[TJ]

Originally Posted by shawnette

Do you have any "trick" to
1) getting a punty to attach and not suddenly snap off while working

Use boro. Haha, just kidding!! (Sort of.)

This is something that I still haven't perfected, though I have much better succes now than in the beginning. You have to be careful not to get the punty hot again once it cools. It still happens to me, but not as much as in the beginning and it never happens if I use boro punties.

If it pops apart, don't panic. Just pick it up, reattach, reheat and keep working.

2) removing a punty cleanly? (without leaving a glass trail or remainder)

I use a pointy rod. (Heat the end and roll it into a point, like a pencil.) Heat the point to glow, wait a second or 2 then attach to object. The object that you're attaching to should be warm but not glowing. If either is too hot, it will be a hot weld and wont pop off cleanly. Any glass left behind can be picked off and then flame polished. You should always flame polish, anyway because the punty will usually leave some sort of mark. If it's on the bottom of something that stands, no biggie. just heat and mash it flat.

... before putting it in the kiln.

I am not getting it consistently right, and need a RULE OF THUMB, I think. I have tried having the attaching object cooler with a hot punty, hotter object with cool punty, and both hot. I have not been able to determine one working better than the other.

Also, do you ever use a boro rod for a punty? Yes. Same pointy rod technique as above.

One more question... I noticed you leave your punties on some of your items, put them right in the kiln. How do you then remove them afterwards? I have never tried that.

If you're referring to the photo above, those are swizzle sticks. (They're permanently attached.)

Otherwise, if I'm working on something and have to kiln it, I use a small, but hot weld. It will hold up to going in & out of the kiln but is pretty easy to detach.

Thanks for any wisdom you care to share!

-Tami

Thank you, Shawnette. I will give all your tips a go!