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  #1  
Old 2013-09-18, 9:23pm
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Default GTT Sidewinder

Would love to hear from anyone who has this torch.
I am working with a Scorpion and due to starting
to have some trouble with wrists/age I am thinking
that if I can melt the glass faster, it would be easier
on my wrists. I have concentrators, would be willing
to get another one. Pretty sure I would need it.
So anyone out there have a Sidewinder?
What do you run it with?
Like it?....
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  #2  
Old 2013-09-18, 10:52pm
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are you using a yolk to support the weight?
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  #3  
Old 2013-09-19, 7:21am
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Larry I have a creation station with wrist rests, but I make pendants, & must move the piece at different angles during the compression process, I work 14mm that is suspended on 9mm to reduce weight. It is necessary to spin the piece for quite a bit, melting everything in. Each pendant is at least 25 - 30 min to make, was thinking that more heat would maybe shorten the melting time, I am not interested in making anything bigger, just faster. Not sure what a yolk is? If it is something stationary, it would not help much as I focus the heat differently throughout the process of making a pendant holding the maria at different angles to achieve different effects.
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Old 2013-09-19, 8:51am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary K View Post
Larry I have a creation station with wrist rests, but I make pendants, & must move the piece at different angles during the compression process, I work 14mm that is suspended on 9mm to reduce weight. It is necessary to spin the piece for quite a bit, melting everything in. Each pendant is at least 25 - 30 min to make, was thinking that more heat would maybe shorten the melting time, I am not interested in making anything bigger, just faster. Not sure what a yolk is? If it is something stationary, it would not help much as I focus the heat differently throughout the process of making a pendant holding the maria at different angles to achieve different effects.
Problem with the arms rests is that it does nothing to take the weight off your wrists and elbows. A yolk is a stand with rolling bearings that you rest the rod on to hold the weight off of your shoulders, wrists, and elbows. A well built one uses round ball bearings that allow you to vary the angle quite a bit in use. I make solid marbles up to 3+" from 1 inch rod and I use my yolk the whole time. These take me 2.5 - 3 hours so I know your pain. I do a lot of implosions and surface work and am changing the angle constantly as I am working. I am not in the shop right now but when I get a chance I will take a photo and upload it. Going to a larger torch may help some but I suspect that you would get more improvement in heat by eliminating your concentrators and moving to tanked oxygen. I think the biggest improvement to be had based on what you have described would be to use a yolk, though.

Last edited by LarryC; 2013-09-19 at 8:54am.
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  #5  
Old 2013-09-19, 9:18am
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Hi Mary K. (I'm a Mary K too oddly enough! Mary-Kathryn) Anyway, this is my guy, Gabe using a yoke. We love them. They adjust several ways and roll very smooth. I got them from Mountain glass about a year ago.

Is this what you have LarryC? It was a good idea and may really be able to help her!
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Old 2013-09-19, 5:02pm
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Ok, thanks you all, I am getting a yolk. Where do I get one? what kind do I get?
Please tell me where you got yours and where to buy one. it looks like that is where I should start. I cannot do tanked oxy, much too expensive and no way to get it into my studio anyway, I used to use tanks and spent way too much money on them and it was just too hard on both my dh and I. I have 2 regalia's and they are awesome, they run my scorpion to it's max, it might be a little hotter with tanks but the scorpion and also the sidewinder are designed to work on concentrators. For now, I think I will start with a yolk.
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  #7  
Old 2013-09-19, 5:37pm
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Try blastshield.com theirs r very nice.
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  #8  
Old 2013-09-19, 6:40pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary K View Post
Ok, thanks you all, I am getting a yolk. Where do I get one? what kind do I get?
Please tell me where you got yours and where to buy one. it looks like that is where I should start. I cannot do tanked oxy, much too expensive and no way to get it into my studio anyway, I used to use tanks and spent way too much money on them and it was just too hard on both my dh and I. I have 2 regalia's and they are awesome, they run my scorpion to it's max, it might be a little hotter with tanks but the scorpion and also the sidewinder are designed to work on concentrators. For now, I think I will start with a yolk.
I am relatively sure you would be very surprised by how much of a performance increase you would get going to tanked oxy over your concentrators.

Based on everything you have said, though, I think that the best solution for you would be to try a yolk. The one posted has the right bearings but since I do very heavy work they are not heavy enough for me and they tend to tip and move around my bench too much. For lighter work they should be fine. I had mine built for me to my specs so I dont know where to buy one off the shelf like it but most torchworking supply places have them. Buy the best one you can find and stick with the ones that have these bearings. The cheaper ones have bearings that look like wheels. Those will not allow you to change the angle of the rod as much as these. When I first started using mine it felt awkward and I did have to change how I was working but it was worth it to save my wrists and elbows. Hope it helps.

Last edited by LarryC; 2013-09-19 at 6:45pm.
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  #9  
Old 2013-09-19, 9:32pm
De Anza Art Glass Club De Anza Art Glass Club is offline
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These might not be the highest quality or may not be as fancy as others, but I'm almost sure that these are some of the least expensive:

http://www.sundanceglass.com/lgtoolpiper.htm
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  #10  
Old 2013-09-19, 10:41pm
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You should avoid the (garage door) wheel style and get the ones that look like roll on deodorant ball rollers. Sundance only has the garage door style, not sure who has the roller ball type but I think mountain glass and wale apparatus do.

And if you decide to go the metal wheel route and are handy then you can build them for about half the coin Sundance charges plus no shipping.

I made a wheel style roller out a set of roller blades epoxied to an aluminum block mounted to marble. Only cost $2 to make and that was for the epoxy! Lol
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  #11  
Old 2013-09-19, 10:45pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by De Anza Art Glass Club View Post
These might not be the highest quality or may not be as fancy as others, but I'm almost sure that these are some of the least expensive:

http://www.sundanceglass.com/lgtoolpiper.htm
These have the wheel style bearings that you want to avoid.
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  #12  
Old 2013-09-19, 10:47pm
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Grab these!

http://theblastshield.com/yolkrollers.html
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  #13  
Old 2013-09-19, 11:28pm
De Anza Art Glass Club De Anza Art Glass Club is offline
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Well, if you are going the do-it-yourself route, those look like they use ball bearing rollers (ball transfer bearings) like this for $1.69 each

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-...ing-67060.html

Last edited by De Anza Art Glass Club; 2013-09-19 at 11:37pm.
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  #14  
Old 2013-09-19, 11:51pm
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The rollers (yoke) from Mountain Glass that we like.
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  #15  
Old 2013-09-20, 7:22am
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I"ve been following this thread since I'm on a Bobcat and would like to eventually move up to a Scorpion or Sidewinder (figure the Sidewinder will be less learning curve since it uses the Bob for it's center fire).

Thanks folks ... now a want a yolk too!! (I've bookmarked for future purchase!!)

Great information ... I love LE.
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Old 2013-09-20, 3:22pm
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I know there the roller that you said were not as good but $30
i was going to make my own like the other person talked about but then i found these and why spend the time i think there the same cheap import that that other place had for $50. the only weird thing is when you just look at rollers there $79 but when you look at the description and add to cart they come up at the $29.95.


http://www.abrimagery.com/product_in...roller-p-88080


and what i did at that price i got two so when i start with a new big rod i have them spaced out on the same side so all the weight of the rod is on the rollers and just melt off what i want to use. then when i do my implosion i have one on each side of the torch so i can easily change hand if i want and the also work as a heat shield for my hand when i do the bigger things.
And the two is a big help if you get into vac stacking tube pull but thats another whole world.
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  #17  
Old 2013-09-20, 7:06pm
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Ok so today I ordered the yolk from Blastshield, along with a rod holder and this kool looking tool that is called a "butterknife" I am a tool junkie when I get a chance to be, so since I was ordering one thing, why not make the shipping cover a few more items. I am on vacation right now, so should be there waiting for me when I get home next week. Thanks for your suggestions, I am hoping this helps my poor wrists out some.
However, I would still love to hear about the sidewinder torch from anyone out there who has one. Anybody? I really love my Scorpion, and if I ever get any other torch it will be a GTT, for me they are the best.
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Old 2013-09-20, 7:08pm
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I bet I wind up getting another one for the other side, after reading your post Mike.
It's only money.
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Old 2013-09-20, 10:49pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary K View Post
I bet I wind up getting another one for the other side, after reading your post Mike.
It's only money.
I switch hands a lot so I will be building another for the other side too. Let us know how it all works out.
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Old 2013-09-21, 6:33am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary K View Post
Ok so today I ordered the yolk from Blastshield, along with a rod holder and this kool looking tool that is called a "butterknife.
I can't find this tool on their site and there's so search. Can you supply the link please. I love tools roo,
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  #21  
Old 2013-09-21, 6:46am
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Here ya go:
http://theblastshield.com/shapingandrodholders.html
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Old 2013-09-21, 7:50am
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Mary,

I own a sidewinder and a scorpion. I love them both. I use them on 3 concentrators.
I like my sidewinder a little better then the scorpion, but for small things. I don't find much of a difference in the two when I have the outer ring open. Since the 3 concentrators are giving me all the O2 they have to give, the flames are about the same, as crazy as that sounds. I think you need tanks to really get the sidewinder to be powerful. Maybe a 4th concentrator?

The reason I am using the sidewinder is because the inner is just a little bigger for wide beads in soft glass. When I make an implosion I also like the inner to be a little more powerful. When I open the outer ring on both torches, they seem like the same flame while working. I need more O2 to make the sidewinder work to full capacity. It is maybe working at 50% on 2 M20's and an M15. I first tried this torch at corning on tanks.

They are both fantastic torches!!! They work so much better then the Cheetah I have. The Cheetah does not work well on concentrators when you compare it to the scorpion.

Message me if you want to talk about both torches. I would be happy to explain in detail what I mean so you can determine what might work for you. I too love my GTT torches.
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Old 2013-09-21, 6:15pm
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So good to hear from someone who has both torches, thanks Heather for your information. I have always heard the Cheetah is a oxy hog, and since I can only do concentrators, I stick with torches designed for them. I had a Lynx before the Scorpion, and ran it on an M-20. I sold the M-20 and got a Regalia, and the Regalia is easily as good as 2 M-20's. Now I have 2 of them, one of them ran my Lynx fine but was not enough for the Scorpion, & If I really decide to upgrade, I think I should start with a 3rd one, ( they are pricey, yikes) and see if that is enough. What scares me the most is the extra heat. In the winter it is fine, but in summer I turn on my airconditioner at 5 am and then go out and work by 7am and can only work until noon if that, it gets to hot in my shop. Where I live we get a hot summer, upper 90's and makes it miserable to torch.
I am worried the bigger torch will run me out of the shop even faster, just like the step up from the Lynx.
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Old 2013-09-21, 7:15pm
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I can relate to the heat. I live in Florida! Torching is hot year round here. Just wear as little as possible..... Ice pack around the neck helps too. I have had clear rods almost slip out of my hands while doing an implosion from the sweat dripping off my hands...

I think the biggest difference when using concentrators is the center fire is just a little bigger on the sidewinder. That is why I am using it. If I do a marble, either torch works fine. No real difference unless I get more O2. The candles are shorter on sidewinder when it is cranked up. The scorpion has longer candles but a thinner flame. It balances out right now. If I had tanks the sidewinder would be perfect! A girl can dream!
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Old 2013-09-21, 7:27pm
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What if you had more powerful concentrators? They are not all the same, I know from experience. I have had an M10, M20, a Hurricane ( should have been called nightmare), and now the 2 Regalias. They are wonderful quiet, run cool, and they really put out some air.
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Old 2013-09-22, 8:20am
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If I had more O2, then the sidewinder would be fantastic. It is fantastic on tanks and is a big step up from the scorpion, when on tanks, if you have enough O2 to make the sidewinder work all out!

If you have unlimited resources to purchase the number of concentrators needed to run the sidewinder, the scorpion is a great torch. I think I need to get holding tanks to get the max out of my sidewinder. My scorpion runs at almost full capacity on the 3 concentrators. The sidewinder is at about 50% based on how I saw both torches performing at Corning while on tanks.

The sidewinder is about the same as a Phantom when it is on tanks.
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Old 2013-09-22, 10:54am
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Get a Homefill unit and and a tank (or 2). Then you only need one concentrator and you can run any torch you want without worrying about not having enough oxygen!
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Old 2013-09-22, 10:57am
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Now that I am back on a Phantom, I can corroborate that the Sidewinder flame is indeed bigger than the Phantom's. You just can't dial it down as small or fine tune it as much. Still an awesome torch, though, and I would buy another if I was rolling in dough, lol.
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Old 2013-09-23, 6:05am
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Thanks Heather and Shawnette. I appreciate both of your feedback between the two torches.

I still don't know which one I will end up getting. The Scorpion was initially my bet (until the Sidewinder was introduced). The Sidewinder seems to be just a tad stronger and a little more than you "think" you need is never a bad thing right? As well as already owning the Bob and being used to it's flame.

My plan is to run the centerfire off of a Regalia (my M-20 will stay with my current Bob for my daughter to use) and run the outerfire of off tank with a foot pedal.

Now I just need to build my studio at home and work on all the upgrades. Gotta win the lottery first (just a small one -- I'm not greedy).
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Old 2013-09-23, 6:35am
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I know nothing about a homefill unit. How much does one cost, how do you use it? Where do you buy one? How does it work? Like I said, I don't know anything about it. Would it be cheaper than another regalia? I had thought that a homefill unit was like four thousand dollars or something.
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