ApeironCreations Progression/Question Thread

So I've been a member here for a few months acleast and mostly I've just been trolling around learning all I can. Being amazed at what people can do... And honestly im pretty intimidated. I'm not posting any pics of pieces right now but I will soon.

Right now I have a question, working with a GTT Bobcat from someone with experience what are the limitations of the torch as far as glass size goes? I've seen some people run their gtt's HARD and im not sure if im getting full use out of my torch. I'm not willing to push it to the edge for fear of hurting it, I love glassblowing far to much to mess up my main tool for it xD

Also, I am seriously looking into getting a GTT Phantom, I want to be able to make production spoons and quick/er implosion pendants. I guess the question here is am I barking up the wrong tree for what I want to do?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/te6ytaze.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/avy3yse7.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/umezejug.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/e3ata2ev.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/6u8amu8u.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/busabyqa.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/vejegaha.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/5utagygu.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/e7y4a8y4.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/16/mary8e3y.jpg

Nice work so far man. How long you been at it? That implosion pendy is decent bro.
Dont worry about hurting your torch by ragin it. You can hurt gtts more by running small lazy flames than big intense ones. You should be able to pull off some small prodo pieces with a bobcat. A phantom should be all you need for a while if you get one tho.
Keep at it man and dont be scared to push your limits!

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the advice! Yea I've got wayy more implosion pendants I just dont have pics. Do they always turn out better if they have backing? That seems to be the case it just sucks to slap that huge glob of color on the back where it could be used elsewhere. Few months on and off. Had a few snags with finding oxygen in the beginning so its not been all and all for months. I'd say I have probably one solid month worth of evenings on the torch at this point.

ApeironCreations

They generaly look better with a contrasting back to them. Makes em pop. Try pulling some color down into stringers and coating the back that way. Saves a tad bit of color. The color also helps keep the back more stif if your going to twist them like that. Makes shaping and rounding a bit easier as well

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/20/7u9a3ajy.jpg

Todays kiln pull, some of the smaller mushrooms look reallly sick. I would love the opportunity to work with a marble maker!! I wanna try my hand at it too!

Any Glassblowers in the North Georgia area?

ApeironCreations

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/20/uqujevy3.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/20/esyme8u3.jpg

Picture of an interesting mushroom push. The top pic is of the underside showing a little internal depth to the stem of the mushroom. Second what it looks like from the front.

ApeironCreations

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/03/gabahamu.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/03/yqy2e8e9.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/03/azubagu9.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/03/y2yhube8.jpg

Hay guys (and gals) just wanted to put up a few more pieces. The mushroom marble is really my first success I didn't use a mold for It cause I don't have the appropriate size but it came out pretty close to round.

I'm wondering how it is that people get the wonderful depth to their vortex pendants. I usually only do implosions because it's really the only thing I know to do atm.

Also I'm still looking for people who blow glass in or around the northern regions of Georgia! I understand that you can eventually learn everything on a torch from practice, reading, and research. But I'm in need of people who understand my obsession people I can "Talk Shop" with so to speak.

ApeironCreations

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/08/usuvytat.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/08/7yny3eze.jpg

ApeironCreations

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/10/hevejuge.jpg

ApeironCreations

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/21/3a8anaby.jpg

A few more Implosion pendants. The one on the top right does have a crack right down the center. Which is so odd cause I was pretty sure it got melted down the most out of all of them. I do have a kiln but I'm kinda worried bout running it now. I've run it probably 10 times so far. Just doing batch work but my most recent power bill came in and it was over 100 dollars more than it has been the previous 3 or 4 months


On average what should it be costing me to run my kiln for say, a 4 or 5 hour run?

Cost with kilns really depends on size. I run an aim 99LS-D and the power bill isn't horrible deffinitly way less than $100 a month. I think my kids leaving TVs on costs me more. Nice implosions, keep it up.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/02/aqy9ajeh.jpg

My first two pseudo attempts at reticcello work.

I was trying to do it by way of an old photo tutorial I saw on here a while back. The broken one on the right was my first one and I thought the lines I put on in the beginning were way to thin turns out the slightly thicker stringer (the second attempt) just get all up in the way.

I think I know what I need to do to improve on my process. Updates to come.

Ohh also had my first Craft show made about 85 dollars. And I'm in the process of being put up in an art studio in my town. So lots of things happening quickly it's such a great feeling!

Looking good your chillums up the thread need the color based in before shaping.

You are doing good and you pendys are starting to sharpen up.

When working your bigger sections for spoons and chilums lay your color on the blank and dial in your biggest neutral flame them punty up and angle your blank so you flame is hitting it and your flame splash is hitting the middle of blank then switch so you heat your punty end and splash hits other end.

This will allow you to get more width melted in by rocking the splash to your advantage.

Once its melted in you can spin it up and shape.

The way your stuff looks you should get on the phantom list now and save your money that way when they call you can rage more

Thanks for the tip! It certainly can be really hard to get all the colors to completely melt in with my little bobcat. And I'm actually on the list for a Cheetah, I am hoping to get a call later this week. When I spoke to Wally the other day he said they were testing them so they should be out soon.

I would prefer to get a phantom but honestly I don't have the setup just yet. I've been intentionally avoiding fuming because my hood situation isn't up to snuff. As much as I would love to work fume my health is of higher importance.

One of the reasons I'm snagging the cheetah is cause I'd like to be able to have my friend work beside me. He's got some pretty baseline skills and he's got a dead steady hand for dot work.

More the marrier am I right :P

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/08/3y8epu8a.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/08/ysuta4u6.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/08/gegyrehy.jpg

A few more implosions and such from my most recent kiln pull.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/18/ynumy5ur.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/18/arynu9y4.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/18/devyqu6y.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/18/sy8aqyre.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/20/be7asypu.jpg

Looking good :)

Thank you :D

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/23/mequnu6y.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/23/mynujaze.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/23/avazazyr.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/23/zysunusy.jpg

Made an awesome bowl last evening on the fly for a friend. Probably turned out best out of all my pipes so far

Hey man if youre interested in some spoon shaping tips just lemme know. I dont wanna give unwanted advice but if your willing to take it I have some helpful hints

Hell yea man of course. I'll let ya know I'm working on a Bobcat and Now a Cheetah. I'm having some issues scrounging up the cash for fresh tube so I'm being very stingy with the small amount I have left... And it's not even the right size for bowls it's like 12mm heavy wall or something.

But with that in mind... light up my world good sir.

Ok now a couple of things you probably are aware of. Like 12mm is pretty small tube for a pipe. I see if usually used as a blowtube for large worked pieces. Anywho. First thing is are you pulling blanks yet? If so make your blank a little longer than wat you will what your pipe to be as it will shrink when you shape and condense it. Where are you getting your glass from? Maybe I can help ya out since the shop I am at orders bulk, I may be able to get you a cheaper price. Now I do things way differently than I am sure most people do with shaping as I rarely pull anything to elongate it, wth the exception of bowtube and butt seals. If any of this doesnt make sense I can make a vid. So once your blank is pulled and youre ready to shape, what I do is I go ahead and start heating up the 3rd quarter of the blank, which is different than most people as they will puff out the end for the mouthpiece first. Go ahead and heat that part up getting it nice and thick. keep it spinning fast and steady so that it doesnt sag on you as it will get super hot and if you slow down or stop it and wonk the fuck up. Now once that is nice and hot pull it out of the flame and let if point to the ground at an angle while spinning so that gravity pulls it down. It will give you a beautiful natural taper and and even thickness. once that is to the desired lenght and shape you can start heating the end to shape you mouth piece. That pipe up there ideally should have a more rounded mouthpiece. but that just my opinion. Heat up the end and give it small puffs once it is hot enough to shape. Always blow up toward the sky whil spinning and puffing then down to the ground while spinning and puffing or vice versa, if not your walls will be all different thicknesses. once you have reached your desired shape, let it cool then pop a hole on that end and pop a blowtube on it. Try to make your blowie as centered on that blank as possible it means a world of difference. Now that you have the blowtube on you can shape the head the head. When you popped your carb did you throw a clear dot on where you wanted it? Always melt the color in all the way so that is is a smooth surface also. I know hard to do on a small torch but possible with patience

I mean you probable blew right off that 12mm and blew out your bowl and carb and just cut it off, which is fine for a little nose burner on the fly

now there may be people on here that read this and tell me I am wrong and that is fine. But within 3 months of blowing glass I have sold all my pieces and mostly to shops. I am not a great glassblower and just starting out but my spoons and bubblers are on point. Lke I said if this doesnt make sense I will make you a vid

It all makes perfect since. Especially bout blowing either up or down I can certainly see how it's easier to keep the wall thickness and evenness equal that way.

And I'm not pulling points yet but as I said I don't have much glass. I have 2, 4 foot sections of I think 24mm tubing I'll pull out my points from that and put up a pic when I make it.

right on man. In one of your vids I heard you say that gravity is one of your best tools so I figured this way may help you as I am limited on tools and have had to learn to use natures tools mostly lol. That loop vid actually helped me with doing the curls on my bubblers, So i figured I would return the favor. Lemme know if ya think I can help out on glass too man

Haha well I'm super glad I could help lol, and I appreciate the help man. Your right the whole gravity thing is definitely my language xD.

Man I really don't have the money honestly. I'm bout to have some of my work In a local gallery in my town I'm hoping if I can sell a few of my other odds and ends I'll have the money to get things rolling for real.

I hear ya. Well maybe after I get some more glass sold I can send Ya a couple tubes of 19mm heavy wall and if ya make anything off it you could pay me back then. We will see how things go. Since the old heads hate coming on here and helping the noobs out cause we are mostly defensive and come off unappreciative ( MYSELF INCLUDED) us noobs have to look out for one another

Wow Thank you so much for such a kind offer! I would deff pay you back for something like that, plus karma pays back 3 fold so fun stuff there haha.

I get why the Senior members of this forum don't seem to keen to help sometimes. I get it that you don't want to just "Give Away" the secrets they have worked so hard to discover themselves. But for some I can imagine no amount of searching and reading is going to give them the knowledge they are looking for.

I will admit here and now that I've probably read over 300 articles pertaining to glass it's what I do with pretty much all of my free time that I'm not on the torch. And I have learned a lot from that but I have learned so much more from just small or short videos showing specifically one type of Tech.

As I see it the more help that is here readily available for anyone looking the better off it serves us all. As artists we work off one another's energy and ideas. I can't tell you how many awesome things I have In store for my future when I learn my techs and get my bigger torch. They are nothing more than variations of existing techs but without the baseline work of other artists i wouldn't even know where to start

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/27/qata9u7e.jpg

Tiny marbles ftw

you defensive noobs, i like your teeny marbles. i have a large bowl of early marbles my niece loves to examine.

They are a ton of fun. So many possibilities and I've not even gotten into anything too crazy yet.

Can't wait till I can do a retti implosion marble :D

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/ny5ahahe.jpg

Today's kiln pull.

All in one day? Goddamn!!

I got ADD too bad to do that much stuff. How long were you at the torch?

Lol no I didn't do that all in one sitting. I do alot of my work cold (since for the most part it's all pretty small) then batch anneal somewhere later down the road.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ApeironCreations

Lol no I didn't do that all in one sitting. I do alot of my work cold (since for the most part it's all pretty small) then batch anneal somewhere later down the road.

---

I was sitting here like, "shit I thought I was doing good pulling 5 nice pendants out of the kiln on back to back days". Your works looking sweet bro,love the shit out of those jars.

Thanks Boro! Aand yea I really enjoy making the jars.

The reasons my name is ApeironCreation is thusly "Apeiron" is Greek for boundless or limitless. That's kinda where I want to take my art. I already know how to work in about 3 different mediums and want to combine them all in some of my later works.

But to the point. Eventually I want to make my own jars for custom mixed perfumes. The convenient thing is I'm already working on a permaculture style farmstead and once I have a decent herb garden going as well as being a little farther in my glass blowing I'll also be able to create the distillery I'll need for making all the oils myself.

With some perfumes going upwards of 1000's of dollars an OZ I figure a hand crafted artisan perfume has got to get me acleast a decent return