully worked bubs. Yes you will probably max out about 38-40mm heavy, but there's no reason in the world you should be working with anything larger than that after one month. There are many experienced people here pointing this out to you so you wont waste your time and money blaming the torch when that isn't the problem. Just based on what you've said here, it seems like it's your patience that is in need of the upgrade.
You are most likely just not raging it enough. This is a VERY common problem for beginners, and really just means you're getting ahead of yourself. Slow down and master the basics, turn that shit up and get it HOT!
building a heat base is a skill that can't be skipped by purchasing hotter flames. if you can't bild an even heat base on a midrange you're not going to fare any better on a delta or a cc oe a beth or w/e. you're going to get your same shitty uneven heat base faster, still not workable glass. i've seen people do huge stuff on a victor and i've seen people who couldn't shape a spoon even though their mommy bought them a herbie. it's all heat base. you need to upgrade when you have gotten the most your torch has to offer and you need to go faster. you should consider this torch as an opportunity.
and pulling at heartstrings to get a torch trade, c'mon man... there are kids here who had to start on shittier torches than that by a long shot. i have to live in a three bedroom house but i fuck like bunny wailer. can somebody hook a brother up with a compound?
Might I iterate that what HOSS is saying above ^^ is just what I do. I'd love a bigger torch, don't have the cash right now and can't seem to find what's just right, so I make mine work as best I can. I used to think the torch was my limiting factor, that was a month ago. I've realized that it wasn't my limiting factor, it was a simple excuse. A bigger torch would be sweet, and would open up lots of possibilities for me, but it hasn't kept me from doing what I do.
Shit, my torch claims it doesn't even work boro, but it does :crazy: I crank my pressure, open my valves up and let it roar as much as a minor can...
I feel your pain though man, and I'm not trying to bring you down. And supporting a family with glass is a stress I can NOT relate to.
Good luck though, hope you get your situation worked out! (i.e. a bigger torch or making do with what you've got)
and are you saying you can't pay bills without working large stuff?
OK...
What have you got your regulator pressures set at? Want to take a pic of the flame you are using to work 38? Make sure you are using the correct flames. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to make sure you are not rotating your tube/rod too fast.
Like Mer said, heatbase is EVERYTHING when it comes to lampworking.
These guys are not trying to give you a hard time, they are really trying to help you.
The Midrange+ is a good torch to work with. Not the best, but it is very capable.
When you try to run faster than your legs can handle you end up falling. Same goes with glass.
i was kinda trying to do a little of both. sorry about that...Quote:
Originally Posted by KT-Old School Glass
We were typing at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by mer
I wanted to but I contained my forked tongue :D
I don't know what I'm trying to accomplish...I'm just feeling the same was as him, but on a much smaller level and wanting a midrange lol part hard time, part empathy, part personal frustration...thread titled "Does anyone have a heart?!" i reacted and typed it concurrently :D
i still havent been able to figure out how to add pics. i understand that iv just been gettin frustrated.
if you click on the "manage attachments" button a little under the text box it is self-explanatory once it opens up. That is the easiest way to link straight from your computer, but takes up server space and isn't unlimited.
Get a gtt Nortels are crap.
what does everyone think bout the red max conversion
There crap^^ it's not about how big your flame is its about how hot it gets IMO. You can do WAY more and faster on a lynx then any redmax rice cooker setup.
The learning curve for glassworking is incredibly steep, your frustration is completely normal and understandable. Your fingers don't learn as fast as your brain, and just understanding the steps of doing something isn't the same thing as having the physical ability to do it. That comes much more slowly through hundreds of hours of practice, and training your "muscle memory" with the required skills.
The best thing you could do to decrease the time it takes for you to be making a solid living blowing glass is investing in some in-person lessons with someone that's already been through it. Upgrading your torch won't suddenly step up your game to family-supporting levels, but getting some one-on-one time on the fundamentals is easily worth whatever it might cost. This is the only way to know that you're really practicing doing things the RIGHT way, instead of just reinforcing bad habits.
And BTW, thats a line of crap about the red max, dude has no clue. Easily the best starter torch for the money, plenty of threads here to support that. My former roommate used one for his first 5-6 years and did just fine.
haha!! sureQuote:
Originally Posted by hnk
Maybe try to get your hands onto some Shelbo tips. A 55 hole one will get the job done for sure.
Haha! I ran a major minor for five years before upgrading to a mirage and i can tell you that those torches are great starter torches. They melt fine but a little slower and that is exactly what a beginner needs.
Being able to melt more glass quicker just equals more headaches and frustration. It took me years to really "get" the concept of the heatbase and to really pay attention to what is going on with the glass. Going a little slower in the beginning is an advantage. Use it to build yourself a solid foundation of techniques.
I just recently talked to a beginner and told them- in glass you need to learn to walk before you can run. What that means is to the new or non glassblower watching someone who knows what they are doing it seems so easy. What you dont realize it that the project you watched was the culmination of dozens of diffrent techniques that all flowed into one project. If you dont have all the peices leading up to that project in place it will be very difficult to do.
Those torches aren't the best for color so just concentrate on clear.....seriously, for many reasons besides that one.
nicccce..... yea iv def. been thinking bout just converting it now, 45 ports sounds better than 22. anyways thanks alot everybody. let me know if anyone is in the metro area. yea, i guess im just gonna convert it for now and in a year or something, get the biggger
Man I cant decide on my new sig ,,,,,Quote:
Originally Posted by mer
Spot on old chap
sounds good, but dont feel pressured to upgrade. people in this thread have been trying to tell you that the size of your torch, and the gtt logo, arent the things that will take you to the next level. I feel like the best investment for you, would be to buy some more glass and melt through it. by the time you go through a case or two you should understand the upper and lower limits of your torch, and can make a more informed decision about whether or not you need to upgrade.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dizzle720
however you should be fine on a redmax with a premix, its not big enough to hurt yourself with really.... unless your alienscience.
anyways, heres a video of a guy doing inside out on what appears to be 38mm with a midrange and premix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om4qQ-ISwLE
on a related note; is there any difference in performance between a Midrange vs. Major that have been converted to the redmax?
fritQuote:
Originally Posted by dizzle720
^^^^^^listen to all of this advice.
inflate the piece as you are adding more glass, you can always thicken it up as you are working along. everytime you add glass melt it in and inflate. it is easier to keep an even heat base if the glass is about the same thickness throughout
I'll chime in from the opposite end of the spectrum. I am learning on an old Model A beth and having that much heat brings on its' own set of problems. Shit can get out of control before you realise what is happening. Trading down has crossed my mind more than once my friend, I'm just now BEGINNING to understand heatbase. Learning on a smaller torch would have made my progression a bit faster IMHO. Hang in and much luck to you.
Stephen
What is this whole have a heart crap. You do the proper research and you can find yourself a good torch. Then again nothing wrong with the midrange, have seen some nice stuff being pumped out on one.