Using Cup Warmer for Petals - They're blowing up!

[Tancaro]

I've been trying to make sculptural flowers and have a question about using a cup warmer for keeping individual parts warm.

Here is what's happening - I pull petal off rod, place on plate warmer, get the rod just hot enough to pull another petal and I hear this little explosion. The last petal I pulled blows up. It doesn't just break, it litterally blows up into tiny tiny pieces propelling themselves at least a foot!

I thought it was probably because they were too warm when I set them on the warmer so I put them on a graphite pad, let them cool and then placed them on the warmer. Most of them survived but a few blew up on the graphite pad too. Once they were cool I didn't have any problems with blowups on the warmer.

Am I doing this all wrong or is that extra cooling step really necessary? It's frustrating to have to set the petal down, let it cool, pick up tweezers, put it on the warmer and then have to pick it up AGAIN when I want to use it. Seems like it shouldn't be so many steps. Maybe my cup warmer isn't hot enough?

Any suggestions would sure be appreciated. Thanks!

-Carol

[Bobby]

Carol

A lot of things come to mind.
Warmer not hot enough.
Petals not uniform....have thick and thin places.
Size is a factor.
Air draft in room.
Room too cold.
Some COE's are better than others.

I use a little egg cooker.....and others use a hot plate....candle warmer.....warming tray.....Somewhere there is a thread on this subject. There is a picture of the egg cooker in my tutorial on " Petals maker" Post 21.

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43634

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

Bobby

[HONEYBUNNY72_99]

I think they are getting too cold on your cup warmer and thermal shocking.

[Tancaro]

Yes! I can't believe I missed your thread! Going to put a little foil tent over it and see if that helps. Maybe it will keep it warmer and stop any drafts I have in the studio. I did have an extra window open just tiniest bit and it was very windy. ](*,)

Makes sense the glass was cooling too fast. Also going to try cooling it down a little more in the back of the flame before I set it down ON the warmer. And if that doesn't work, going to replace the mug warmer with an electric burner and put a piece of metal on top of it.

Don't think petals are varying in thickness too much. They sort of looked like tidliwinks. (If you're old enough to know what those are! LOL) I'm using my little plier mashers. The yellow was shocking bad, the red a little better.

Love the spoon idea too! I'm doing roses because of the tool limitation but really poppies are what I wanted to make. Going to head to the store to get some spoons!\\:D/

Thank you!

-Carol

[Bobby]

tidliwinks ! ! ! oh yes I do know about them. Norm won't let me take anymore things out of the house. So I have to check out the second hand stores for just the right tool.

Have fun
Bobby

[artwhim]

If those solutions don't work, take a close look at the glass rod you are using. Are there bubbles in it? Or are you decorating the the petal with other colors and trapping small air bubbles?

Perhaps the color you are using is a bit shocky. You could put each petal into the front of the kiln and pull them out as needed. I've also stored them in a fiber blanket, but tend to loose some that way when I get in a hurry and heat them up too fast.

[wendbill]

I find transparents more shocky than pastel colours when making petals. I don't lose them when they're cooling down though.

They usually blow to smithereens if I try to introduce them back into the flame too quickly.

[Tancaro]

Thanks everyone. I think they were too hot when I put them down and then they cooled too fast. It's weird that they don't blow up when I put them back in the flame but then I've had more practice doing that than trying to keep them warm out of the flame.

I've been trying to avoid using my kiln to keep them warm because it's clear across the room and my studio is really cluttered and I'm too lazy to move everything around...if I can't get this to work tho, that may be just the motiviation I need! LOL

I was using 104 - a real light yellow and (separately) purple red. Couldn't find any spoons at the store I liked so I'm going to dap some out and make my own this weekend. I like to work a bit smaller than a commercial spoon will let me. I'm horrible with glass names but am going to try the orangish yellow rod that comes out with streaky colors of...orange and yellow! Maybe it was one of the old coral colors? Anyway, it should look nice for the orange poppies.

Thanks again!
-Carol

[squid]

If you consider that a cup warmer isn't hot enough to boil water (which means it is less than 200 degrees), it really isn't all THAT warm. Consider getting one of these:

http://www.beautybasicsupply.com/Gold-N-Hot-Professional-Ceramic-Heater-Stove-p/be3gol5000.htm

it gets to about 900 degrees and works wonderfully. I use the flat top of the heater to place the petals on.

[Tancaro]

That's a nifty little thing, almost looks like a mini-kiln. Is this what some use to warm their rods too? Seems like they might get a bit to hot to touch? I can see where it would work great with the petals!
-Carol

[squid]

That's a nifty little thing, almost looks like a mini-kiln. Is this what some use to warm their rods too? Seems like they might get a bit to hot to touch? I can see where it would work great with the petals!
-Carol

Oh yeah, it's WAY too hot to touch - and it is perfect for warming rods too.

[RSimmons]

The curling iron heater is a great rod warmer and is pretty good for garaging small pieces. They get HOT on the outside. Cup warmers hit a flaming 125 degrees, enough to keep your coffee warm but that's about it.

Robert

[Tancaro]

Yeah, I might get one of these. I'm still thinking about it. I've decided sculptural flowers aren't my thing right now. I absolutely STINK at it. But I've got to make 12 for an exchange on the 20th so I'll keep plugging away. I DO need a rod warmer for winter and for the cooler mornings. And that link has a Wonderful price. I'm still trying to justify in my mind spending more money on this hobby....Then again I have some boro I want to play with. It would be REALLY nice to hold little boro off mandrel pieces, but then I'll want a bigger torch and a larger oxycon to heat the boro faster...This sculptural thing just opens my mind up wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much! *grin*

125 degrees? I think I get warmer than that during a hot flash! LOL

-Carol

[squid]

There is very little difference in thermal shock based on the temperature in the room you're in. Think about it - if it is 100 degrees in your studio and the glass needs to be above about 850 or so to keep it above the stress point, it being 30 in your studio instead isn't going to make much of a difference. Room temp isn't going to make any real difference.

[Tancaro]

I'm not sure I understand. I'm trying to wrap my arms around this......are you saying it doesn't make any difference if rods are prewarmed when the room is 30 degrees or 100 degrees? Because it seems like I can minimize the wafting in and out of the flame when it is much warmer in the room, thus the glass is warmer- compared to in a 30 degree room where the glass is colder. Does that make sense?

Or were you addressing the thermal shock when pieces are put on/in a warmer?

Sometimes I'm just slow...](*,)

[squid]

I'm saying that prewarming will help the same regardless of the temp in your studio. The difference between 850 and 30 and 850 and 100 just isn't big enough to make a significant difference.

[Tancaro]

Oh, okay. Gotcha! :idea: