Thread: Newbie question
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Old 2023-02-08, 8:26am
kevingreenbmx kevingreenbmx is offline
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Join Date: Aug 31, 2022
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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It all starts with pulling nice, uniform, and thick walled points. pull a few hundred points till they are perfect both ends.

Then practice blowing out perfect spheres between points (bonus skills practice for using contour tubing and twisting it up uniformly before blowing).

Then practice cleanly removing the bottom point, and getting a nice termination.

then practice opening the top point and making a bail (you need an opening for spherical ornaments, so make the bail over/next to a hole).

If you want to make some that have a spire on the bottom, reverse the point removal order. Pull the spire, but leave the point attached and with air access remaining, then melt off the top point and make the bail, then let the ornament bench cool before removing the bottom point. If you let it bench cool, use a tiny flame, and pull the whole time you are melting off the bottom point, you can allow them to be fully sealed this way.

I always tell people that I'm teaching boro that making Christmas ornaments is fantastic practice for doing any more complex blown work.
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