n00bz ask me anything....

During my time on the forum, I have seen a number of people suggest using the search function before asking questions. While I agree with them, I am offering any knowledge that I have gained over the past 5 years of working with glass to any new artist out there seeking direction or advice. That said I am no master, but I can certainly help out with the following, pipe making, pendant making, setting up shop, various prep work patterning techniques, materials, tools, and things of that nature. So if you are brand new to glass, this is your chance to get some answers first hand.
-borobot

Repped for showing great spirit. :)

I've been working with glass off and on for years, but never had my own studio. I am considering setting up a small space in my backyard where I can just practice instead of driving nearly two hours to the closest studio around. I am wondering, is ventilation a concern in this situation? I will be outside, under a metal awning. The bench I have acquired does have a dome over the top of it which I was thinking of cutting a hole and installing a fan. Any insight at all would be much appreciated. Thanks! (repped as well +1!)

Yippie,
Hmm, I have never worked outside so I really can't say from experience, but I have read that if working outdoors and you have air flow, you should be good. If all that air is just getting trapped in the area than probably not so good. But the cover on your bench kind of confused me. I cant imagine what it would look like, or the purpose of blowing air that could come back in on your area. Working outdoors will allow the wind to blow your flame around though. I've experienced that with working in a garage with the door open, or having a fan at my back on a hot day alone. I would imagine working outdoors would be even more intense, but it can be done. I've seen it. Sorry I can;t really give a yes or no on that one. I guess its kind of work at your own risk things. Would I do it, totally if I felt there was enough wind flow and the area, but I'm sure some may not.

Frit pipe tutorial please!!!!?

I can offer the frit pipe tut,

Here goes,

Make a Blank of a size your comfortable with, I usually use 32 or 38 mm heavy wall. Get chuck of that on your blow tube and make a round bottom chunk,
I then the blank a bit hot or warmed up in the kiln to about 1000 or so
get frit ready, I have a little ladle and I made a funnel from a chunk of tubing, get funnel. Then I pour an amount that will fill the bottom bubble at least to where the curve ends. You will figure out how much frit you need based on tubing size after a couple attempts.
Then I start heating the tip of the tubing letting the frit roll around freely, ideally you would have a good amount on the bottom of the entire tube.
Then heat the blank from one end to the other letting the frit stick around the tube. Sometimes may need to attach a punty to the front of the tube to get that last bit by the blowtube heated without getting floppy.
Once you have all the frit stuck melt that shit in!! I will typically start at the end of the spoon condense and puff it a few times to get everything melted evenly, you will start to see that stuff sink all the way in and become less lumpy. Make sure you do this extra well on each step,
Then I shape the middle with the same diligence in making sure the frit is melted.
Finally the mouth piece, which is more difficult but practice will pay off.
If you have melted and shaped all sections, remove the original punty and finish the spoon.
blow hole for blow, sink bowl, flatten bottom, attach nubs or whatever, blow carb remove handle and bam!! frit spoon city

Thank you for the step by step James M , much appreciated!

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I'm not brand new to glass but I just upgraded from a hothead to a Bravo. Is there a good visual guide or set of instructions anywhere for "how to tell you have a neutral flame"?


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Amazon night is a good color to test the neutral flame. If the amazon night stays the original color when heated, that is a neutral flame or close to it.

once you get the feel of it you'll be able to dial it in by seeing and listening to the flame.

I have several kinds of double helix glass, would that behave the same way?


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Yippie - ventilation is *always* a concern. Being outside means you're good, but you'll still have to be aware of where the fumes are going, i.e., not into your face. If the wind is blowing directly back at you... something to be aware of. Mainly what I've read on the topic of working outside is that wind can be a serious bitch, making your flame go this way and that - and if you're doing any detailed work (and, well, it's kinda all detail work cept the big "rage it" steps), a slight variation in the angle of your flame can be a real pain in the ass. Seems sometimes people just deal with it... but it also seems that most people prefer working indoors.

Adalia - the "Alchemist's Guide to Boromax Chemistry", the few pages of tutorial that Glass Alchemy distributes with their color sample pack, specifically states that amazon night is the industry standard for testing for a neutral flame. Granted, that's a great marketing ploy, but I haven't heard anyone attempt to make the claim of having a color that fills this role. If specifically what you're trying to do is determine where the neutral point on your torch is (err, given how your knobs are set), then I'd suggest grabbing a stick of amazon night. Thing is, every color is going to play nice in different environments, so you're sortof going to have to figure out how to treat every different color (or type of color) that you work with. It's one of those "by feel" things where there no substitute for experience - because that neutral spot of your flame changes every time you touch any of the knobs on your torch. If you don't want to buy any amazon night (and, well, you really don't have to, but it's an interesting experiment that can be very useful if you want a better sense of where neutral is) - really, just work a bit further out from the face of your torch than you think you should.

There's also a bunch of diagrams like this if you just google "neutral flame" and click images:

Attachment 80316

But note that this one in particular, while helpful, may be considered a bit misleading, because this focuses on how the flame looks, which isn't at all wrong, but it's also true that generally the part of the flame closer to the cones is going to be reducing, and further away from the torch face is going to be more oxydizing. I say generally, because if you're talking about the area inside the cones, I'm not sure what the math is there - but you don't wanna use that part of the flame anyway, unless you're fuming, but fuming is a different topic altogether. (Also, this diagram says "carburizing", when I would have said "reducing" - carburizing is a new term to me just now, so I'll go google that in a moment, but my guess is that this image is aimed at welders rather than lampworkers.)

Okay, sorry, that diagram is probably a really bad example, because that's for an acetylene torch, and so the flame descriptions don't line up with what you'll see on a typical propane torch for lampworking (white flame? yeah, thats bunk.)... there are better diagrams in Bandu's book if you've grabbed a copy.

Cool.

I have another question if I may, I started another thread on it earlier but would appreciate more opinions. My torch is producing a ridiculous amount of carbon buildup. What can I do to fix this? After just a few minutes of using the outer ring of the torch some of the ports start clogging. Theories so far are impurities in my fuel (unlikely? I'm using bulk propylene. I'll switch the tank anyway) or maybe my fuel pressure being set too high? 10psi vs factory recommended 2psi. Any hints to reduce this build up would be very appreciated

Pic is after only a minute or two of having the outer ring lit.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...727d592dc9.jpg


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why aren't you using propane?

Upgraded from a hothead, figured I might as well use the end of the propylene tank


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Yeah, go get a propane tank.

Also, read your torches operating guide.

http://www.bethlehemburners.com/pdf/...structions.pdf

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Gases
Bethlehem’s Bravo is designed to burn natural gas,
hydrogen, propane or butane fuels. Do not use acetylene.
Acetylene contains excess carbon that will clog the gas
ports on the burner face.
---

It doesn't say anything about bulk propylene.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adalia

Cool.

I have another question if I may, I started another thread on it earlier but would appreciate more opinions. My torch is producing a ridiculous amount of carbon buildup. What can I do to fix this? After just a few minutes of using the outer ring of the torch some of the ports start clogging. Theories so far are impurities in my fuel (unlikely? I'm using bulk propylene. I'll switch the tank anyway) or maybe my fuel pressure being set too high? 10psi vs factory recommended 2psi. Any hints to reduce this build up would be very appreciated

Pic is after only a minute or two of having the outer ring lit.


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Yeah that amount of carbon after just a few mins is not right. Its actually better to run a higher PSI on your gases so that you pass more gas through the torch- this effectively 'projects' the flame's heat at your glass and not back on your torch face. Id say its most likely your fuel source thats the issue. What you need is some "...good ol fashioned clean burning propane and propane accessories." -read in Hank Hill voice

J

Haha yeah apparently switching to a propane tank was the solution. Seems fine now! Cheaper gas being the fix is a rare delight.

So uh, after I turn off the torch, is it normal to hear a tick tick tick or maybe it's a dripping sound from the torch? It stops after a few minutes but it weirds me out to not know what's causing it.


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Thank you all for the advice concerning working outdoors. I am looking into finding a garage where I can play within the next few months. If I must stay outside, I will be investing in a rather large canopy/tent type deal. Plywood, cement board, and lots of fans as well. Once I am finally ready to get started I will certainly be sharing some photos, stay tuned and thanks again!

anyone know how to put a downstem in through the bottom, and have it reinforced on the bottom of the can? looking for how to do it with a bubble type bottom as opposed to a flaired foot.

Herb I've done it a few times by dropping a diffused down stem in from top of can like normal but instead of a hole at the bottom of the stem make ya a nice nipple about a centimeter long. Then when you shape and flatten your can make sure you tag that nipple to the flattened can and then break out the mini hand torch and melt the piss outta the spot where the nipple welds to the cans foot, then make sure she still stands sturdy and viola. This is only my method I'm sure there are others out there if you ask around

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As far as going in from the bottom I may need more info to help with your application

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picture a downstem, with a big hollow maria with 5 holes around the edge for a perc. This cant fit through the hole on the top of the can, but you could put it in through a hole in the bottom of the can thats just big enough for the downstem, you'd still want the nipple on the bottom that you could cold seal to. Then you'd have to match up the holes, and weld it in without pressure, and remove the punty. After that you gotta close up the bottom cleanly and melt it into the nipple on the bottom. Hope that made sense. Im just nervous to try and go in and weld it without the pressure. Shout out to A.I. for the knowledge (I probably missed some parts of his explanation to me.)

I have a couple questions, seeing as I'm extremely new.
1. As I said, I'm new: I've taken one 3-day class (~15 hours total) that covered the very VERY basics. Essentially I just made pendants the whole time and incorporated the techniques they showed to the best of my ability. We covered stringers and cold/hot seals, mixing colored and clear glass as well as twisty cane. Other than that I've not learned very much hands on. I'm planning on taking numerous classes within the next 6 months; what techniques would you suggest I ask my instructor to help me learn?
2. Along with classes I will be trying to rent studio time to practice and maybe experiment on my own. To do this I would need tools, which I've already started to aquire. So far I have a striker to start the flame, cup shears (actually just heavy duty tin snips), glass nippers, a set of picks and spatulas to use as shaping tools, and a set of a few tweezers (6 1/4 in at the largest). In addition I recieved some Kevlar gloves, diamond shears, medium claw grabber and a set of finishing tongs today as gifts (big ups to my parents for the support). What would you all consider as essential additional tools I should get? Also what tools do you consider not essential, but think could help a great deal in general.
Sorry for the long post. I feel it's better to put too much detail rather than too little.

Sounds like you have a good start on the tools, I have a couple different reamers, one small pencil sized reamer and two different sized octagon reamers. They come in super handy, also a bowl push if you plan on that sort of thing, I hear the ones with the specific sized tip (smaller point to keep bowl hole consistent) are sweet. Other than that you need shades bro, some eye protection is key.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James M

Sounds like you have a good start on the tools, I have a couple different reamers, one small pencil sized reamer and two different sized octagon reamers. They come in super handy, also a bowl push if you plan on that sort of thing, I hear the ones with the specific sized tip (smaller point to keep bowl hole consistent) are sweet. Other than that you need shades bro, some eye protection is key.

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Thanks for the response, man. Can't believe I forgot to put that I had glasses haha its the first thing I bought. Got some of the economy Philip dydinium with some shade 5 clip ons. May buy some shade 3 clip ons as well later on because from what I have heard from a few people the shade 5s are rather dark occasionally.

Ya I rock the shade 5s on the daily. They really are perfect most of the time, but occasionally I find myself looking over the top of my glasses and that's a really bad habit.

I have the shade 5 that go over my normal glasses and I often find myself looking over the tops, not cool. Learned the hard way one day when my eye felt like they had sand in them and they were all puffed up. If I had to do it again I would get 5's with a bit of 3 at the top.

I've got another question. Posted a thread about it but nobody replied so I figured I'd ask here. How do you guys carry your tools (if you don't have home studios or need to transport them, etc) I found a Husky 3 drawer toolbox that's a good size for carrying my stuff but it's pretty big so I'm tryin to find some alternatives

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^^^I jump from shop to shop a lot lately and I have tool boxes for some stuff but for my tools that could break easy I fill up a gun case.One gun case and I got the tools I need on the daily.They stay nice and safe in the case.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LRG

^^^I jump from shop to shop a lot lately and I have tool boxes for some stuff but for my tools that could break easy I fill up a gun case.One gun case and I got the tools I need on the daily.They stay nice and safe in the case.

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Thanks for the reply. Could you make some suggestions on tools that may be more prone to breaking? I'd rather find out in advance than to learn from experience lol

Anything graphite can break easy,my reamers are fragile so they go in there,bowl pushes,paddles/plates,my glasses got a spot in there.In a regular tool box metal tools bouncing off graphite tools will chip/bust them.The foam keeps the hand tools safe and sound for me.I use the 4 pistol case,has never let me down.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LRG

Anything graphite can break easy,my reamers are fragile so they go in there,bowl pushes,paddles/plates,my glasses got a spot in there.In a regular tool box metal tools bouncing off graphite tools will chip/bust them.The foam keeps the hand tools safe and sound for me.I use the 4 pistol case,has never let me down.

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Sounds good and doesn't look so expensive. I've got a shipment of tools on back order right now so I'll just wait till they get here to figure out how I'll be storing them. Planned on having the graphite tools in a separate drawer with a a liner under them and a thin foam thing on top. Probably will end up ordering that case lol

The same cases I sell my glass from,Been 13 year on this one and still going strong.K mark /big 5/wal mart..any kind of sporting goods place has gun case,there's two layers for stuff.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Plano-Prot...-Case/16662942

Very inexperienced noob here, working with boro

I'm having trouble controlling heat

If I'm too gentle, I can't seem to get glass joints to fuse

If I get a bit more aggressive, I get bubbles and sometimes distortion

I know it's a delicate balance. I would appreciate tips on how to achieve it

Mp,

The contemporary lamp working vol 1 talks about this. It is about building your heat base, which means not just quickly heating the outer surface of the glass, but slowly building heat throughout your working area. I often do this buy getting some heat on the surface, then removing the piece from the flame for a second letting the heat soak into the core, then repeat these steps until you have enough heat base to make your moves. This has helped a lot to reduce the amount of boiled glass especially in my welds. Just get it hot, take it out let it soak in and repeat.