My workspace/studio

[Charles "Bigfoot" Young]

In my introductory post I stated I would upload photos of my workspace/studio.

Here it is, my utility room transformed into Bigfoot's Glassworks.:cool:




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As you can see, I've used a exausting Kitchen Range hood venting through the wall as my ventilation. In the summer heat it will actually suck the cool air from my window unit ac out of the room in the time it takes me to make about 4 beads. I'll then cut off the torch and the exaust fan and take a half hour break and let the window unit catch up.


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I hope soon to be able to afford a oxyconcentrator soon so I can quit using the oxytank. @ $35 a pop, thats an expence I'd like to do without!


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Here is the rest of my space. The cabinets were from my house that I grew up in in south Mississippi that I had sold to a developer, just prior to Hurricane Katrina. I was tearing the old house down to salvage the wood, when the storm hit. Talk about change of plans! My wife and I were living in a house 20 miles north of Gulfport at the time and I had just ordered My torch and kiln. The storm made everything undeliverable till I got a new address in north Alabama.
The grey squares on the wall behind the torch are two slate tiles I had laying around that I attached to the wall. With the torch running the wall dosn't even get warm. The plastic topped 6x4 table is covered with a sheet of Hardyboard cement board usually used to underlay floor tiles. one sheet was enough to cover the whole table. I like the little squares on the hardyboard to use as a guage to help keep my mandrils level while working.
It's cosy and efficient and looks a lot better then it did before I converted the space for this use. lol

[swanseafarm]

Your studio is so neat and tidy and organized... Great!

But, is that your propane tank in the corner next to your O2? If so, that is not a good thing. It should be outside.

[Charles "Bigfoot" Young]

Yes that is my propane tank. And in the other photo is a spare, beneath the colorfull shawl. I don't think my Hoses will have enough reach to put the tank outside. I'll have to rethink how that setup works! I wish now I had gotten a spare oxy tank instead of a spare propane tank. I just didn't think it through enough.

oh and neat and tidy, accident of only having been working glass for a few months. I'm sure that as I work at this longer, that will probably fix itself! But only to a certain extent. I used to be a Boat captain and can only stand just so much un-organization

[allstar]

Charles-Bless your heart...it's hard to get it all just right isn't it! I am not as far as you and have been reading more and more about the safety side of it all. In fact it kept me up all night, because I need to "re-think" a few things myself! But bottom line Safety first right?

I appreciate this info and the fact that people are trying to be heard on the subject....Vickie
Don't know how to post this but this is in the Safety Area...Check it out!
Better to learn than Burn!

Poll: Propane in the House? NO! ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
MikeAurelius | 2005-06-11, 2:35pm

[Judi_B]

Looks great! But the propane inside it a bit scarry. It looks like you have boarded up part of the window with the AC. Maybe you could put the propane outside that window and run the hose in through the window. Then just disconnect the hose at the end of each torching session.

[Deb Hopeful Journeys]

Looks great! But the propane inside it a bit scarry. It looks like you have boarded up part of the window with the AC. Maybe you could put the propane outside that window and run the hose in through the window. Then just disconnect the hose at the end of each torching session.

Couldn't he leave the hose connected all the time to the propane outside, or is this a no-no.

I'm not being snotty, I'm curious. I keep mine connected all the time and want to be sure that is safe. Yes, I turn the tank off and also the torch propane off when I am done torching.

Thanks,

[Judi_B]

Couldn't he leave the hose connected all the time to the propane outside, or is this a no-no.

I'm not being snotty, I'm curious. I keep mine connected all the time and want to be sure that is safe. Yes, I turn the tank off and also the torch propane off when I am done torching.

Thanks,
As I understand it from previous safety threads on LE and WC, it's a matter of codes and a temporary vs a permanent connection. You can bring a hose in through a window or door in a temporary manner, i.e. disconnect when not in use. If you want a permanent line through the window or wall you have to plumb it with the appropriate metal pipe and cut-off valves. I bring mine in through a window and disconnect it at the tank at the end of each torching session.

[Charles "Bigfoot" Young]

I'll probably drill a hole in the wall and run piping in to hook up my hoses. But I'll have to build a rack for the tanks first, all of which takes money (that evil word). Do you dial down your regulators when you purge your hoses or just turn off your tanks and leave your regulators set? I've been cutting off the tanks and dialing down my regulators, then purging the hoses every time I quit torching.

[Charles "Bigfoot" Young]

Oh, and thanks for the feedback. It's a big help!

[Judi_B]

I turn off the main valve, burn off the propane in the line (or bleed it off to zero pressure) and then back off the secondary valve (T-bar). I think you need to do both to get the longest life out of the regulator.
Edit: I use an oxy con so I don't have an oxy regulator, but I would do it the same way--cut main valve, bleed, then back off the secondary valve.

[Charles "Bigfoot" Young]

Thats what I was doing. Especially since the regulators are not the same quality as the ones the welders who worked off My Boat offshore used. Those were much heavier duty pieces of equipment then the ones included in the torch kit. Thanks for the info!

[Anne Ricketts]

Nice studio you have there! Wish mine was as clean as yours! :lol: You don't want to turn on the propane with the t-bar still screwed down because that will wear out your regulator faster than anything and at $70-80 a pop, you don't want to be buying that all the time!

[vetropod]

Oh my god!!! Just buy some longer hose (NOT that expensive!!!!!) and run it outside until you can afford to build a platform and install piping. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!?!?! And those are 100 pund tanks, too, right???

Please... for your safety put them outside RIGHT AWAY!!!


Wes.