Vacuum stick stack

[seadal]

So I have heard a lot about it but never seen it done. Does anybody here do this tech to make their tubing? If you do how is it done. Maybe a tut?

[BlueLilyStudio]

someday when its time...plus its really hard to do, not so hard to figure out.

[schmoinkel]

Never done it with a vac pump, I just use a blow hose. It seems like the pump would help a lot if you weren't melting everything smooth first. Personally I like the look of smooth lines better.

Scott

[rabidgod]

me wanna kno......wait, me do know!!
never tryed it tho

[Greymatter Glass]

the way I've seen it done is with a vacuum cup .... hard to explain how it's made...but...You blow a bubble, suck half back into itself, and open a hole on the rim... then you seal that to the stick stack tube,. The other end of the cup is attached to a vacuum. Close off the other end, punty it up, toss it on a lathe, use a cradle burner, and run it from the closed to the open end.

Follow?

I've done it freehand on a small tube, nearly burned up my shop vac... get a real vacuum. The venturi vac posted below would probably work great. You don't need much vacuum, just enough to move the glass.

There's other methods as well. I've heard some people use a mandrel (don't know what material, but I think graphite or steel + aquadag would probably work).

Also, there are special lathes made to redraw tubing.... you heat it up, push a button, and the lathe heads pull apart.... might help to keep it all even and straight.

[schmoinkel]

What's the purpose of the vacuum cup?



Scott

[Greymatter Glass]

to pull air from between the inner and outer walls...

when I say vacuum cup, I don't mean like a stump sucker...I mean a tool to distribute the vacuum to the right spot.

[schmoinkel]

I see.

I just leave the inner tube closed off till the encasment is done, then open it up and attach a blow tube.


Scott

[Greymatter Glass]

like I said, I can't explain it well....

[kilgroth]

OK, I think I figured out how to post an image. Or I will figure it out soon.


I stack my color up on a 25mm tube with rubber bands or what ever. Keep the 25mm closed. Set up a piece of 50x5 about an inch or 1.5 longer than your color. I like to hook it up to the vacuum hose at this point. Throw it in the kiln.

Now heat the far end of the color, opposite of your blowtube, and get it tacked on to the 25mm tube. You must work quickly from here on. Cut of your rubber bands and slide it into your preheated 50x5.

Starting on the open end of the 50, heat and marver to pinch it down onto the 25mm. Now turn on the vacuum and start melting from this pinched end.

Open up the torch and melt it down. When you get to the far end of the 50, be sure not to melt you blowtube shut. If it gets warm, the vacuum will pull it shut. That is why I like to leave a little extra material.

When melted down, tear off the excess 50 and attach punty(16mm). Pull it down to the appropriate diameter. I then jack and break it in the middle.

My explaination is kinda long and sloppy, but I hope it helps.

[styles1 torchlife]

I've been rockin' the VacStack since early o7' it destroyed all the myths I had about glass and opened a lot of doors. I wouldn't make striped tubing any other way unless necessary for the desired outcome.

I use a venturi. I feel that this is honestly the HOLY GRAIL OF GLASS BLOWING TECHNIQUES!!!!
I say this because it can be used to make tons of latty, ribbon rod and Millies.
It mainly changed my perspective because no one taught me these techniques, I truely learned on my own.
After lots many sleepless nights it came together.

I use a $120 dollar compressor and $200 venturi. I will try to post some pics of the stuff I make with it. I'm selling these venturies for $200 if any one is interested. Pm me

[kage]

+rep kilgroth. thats exactly how i do it. nice visual

[Shatner]

OK, I think I figured out how to post an image. Or I will figure it out soon.


I stack my color up on a 25mm tube with rubber bands or what ever. Keep the 25mm closed. Set up a piece of 50x5 about an inch or 1.5 longer than your color. I like to hook it up to the vacuum hose at this point. Throw it in the kiln.

Now heat the far end of the color, opposite of your blowtube, and get it tacked on to the 25mm tube. You must work quickly from here on. Cut of your rubber bands and slide it into your preheated 50x5.

Starting on the open end of the 50, heat and marver to pinch it down onto the 25mm. Now turn on the vacuum and start melting from this pinched end.

Open up the torch and melt it down. When you get to the far end of the 50, be sure not to melt you blowtube shut. If it gets warm, the vacuum will pull it shut. That is why I like to leave a little extra material.

When melted down, tear off the excess 50 and attach punty(16mm). Pull it down to the appropriate diameter. I then jack and break it in the middle.

My explaination is kinda long and sloppy, but I hope it helps.

Pictues speak a thousand words. Or drawings in this instance. Thanks and repped. What are these 'venturi vaccuums' I keep heaing about? Too lazy to google.

[Bryan]

too lazy to answer..

[Bates207]

don't forget, if you have an air compressor and don't have 200$, you can make a glass venturi.

I use a venturi. I feel that this is honestly the HOLY GRAIL OF GLASS BLOWING TECHNIQUES!!!!

[Lub]

bates in insane...bates is insane...everyone sing it with me. I am going to look further into this when less safety broken, but just off your crazy knowledge of everything and your ability to male it out of glass, bates, you're basically a fucking beast.

I've been getting all my line tube from a shop owner lately for free to in turn make him product for a better price basically, but when i did stick stacks more, it was very similar to that diagram/method except I did small ones so basically, a maria on the bottom of a 16 or 25mm tube for the inside, the maria holds the color in place, then a 2 inch longer then what you cut the color to blank of 44mm for the sleeve. pop the inside tube into the big one (Lay it on a table) and slide your pre cut rods in whatever pattern you want. Start melting at the open end of the outer sleeve and melt/marver the extra 44mm over the 16/25mm your holding it by. once its all sealed off around there, turn the vacuum on which is connected to the blowtube of the 44mm (Opposite side of where you just melted) once its on go back to where you melted first, get all that hot as a base, then go into your color. Don't try to go to fast at first. once all the color rods are sealed to the outer 44 and you start to see the channels of air being pulled out, thats when you can start raging, but again, once you get to the opposite end, take it slow or you will get too much of the outer sleeve hot and it will suck down over the blowtube and no longer be able to remove air from the stack. basically, good luck. never done it on a lathe, but 3 inches of color all the way around the 16mm with the 44 over it was plenty for a 8 section bub and a heady inline forgot how many r balls it had. but it gets heavy.

[Swampy]

A clever bloke, is Mr Bates.

I use the opposite end of the compressor...

attach a tee to the inlet, leave one end of the tee open, connect the other end to the swivel. The outlet side of the compressor isn't connected to the tank, it goes to atmosphere.

If the tee is closed, the suck will cause the tube to collapse, so leave it open to atmosphere so the compressor can still breathe.

I find it still gives enough suction to pull air from the tube.

[Skye Perry]

+rep kilgroth. thats exactly how i do it. nice visual

Same here .I use 4'' 75x5 with 50 x5 inside 7 mm rod fits perfect.

[nicko0]

what vac pressures are you getting with venturi?

[kilgroth]

Thanks Bates. Your original venturi post is what got me really interested in vac stacks. I built 3 of them at the end of my day, and used the best one. I used about 18 lbs of air, and made enough suction to hurt my tongue with the vacuum hose.

I did eventually get a mechanical pump. My are compressor is big, and my venturi was Crazy loud.