Definition of sizes
 

Sometimes when looking at listings for torches or concentrators I see that it will sometimes say "good for small or medium boro, ect. What is considered small, medium or large boro when it comes to those pieces of equipment? What is your opinions on what is considered a small, med, or large boro project?

Thanks,
John

This site might give you bit of an idea about capabilities of some torches on the market. You'll see that the blurbs refer to how how much oxygen is supplied from various sources as well.

http://www.glasstorchtech.com/standardtorches.html

Wendy, thanks for the answer. Before I got my M20 I wondered what the capability on the M15 was. On Sundance's website it said the M15 was good for small boro. I am still wondering what is considered small boro? With my oxy con and Alpha I can easily make a 1 inch marble. What would have been the limitation on the M15 ? Any input or ideas of what Sundance considers to be small boro, med or large boro? I really don't want to call them and ask because the opinions and answers from this site are more broad in scope and learning from everyone here has been fantastic.
Thanks,
John

Oh, and I did get on the list for a Lynx. Cannot wait!

I have a vague idea that small boro is considered up to about an inch, but I think I'm guessing.

It may be worthwhile checking the torch section to see what info is available.

I'm using a minor burner with an Airsep 5 LPM concentrator. The one time I tried to melt any boro on mine I concluded my attention span probably wasn't going to be long enough.

I don't think anyone has ever regretted the decision to have more oxygen available.

Here in Oz though, oxygen tanks are prohibitively expensive, so most use concentrators.

At the time I bought mine, it was a case of waiting for the occasional concentrator to come up on ebay. Now one of the local lampwork suppliers imports them from China.

i think small boro would mean beads and small mibs, maybe some small vessels too.

medium boro is probably small pipes and mibs up to 1.5" or so.

basically if you want to work boro, you'll need either one large or several smaller oxycons...and an m20 i do consider a small oxycon.

No standards exist. None of these medical oxycons were made for this application and specmanship is common in the refurb-resale market. Also, what can be made with a given setup varies greatly depending on skill level. If you are looking for this kind of info you need to be careful with the source. Stay away from retailers and manufacturers data and rely instead on opinions from people you know and trust.

Thanks all.
Larry, that's why I come here. Retailers are sometimes out for themselves. The opinions and experience here cannot be beat? I would love to keep finding low use M20's on craigslist and build a bank of at least three of them. Add a homefill and my exsisting k tank and I would be unstoppable, at least til my DW calls me for dinner.lol

My DH has learned to MAKE dinner. LOL.

got er trained proper!

Larry, are you suggesting the mfrs are listing a bit of hope over true application?

I know for instance that while my concentrator copes fine with my minor burner, the times i have used a minor torch (or other) with tanked oxygen, it's very clear you can get more out of the torch with the additional heat and purer oxygen.

Being brutally honest with my specific concentrator it's a step up from a hot head not necessarily more. On the other hand, it's also pretty clear to me, at my current skill level, purer oxygen is only going to cost me more. My skill level isn't worth the extra investment (particularly for what is a hobby for me - I'm neither talented nor driven enough to make it a career like others).

I've seen one artist basically drop a ball of molten glass onto a mandrel, and instantly have a perfectly balanced bead. Skill makes a huge difference.

This is a curious point of view. Why must this be a career to want to develop your skills? Have you considered that maybe your skill level is being handicapped by your equipment? Do a search here for threads concerning switching to tanked oxy or a higher capability industrial generator. There are a lot in the last few years. May be an eye opener.

It is always up to you how much you want to invest in a hobby. Having said that....

My skill level was raised considerably by upgrading to better equipment. If I recall you have basically the same setup as I do - alpha and M15/M20? You should have plenty of room to grow on that :)

Boro work is a different story!

Edited to add: Wickenburgway has same setup..

You should pop over to the newbie/intermediate thread and say hello! Lots of chitchat there, some do boro too so it might help if you are still considering some changes to your setup.

Maybe I didn't word that as well as I could have. Being a career has nothing to do with skill development. You're right.

I definitely do actually work on my skills. My biggest bug bear at the moment is actually finding enough time between working and running around after teenage children and their sporting requirements. I'm currently delighted soccer season has finally finished! We also moved house this year which means I lost a good six months of torch time during that period.

Alas I'm pretty sure my skill level isn't being too badly hampered by my equipment, more by not having consistent regular torch time.