Does anyone blow glass off of hollow mandrels?

[Jude Rose]

I'm guessing a bunch of you do. I am kinda teaching myself to blow things and switched from Sludge to Sludge Plus, yet still the release is totally breaking off and ruining everything. Do people use an even stronger release? Or am I starting things too close to the end (1/4" from the end)?

It's frustrating cuz I have this vision of pretty glass things sitting on my window sill giving me color to get me through the winter.

Thanks!
Jude

[cghipp]

I have used Super Blue Sludge and that works pretty well. I've also used Alice's with good results.

Courtney

[adovbs]

I'm using bucket o'mud, and haven't had any bead release accidents yet, but I just started, too....

Teresa

[adovbs]

Oh, btw, Tink suggests letting the bead release air dry before blowing. Are you by any chance flame drying? If so, you might try letting it air dry and see if that makes a diff.

T

[Kaibeads]

Hi Jude, its important to build a base for your vessel, that will become the 'neck'. Of course you will want to keep this area warm, but the key is to not over melt it because it will distort and can come off the mandrel or cause bead release to crack and fall into the vessel. Also when building the 'bubble' section its very important to rotate consistently so that it doesnt collapse onto the mandrel or into itself. For me, I usually have to set it down and start again if there is an issue in either of these areas.

[Shawn T]

Jude,
My new friend, if you decide you want to try a stronger release I have a bottle of Super Blue that I don't use it's too strong for my beads. Just let me know and it's all yours. It will probably need a bit of water has been sitting around unused for a long time now. :rolleyes:

I put a mirror in front of me when I did blown vessels. It really helped to be able to watch the glass while I was blowing through the mandrel. So I could tell if it was working and how even the glass was coming out. That way I could heat spots that needed to be heated, without stopping the airflow.

[DesertDreamer]

Try Fusion. I love the stuff. Better still, mix Fusion with Fosterfire!

Also, write to Tink. She's the queen of blown hollow stuff (and rightfully so).

[Jude Rose]

Jude,
My new friend, if you decide you want to try a stronger release I have a bottle of Super Blue that I don't use it's too strong for my beads. Just let me know and it's all yours. It will probably need a bit of water has been sitting around unused for a long time now. :rolleyes:

I put a mirror in front of me when I did blown vessels. It really helped to be able to watch the glass while I was blowing through the mandrel. So I could tell if it was working and how even the glass was coming out. That way I could heat spots that needed to be heated, without stopping the airflow.

Thanks for the offer, hon.
I screwed up when I wrote my post. I meant to say I went from Sludge Plus to Super Blue Sludge.

And I'm air drying the release.
I think Kaibeads is closest to what's going wrong. I must be getting my neck too hot.
I also had tried a fun technique of blowing straight up and down into the bowl of a marble marver. That's when gravity takes over and releases my bead. Hee-hee. Nothing like trying to take a short-cut right off the bat, huh?

[Juln]

I blow soft glass off stainless steel pipes, but I'd much rather call it a 'blowpipe' than a 'hollow mandrel'. I've been teaching classes about this for about a year (and have one tomorrow, glack!)
I do like the look people get when making the ends of the bottles around a mandrel release covered tube, however, this limits you to one holed - vessels if you don't learn how to open holes the real torch worky way.
I do NOT cover the end of the blowpipe in release, I heat it up and get the glass to stick to it like furnace workers do. When it comes time to remove it, grab your piece in a claw holder, heat on the steel pipe, remove it, and open up the hole there with magic twiggling tricks. There are several ways to deal with that but I like pulling it out until its all thin and breaking it. It's harder to get an even hole with this method, but you can do all sorts of things like make mini goblets or wide open jars that would not be possible with the weirdo mandrel release method. I'd love to talk more about this, but my head is feeling all weird today. Glark on.

[adovbs]

I blow soft glass off stainless steel pipes, but I'd much rather call it a 'blowpipe' than a 'hollow mandrel'. I've been teaching classes about this for about a year (and have one tomorrow, glack!)
I do like the look people get when making the ends of the bottles around a mandrel release covered tube, however, this limits you to one holed - vessels if you don't learn how to open holes the real torch worky way.
I do NOT cover the end of the blowpipe in release, I heat it up and get the glass to stick to it like furnace workers do. When it comes time to remove it, grab your piece in a claw holder, heat on the steel pipe, remove it, and open up the hole there with magic twiggling tricks. There are several ways to deal with that but I like pulling it out until its all thin and breaking it. It's harder to get an even hole with this method, but you can do all sorts of things like make mini goblets or wide open jars that would not be possible with the weirdo mandrel release method. I'd love to talk more about this, but my head is feeling all weird today. Glark on.

Ooooh, ooooh, when you're head isn't feeling weird, please DO talk more on this! I'm dying to try something like that.

Thanks!
Teresa

[Islandgirl]

I don't do this, would like to try, the last post makes some sense because I've blown pyrex, but back to Mandrel blown vessels and bead release.

Questions....

Is there bead release over the hole on the end of the mandrel that the glass is going onto? If there is how can you blow a bubble....?

I got the neck part figured out but for the vessel is it just a big glob of glass over the end of the mandrel that you are trying to thin out and put a bubble into by blowing or what????

Lynne

[adovbs]

Is there bead release over the hole on the end of the mandrel that the glass is going onto? If there is how can you blow a bubble....?

I got the neck part figured out but for the vessel is it just a big glob of glass over the end of the mandrel that you are trying to thin out and put a bubble into by blowing or what????

On the bead release - I dip then blow through the tube to make sure it's not blocked, then set the mandrel upright to dry.

I don't know about everyone else, but I coil a hollow ball off the end of the mandrel, attached to the neck I've built. Then I melt that until it's consolidated, then decorate, then blow it to expand and smooth it.

Hope that helps some...

Teresa

[Jude Rose]

Teresa, that's also exactly how I've done it so far.

Juln, you're the glarkiest. That's such a smart solution. I can't wait to try. Oh yeah, I don't have to wait. My blowpipe is already clean.

I am so psyched to make cabinet pulls for all the cabinets in the kitchen. It's going to be so frickin cool.

Jude

[Shawn T]

I put a tiny piece of paper roll it up into a tube in the end of the mandrel before I dip them. Than take it out and blow through it before I set it up to let it dry.

Can't wait to see what you make Jude.

[larrybrickman]

I agree with DesertDreamer. Fusion with Foster Fire. I still prefer Fusion Bead Seperator (Frantz Art Glass) for everyday use and in classes. If I need a stronger grip for large hole beads or blowing on SS tubing then I add Foster Fire to it, 50/50 mix.

[Juln]

Hey, thanks! Nobody has ever called me the glarkiest before (I think).
I've been bragging about it all weekend.

[Michal S]

I used to have the same problem. You may try to warm your bead release until the orange- glow stage before winding your glass. It works for me.

[Tink]

On the bead release - I dip then blow through the tube to make sure it's not blocked, then set the mandrel upright to dry.

I don't know about everyone else, but I coil a hollow ball off the end of the mandrel, attached to the neck I've built. Then I melt that until it's consolidated, then decorate, then blow it to expand and smooth it.

Hope that helps some...

Teresa
Exactly :-)

(Karen, thanks for the nice comment!)

Also, for those who don't like "the weirdo mandrel release method", I've just posted a tutorial for blowing ornaments (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6982) using hollow tubing.

[luke gardner]

I am with Juln here. When I attended Emelio Santini's class at Corning a few years ago, we were taught to blow soft glass on a small hollow metal pipe with no release.

[Islandgirl]

Hi

I got two hollow mandrels in Toronto last week and tried them yesterday, pictures attached, the red one is too thin in places, the blue one is not bad for a first try IMHO (actually it was the second one). However as soon as I started trying to shape them they collapsed, so couldn't put on handles or anything, what's the catch to prevent them collapsing if you want something other than a ball or if you want to add handles?

Lynne

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