One of the factors that I think contributes to the size vs. difficulty issue is the temperature differential of the core vs. the surface on large pieces. This gets much greater as you increase the mass and you have to spend more time out of the flame allowing the surface to skin up and the heat to sink in so the core can get hot. If you dont, these kinds of devit surface defects and boil can really become a problem. This is where large hot torches like my mirage really pay for themselves quickly. A good practice for me is to never going into the mold right after coming out of the flame when the surface is not skinned. Always give some settling time before working the glass. When I was working on fixing this a while back I came to the determination that it is not just one thing I had to change but my whole strategy and concept of how to make these. Feels like I learn more and more every time I work.
|