Is a "simple roll in frit" really so simple?

[Corinne - GOC]

A while ago, I posted a question about my vision when "all I was doing was a simple roll in frit” As I am reading Mikes page about filters and it recommends different filters for soft/clear boro/colored boro it occurs to me, the frit I am using is "furnace glass" ... should I be treating my "simple roll in frit" as working with colored boro? (I know that furnace glass is not boro ... just curious whether the filter requirements would be closer to boro than soda glass)

My retinal specialist has found damage in an eye that was already suffering damage due to birth conditions ... he said if I can get a filter that doesn't leave me with my symptoms, I could still try lampworking ... so the obvious step is to increase from my Aura 92 to something more ... how do I gage what the "more" is? (I have left a message with AuraLens ... was just being impatient and looking for advise over the weekend too!!)

I am currently using the shield format that Mike used to offer ... I notice it is no longer being offered. Was it discontinued due to supply and demand or because it wasn't offering the protection it needed to offer?

Would a table top shield be better? (I am leery of prescription lenses because my lenses change a fair amount from year to year and I want to be able to see clearly ... even after changing my glasses... I have huge bifocals and am worried also about focal length)

Any help or advise would be appreciated... also advise on how to find a retinal specialist that would be willing to learn about lampworking and offer some specific help with this hobby/addiction/business ... I am willing to travel and pay what is needed to see someone, so if you know of a doctor within the US or Canada that you might recommend, let me know...

Thanks

[Corinne - GOC]

nobody? even an opinion as to whether furnace glass frit would be different the soft glass in terms of filtering? ... I can see that people are checking this out ... no opinions, really? no one has found a good opthamologist that seemed to understand the process of lampworking or glass blowing?

[dogmaw]

I wish I could help, but I've never found one that had even heard of lampworking. Hope you get better soon!!!

[chrisdd]

Corinne, maybe you could contact some of the schools that teach glass work, such as Corning.

[lunamoonshadow]

Or maybe try contacting Olympic Color? They might be able to tell you what sort of UV exposure you're getting from a bit of frit....and at what % from what brands/colors--I'm guessing that each color is going to have a different rate of emmisions--by what is in it--and probably each brand as well--zimmerman/reichenbach/etc...

If I had to *guess* I'd say if you're using ~96coe frit, in minute quantities you're at low exposure to anything--it's not boro, no one has ever said it was "unsafe to use without filters", the Didy's are for "comfort" vs. "protection" from UV (they filter sodaflare from the glass, not UV radation), & quite honestly, I wear SUNGLASSES (polarized, 100% uva/uvb, sport-lensed) to torch because I torch outside & otherwise when the flame moves I can't TELL because without the soda-flare from the glass, my beads end up out of the flame & the bead explodes! (ah, the joy of breezes & wind...)
I know my lenses as far as "impact" are rated for 12gauge shotgun @ 15 yards, so glass popping doesn't scare me :D

The biggest thing is protecting your eyes from EVERYTHING transmission-wise...I assume you're a good Do-Bee & wear your sunglasses everytime you go outside :D

~luna

[Zooziis]

You can also go and get clip on sunglasses that fit your glasses, send them to Mike at Auralens to fit some Didydium or AUR92 lens in them and then you can clip them on your frames to work. So as long as you change prescriptions and not frames you will have no need to change your protective lenses. I do that with camera lenses and it works great. Mike is helpful like that.


Now, as far as minimum lense requirement for Frit, I am not a professional, but I think you would be fine with Didydiums or AUR92...Now, your eyes may be more sensitive so you may want to bump it up a notch, and I'm sure Mike would be glad to help you figure that out... www.auralens.com seems like the best place to go and know you are getting an informed answer.

Good luck!!

[MikeAurelius]

Ok - I didn't even realize this thread was about eyewear - the title was kind of mis-leading.

When you are working soft glass frit, you've got nothing to worry about for your needs of additional eyewear filtration. The AUR-99 furnace worker filter is designed for the furnace workers who are looking into a 2100 degree furnace gathering glass, or the 2400 degree glory hole reheating glass. You don't need this filter in addition to your AUR-92's "just because you are working with furnace glass frit".

The issue here is one of scale. With a torch and a bead and some frit, you have a very small heat source - under 2-3 square inches. There is very little heat getting that 14-16 inches to your eyes.

We discontinued the visor because we introduced the table shield. A lot of people found that the visor was impeding their vision, reducing their peripheral vision. Once the table shield came out, our visor sales dropped dramatically, so it made sense to have just one non-spectacle type filter device.

What type of additional filter did your specialist want to see? The only "step up" that I could recommend would be the AGW-186 filter. This is the same base filter as the AUR-92 but with an added infra-red filter to remove the heat energy. This is a filter that was designed for scientific glassworkers, who work mainly clear borosilicate glass. It has very good visible light transmission, only slightly (about 10%) less than the standard AUR-92 filter. It is available in non-prescription and single vision prescription.