Anyone have any advice on making beaker cans by hand? I don't have a lathe and am never satisfied with the way they turn out, often are not straight and a bit wavy. Been doing them on 50x5 on a Mirage.
I treat it like the biggest goblet top my torch can handle . All at once one go if I can , or you get the wavy un even thickness glass . I always grab more stock of 50mm than I think I need.( 50x7 here , but I use 50x7 for my 50x5 ) You can always pull off extra glass. If you use a small point to start , the end product may feel jank , and thin/light weight ........ My beakers got better when I started to add a section to the bottom of the beaker . This allows you to make more of a goblet to start , adding the section to the lip of the goblet . As you melt them together , this gives you a chance to widen the bottom into more of the beaker shape ......... The large open top on the goblet gives you more room to put intricate parts inside the beaker ,a added bonus....... Here is a large recycler I just made at a demo (in just over 3 hours ), 18mm , 11.5" by 10" , the beaker was just over 5" wide, triple arm inline , each arm tagged to the beaker. Input on the recycler off to one side , so it spins like a toilet flushes ( tornado) It may not be pretty ( a test of speed and function not perfection ) but something relevant to look at anyhow....................
If its small, you can pretaper on marver most of it, heat the end rounded part and flatten the bottom on the graphite pad, would like to know myself how larger ones get done. Maybe two graphite plates?
Also, did you comb the bubble on the bottom of the can there, or attach disk? Or did you encalmo the comb section? Nevermind, you goblet topped it, and added disk.
Do you think encalmoing the comb will give a more solid weld appearance on the bottom?
Would a bridge from the right side middle of the flat disk to the flask help weld it to the goblet top appear more solid? You kno like two rods from about the middle where your punty is on the disk, then weld to a couple stratigical marble avolios, for a sort of bridge. Even while your punty on disk is attached, then weld the fucker in good?
Last edited by funksizzle; 11-07-2013 at 07:57 PM.
Reason: stupid nearly impossible flare idea that I sure as hell wouldnt be able to do as seen here since it wasnt deleted!
How long a section of fifty by 5 are you using. For a decent size one with good thickness you will need 8 or 10 inches of tubing.
Working by hand I would heat that up slow and even and make a nice thick ball. Then get your biggest puffy flame kicking and paddle down blow tube side and the paddle bottom flat and add a blow tube on bottom.
Rip off blow tube on taper side open to size you need and attach.
Working you rollers will help .
That's just one way to skin the cat by hand.
Lampworking the road that never ends, Until your out of gas!
After taking this out of the kiln (made it shortly before I started this thread) Im thinking maybe im being overly critical of myself. This piece turned out pretty decent.
I start by blowing out the bottom to desired width and a shape thats closer to flat than round, then move to the rest of it and try to stretch down the whole thing all at once.
I think I just need to practice on these a bit more and Ill be where I want to be. Thanks for the input all.
Passing the Gential Germ around N.C. for over 30 years
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Re: Hand blown beaker cans?
only way I ever saw them perfect was on a lathe. there was this dude Mike Laraby (NO NOT FAT MIKE) who did tubes with reversed/ upside down beaker cans.
i have large graphite pads, and in order to get a flask style taper, in other words more straight than round, if you have a handle on the bottom of the beaker, then you can true the beaker up after getting it nice and hot, on the graphite pad, spinning sideways. works good for mugs too.
you will shank me later
Originally Posted by FifDeez
I like the idea of burning water. Sounds mystical even tho I understand it completely.
for this one, I had a section of clear I layed lines down on and twisted, then blew in into a ball, and tore off the blowtube, cleaned up the tear and reamed out the hole to even width with the bubble. Then blew a matching hole on the 50x5 and welded it, then puffed out the whole end of the section creating the bottom of the tube with a disc on it. Unfortunately, on this one, I left a bit of clear from the punty that washed out the termination. Always happens to me on surface line sections. RRRRR.
Thanks for the paddle tip Kut, I've seen that done on the lathe with people making beakers, dunno why I never thought it could be done by hand that way.
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