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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2007-04-13, 6:02pm
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I think I could be a bead
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Join Date: Jun 28, 2006
Posts: 10,992
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Troubles with blowing shards
There are 2 excellent tutorials here, and I have read and reread both of them. I have only blown one good set of shards, and that was the first set that I tried. Now, each time I try to blow shards, I get a blowout on the side somewhere and very thick glass shards because I can't go any further with the blowing. I've tried to repair the holes, but that doesn't work. On the up side, I am getting a lot of very pretty frit out of these efforts. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I have tried to follow the directions very carefully. I am using a Hot Head torch. I put my finger over the mandrel hole for little bits of time, and I try to use short puffy breaths that aren't too strong. Can anyone give me some help with this? Thanks in advance.
Mallory
rosebud101
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2007-04-13, 6:18pm
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More ideas than talent
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Join Date: Sep 17, 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 2,565
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I finally managed to successfully blow some shards about three or four weeks ago when I dramatically reduced the amount of glass I was trying to blow (I'm sure I'm going to regret that sentance). I found about a pea sized lump of glass worked well for me.
I'm sure you'd be rotating your mandrel slowly while your blowing as well. For me I also found just blowing lightly and steadily rather than puffs worked.
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Wendy
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2007-04-13, 7:47pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 15, 2005
Location: Eastern West Virginia
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Does anyone have a link to these tutorials handy? I've been trying to figure out how to blow my own shards and failing miserably!
Carol
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Carol O. (Cricket with 5 lpm oxycon)
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start" John Bingham
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2007-04-13, 8:19pm
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More ideas than talent
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Join Date: Sep 17, 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 2,565
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Wendy
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2007-04-13, 8:44pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 15, 2005
Location: Eastern West Virginia
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Thanks!
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Carol O. (Cricket with 5 lpm oxycon)
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start" John Bingham
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2007-04-13, 10:47pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 24, 2005
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I have never worked on a Hothead, but when I do shards, I have found that the glass needs to be hotter than you think before you try and blow. Small puffs, continually turning the blowpipe or boro tube while you blow. If your glass is thicker on one side it means the glass wasn't centered when you started to blow.
I agree that a smaller gather to start is good. Keep trying and you will get the hang of these. It taught me allot about reading heat of my glass.
Have fun and continue to practice!
Jolene
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2007-04-14, 10:54am
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I think I could be a bead
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Join Date: Jun 28, 2006
Posts: 10,992
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Thanks for the input. I tried again this AM, and guess what, I blew a hole again! Yikes! I will keep trying. I love the look of beads with shards. Thanks.
Mallory
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2007-04-14, 3:27pm
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More ideas than talent
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Join Date: Sep 17, 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 2,565
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I gave up building a hollow on the end and just put a pea sized lump on the end of the tube.
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Wendy
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2007-04-14, 6:01pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jun 12, 2005
Location: Sooke, BC
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How many times are you heating your gather and letting it condense? I found that the problem Iwas having was that the wall was thinner on one side. I need to heat the gather to a real glow and then puff it up slightly at least 4 times to make sure the walls are even.
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Kathy
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2007-04-14, 9:07pm
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Floral Obsessed
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Join Date: Oct 17, 2005
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
Posts: 1,375
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I don't condense... it seems to complicated for me. I build a small, fat-walled hollow on the end of the mandrel, and heat it with the open tip of the hollow mandrel pointing down. Hot air won't escape if it has to go down (in my experience, anyway!), so the hollow doesn't collapse. I get it GLOWING red hot, spinning regularly, then lift the open end to my mouth - keeping the glass end higher than the open end - and blow extremely gently and slowly for a second, then spin, then breathe in gently again, spin, then breath, getting a little stronger with each breath as the glass cools. I can get really nice, thin shards this way with minimal stress. Hope this works for other people - it's so satisfying when you see that bubble grow. And then you get to smash it!
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2007-04-15, 4:41am
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I think I could be a bead
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Join Date: Jun 28, 2006
Posts: 10,992
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Wow! I didn't know you were supposed to condense. I'll try that, too. Wendy, I'll try your technique, too. I thought you meant you built it up. I'll just try putting glass on the end. Heather, I'll try your technique, too. I didn't realize that there were so many great ideas out there and different ways to blow shards. Thank you, all, very much. After all, today is another day!
Mallory
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2007-04-15, 8:19am
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Floral Obsessed
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Join Date: Oct 17, 2005
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
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I went and tried shards again last night to refresh my memory, and it worked great. The only thing I'll edit is that once you've got your coiled gather red-hot and smooth, and you've removed it from the flame, you should spin with the tube against your lips (not that hard unless your lips are really dry!) and pointed up. Wait 2 seconds (while spinning), then breath out (while spinning) in an EXTREMELY gentle, continuous puff. Don't stop and start like I described in my first post. If just one section puff out thinly, stop blowing but keep a pressure seal on the tube. After 1 second, blow again and the thin part should have solidified. You might get a rounder result if you condense a few times, but for shards it doesn't really matter. For blown vessels or ornaments it would, of course.
Definitely keep the glass at an upward angle (say, 45 degrees) while blowing. If it's pointed down, there's a chance a stray drop of spit could flow towards the hot end of the tube, turn to steam and burn your lips. It's also easier to control if it's up.
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Nov. 2003-Nov 2005 --> QuietTorch, 1lb MAPP :: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. :: Nov. 2005-May 2007 --> Piranha, NG, 1 Solaris oxycon :: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. :: May 2007-Present --> Piranha, NG, 2 Solaris oxycons
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2007-04-15, 10:50am
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Crazy Snake Lady
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Join Date: Jul 31, 2006
Posts: 5,583
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Have you ever used the super elastic bubble plastic - that stinky stuff you blow with a straw...? I do my shards like that. I tried making a hollow on the end of a mandrel but that didn't work for me. I found that winding a small amount of glass on the end and then rolling a shaping it on a graphite plate worked best. Make sure to shape it evenly then heat it until it's glowing slightly but not drippy. Take it out of the heat and puff and turn. Sometimes I have to really blow but that's because I don't get it super hot. If it's really hot and flowing, that's when I get blowouts.
Just my two cents...
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Mrs. C
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2007-04-16, 7:21am
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I think I could be a bead
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Join Date: Jun 28, 2006
Posts: 10,992
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Well, at last, a small measure of success. Of the 2 tries, I had one set become shards. The rest of the glass became beautiful frit! I love all of my new frit, but I would enjoy more shards, too. Thanks for all your help. I guess that I have to keep on trying.
Mallory
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2017-03-24, 10:27am
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Lifelong Student
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Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
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I'd love to see Jennifer's tutorial but the link no longer works. Anyone willing to repost it?
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Norma
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2017-03-24, 3:44pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 22, 2006
Posts: 1,198
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Norma you out bring it up on the Wayback machine website. Just copy and paste her webpage on it.
Becky
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Becky
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2017-03-24, 10:19pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 11, 2006
Posts: 374
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Norma, I think I might have noticed it on pinterest.
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2017-03-24, 10:26pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 11, 2006
Posts: 374
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I just checked and it IS on pinterest!
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2017-03-25, 12:07am
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Lifelong Student
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Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
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thanks...Ill go check it out
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Norma
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2017-03-29, 8:58pm
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Lifelong Student
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Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
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I tried the method that adds a gather of glass to the end of the mandrel. It worked great! I was successful in all three attempts.
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Norma
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