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| Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2006-06-24, 2:19pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 03, 2005
Posts: 114
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Huge rod of raku- help!
I was way too quick on the mouse and too slow with the brain, so I ordered a HUGE rod of raku glass instead of the 5-6mm ones that are easier to use. My giganto-rod is 10 1/2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. It must weigh a pound. Huge, I tell you, huge. Well, I want to pull it into stringers. What is the best way to accomplish that? Preheat the whole thing in the kiln and pull stringers from the end? Break into chunks and preheat the chunks in the kiln and pull stringer from them? Or is there another way?
Thanks in advance,
Susan
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2006-06-24, 2:35pm
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Student of DachZen
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Join Date: Sep 02, 2005
Location: Idaho
Posts: 1,910
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Break it into chunks and preheat in the kiln. Then pull the hot chunks into stringer. If you try to heat such a huge rod in your torch and pull from it, in my experience, what you're more likely to end up with is frit.  And, if you heat the whole thing, what are you gonna hang on to while you're pulling?
good luck!
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2006-06-24, 2:35pm
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Entropy increasing....
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Join Date: Nov 12, 2005
Location: In a box of paints
Posts: 25,098
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Break it into chunks and heat them up in the kiln and then put it in water. It will make smaller pieces.
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2006-06-24, 2:38pm
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Student of DachZen
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Join Date: Sep 02, 2005
Location: Idaho
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Kevan
Break it into chunks and heat them up in the kiln and then put it in water. It will make smaller pieces.
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Good idea, Kevan! 
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2006-06-24, 2:56pm
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Senior Member
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Thanks Teresa and Kevan- I hadn't thought about the rod getting too hot to hold, I'm so glad I posted this before I burned the heck out of my hand. I'll do the chunk method for sure!
Susan
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2006-06-24, 5:05pm
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Student of DachZen
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Join Date: Sep 02, 2005
Location: Idaho
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by SusanH
Thanks Teresa and Kevan- I hadn't thought about the rod getting too hot to hold, I'm so glad I posted this before I burned the heck out of my hand. I'll do the chunk method for sure!
Susan
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You're welcome! And I"m sure you would have figured out not to hold the hot rod, Susan, I was more concerned that you'd heat it all up, then have to let it all cool down again in order to make chunks to just heat right back up again. That would have been frustrating, at least, for me it would! 
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2006-06-24, 9:26pm
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a pox upon an idiot :..
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Join Date: Jul 01, 2005
Location: in the real world...
Posts: 1,298
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Heat it up in the kiln and then toss it in a bucket of cold water, it will break up into smaller chunks and then you can do the same with the smaller chunks until you get to workable sizez. This also works for big chunks of goldstone.
BE CAREFUL when tossing the hot rod in the metal bucket of cold water, it will produce steam, keep your face away. Don't get too interested and have your face hanging over the bucket to watch! LOL
Edie
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2006-06-24, 11:33pm
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Sep 03, 2005
Location: Santa Barbara
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Susan:
About a year ago, I also mistakenly ordered a huge rod/cane of raku .
I just recently got brave enough to try pulling stringers from chunks after preheating them in the kiln.
I was amazed at the amount of stringers that could be made from even a quarter-size chunk.
Guess we'll both have raku for a LONGGGGGGGG time!
Benet
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2006-06-25, 8:10am
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Puddy Cat Lover
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Join Date: Nov 04, 2005
Location: DeMotte, IN
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You can also put the big chunk in a double paper bag and pound a hammer on it. I have a thick steel tube with a heavy steel rod that I bought a few years ago. They sold it as a frit maker, but I'm sure you could buy all the components at a hardware store and have a welding friend weld the pieces together for you. At least that's what my husband told me when I paid $50.00 for it. But it really does the job.
J.
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Jeanette Savina Cobb
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2006-06-25, 9:05am
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tweetysweetie
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Join Date: Jun 30, 2005
Location: Alaska, I was here first!
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If you have access to a wet tile saw, you can slice it up into 1/4" thick slices and then slice those in half...place chunks in kiln on a ramp up. Once they're up to temp, heat a punty rod to glowing and touch to the slice, don't pull out of kiln immediately, let the punty rod set up somewhat (about 15 secs or so) or the piece will too floppy to handle. These make for manageable pieces and consistant length/thickness for your pulls. Home Depots etc, usually have wet saws for rent, unless you have a friend that has a ring/band saw that uses water.
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2006-06-25, 9:19am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 03, 2005
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Wow! Even more good ideas, thanks ya'll!!
I went out this morning and hit the end with a hammer and broke into medium size chunks as well as frit (I covered it with a couple of old towels to protect it and me). I put just a couple of the chunks in the kiln and then used my long tweezers to put into flame and attach to a punty and pulled a whole bunch of stringers. This giganto-rod will definitely keep me in raku for a loooooong time!
Susan
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