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2011-09-03, 9:44am
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CiM Tamarind-Skinned
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Join Date: Apr 28, 2011
Location: Not nearly close enough to the water.
Posts: 426
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GTT Cricket
This may sound silly but, what should my flame look like when I am working?
How long should my candles be and should I be working in a bushier flame? I tend to like my flame to be a little pointier. When I have to melt a bigger glob I bush the flame out a little. Is all that adjusting okay to do while working? I love this torch so much it hurts and I don't want to abuse it too much.
Thanks!
--Monica
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2011-09-03, 10:35am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 12, 2011
Location: venice florida
Posts: 181
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A look on gtt website suggest a flame length of at least 4 in for the cricket to keep the torch from over heating they donot disscuss candle length just overall length of flame. An important thing to look for is a red glow at the face of the torch around the small tubes thats not good you are running to small of a flame. The pointy or bushy flame is actualy a sign of an oxy nutral or reducing flame. Should you be adjusting the flame alot yes I am constantly adjusting my flame size to fit my work size or type of flame I need oxy, nutral, reducing. Look at to www.bethlehemburners.com look at the tutorials they have a good one on adjusting your flame for diffrent chemistrys. Hope this helps alittle have fun
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2011-09-03, 10:18pm
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CiM Tamarind-Skinned
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Join Date: Apr 28, 2011
Location: Not nearly close enough to the water.
Posts: 426
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This was a fantastic help! Thank you so much... And for the link. I just want to make sure I take care of my baby so she'll last for several years to come.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lizard13i24
A look on gtt website suggest a flame length of at least 4 in for the cricket to keep the torch from over heating they donot disscuss candle length just overall length of flame. An important thing to look for is a red glow at the face of the torch around the small tubes thats not good you are running to small of a flame. The pointy or bushy flame is actualy a sign of an oxy nutral or reducing flame. Should you be adjusting the flame alot yes I am constantly adjusting my flame size to fit my work size or type of flame I need oxy, nutral, reducing. Look at to www.bethlehemburners.com look at the tutorials they have a good one on adjusting your flame for diffrent chemistrys. Hope this helps alittle have fun
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2011-09-04, 9:30am
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Curmudgeon Engineering
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Join Date: Feb 15, 2006
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,723
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Some one posted a couple pics of correct flames here not long ago. I don't recall who at the moment. Dale I think.
GTT warns against candle lengths that are too short such that the torch face heats up (red glow) as it will melt the 'weld' connections. Flame should be about 4 or 5 inches long total. Candles should be about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long for a general purpose flame. Neutral is usually gotten when the candle tips have just a thin white edge (viewed thru your diddys) or yellow/orange when viewed without glasses. Keep in mind that a pointed flame concentrates the heat into a smaller area and thus seems hotter while a bushy flame spreads the heat out to a larger area and will seem cooler or slower. Same amount of heat just being put into different size places.
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2011-09-04, 4:06pm
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We are all meant to shine
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Join Date: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Posts: 126
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Monica I have the same questions as you and I found this youtube video the other day and she's using a cricket
http://www.youtube.com/user/sanitasglass
She has three diff videos and it helped me with flame length and just to see how she works in the flame.
__________________
Mary
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2011-09-04, 5:37pm
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Queen Bee
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Join Date: Oct 26, 2008
Location: Ellington, CT
Posts: 1,253
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Boy, I'd love to know how she gets that bushy of a flame - my cricket's flame is much narrower Maybe she has it cranked up? How long do you all run your candles? 1/2" doesn't give a very big flame on my torch.
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2011-09-04, 5:49pm
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CiM Tamarind-Skinned
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Join Date: Apr 28, 2011
Location: Not nearly close enough to the water.
Posts: 426
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glaslight
Monica I have the same questions as you and I found this youtube video the other day and she's using a cricket
http://www.youtube.com/user/sanitasglass
She has three diff videos and it helped me with flame length and just to see how she works in the flame.
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Thank you very much for that YouTube link. My flame looks a lot like that! Kinda short and fat I add more oxy to it to get it pointier.
Good! I feel like I am headed down the right path now. Awesome!
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2011-09-19, 9:50am
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Miata and Sunshine! Yay!
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Join Date: Aug 19, 2007
Location: Lower left coast of FL
Posts: 1,622
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My husband wants to know approximately what the max BTU output is for the Cricket? Can anyone offer any ideas? Thanks. My a/c is old and is not keeping up. I say it's the A/c, he says the torch is putting out more BTUs than any room size ac can keep up with. In my old studio, I had more open room, same torch, same kiln, but energy efficient ac. This ac I have here in FL was a freebie, so the price was right, but it is not an energy efficient unit...it's older. Anyhow, any info would help....and if I'm right, that will be even better. ;0)
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Contributing member of the EPIC FLOUNCE thread 2013
Proud member of YOU PEOPLE thread.
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2011-09-19, 11:45am
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Cat herder
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Join Date: May 08, 2010
Location: Frednecksburg, VA
Posts: 219
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cheng076
Neutral is usually gotten when the candle tips have just a thin white edge (viewed thru your diddys) or yellow/orange when viewed without glasses.
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Unless you're on natural gas, then everything pretty much looks blue. It took me a while to figure out what a neutral flame looked like.
Next time you order glass, see if you can buy a rod of Glass Alchemy's "Amazon Night" (987). (Yes, it's boro, but that's OK) You can use this to figure out if your flame is reducing or neutral: http://www.glassalchemy.com/cart/Set...-Neutral-Flame.
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Joe
No fancy signature yet.
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2011-09-19, 2:20pm
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Now part of the Dark Side
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Join Date: Jul 02, 2010
Location: North Central PA
Posts: 966
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This is just a guess, GTT does not list those specs on their website, since it can melt 1" Boro my guess is around 20,000 BTU/Hr. That's based on specs for similar torches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tillie
My husband wants to know approximately what the max BTU output is for the Cricket? Can anyone offer any ideas? Thanks. My a/c is old and is not keeping up. I say it's the A/c, he says the torch is putting out more BTUs than any room size ac can keep up with. In my old studio, I had more open room, same torch, same kiln, but energy efficient ac. This ac I have here in FL was a freebie, so the price was right, but it is not an energy efficient unit...it's older. Anyhow, any info would help....and if I'm right, that will be even better. ;0)
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__________________
Roy
Hot glass does not crack.
Unless it is glowing and drippy, hot glass looks like cold glass.
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2011-09-19, 2:52pm
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Alaska Boro
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Join Date: Dec 10, 2009
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 1,065
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2011-10-18, 6:22am
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..in withdrawal....
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Join Date: Sep 17, 2005
Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 321
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeadBlossoms
Boy, I'd love to know how she gets that bushy of a flame - my cricket's flame is much narrower Maybe she has it cranked up? How long do you all run your candles? 1/2" doesn't give a very big flame on my torch.
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Was playing with my new Cricket last night, and noticed the same thing -- I have a long, pointy flame, not anywhere near as bushy as the flame in the video, and much longer, even when I turn down the oxy. With my candles at 1/2" my flame is extremely long. I get the same long flame on my Bobcat, but the candles are much smaller. Do I need to be adjusting something differently?
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2011-11-09, 6:02am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 15, 2007
Location: Central N.J.
Posts: 322
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I am so happy to see this thread since I have a cricket and a mega minor and the flame on the cricket is really hard for me to get right. I just had my concentrator refurbished and when i went to use the cricket the other day I was always getting a reduction flame even without any yellow tips on the candles.. The flame is really narrow at that point and all my beads were cracking what psi do you run your propane at/
Debi
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2011-11-09, 9:50am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 07, 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 2,023
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Quote:
Originally Posted by debiweiss
I am so happy to see this thread since I have a cricket and a mega minor and the flame on the cricket is really hard for me to get right. I just had my concentrator refurbished and when i went to use the cricket the other day I was always getting a reduction flame even without any yellow tips on the candles.. The flame is really narrow at that point and all my beads were cracking what psi do you run your propane at/
Debi
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How far out from the ends of the candles are you working?
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2011-11-09, 8:19pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 15, 2007
Location: Central N.J.
Posts: 322
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larry I am not working too far sometimes I may be closer than I think I should be but I find the flame on the cricket to be so narrow. If I work farther out that is when the beads crack pretty quickly. also it seems that it is always reducing and that is not good especially when I use a lot of silver glass.
Debi
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2011-11-10, 7:45am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 07, 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 2,023
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On surface mix torches close in to the candles will be reducing. On my Mirage I have to be 3-4 inches from the candles to be oxidzing. Have you discussed the flame size with folks at GTT?
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2011-11-10, 11:22am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 15, 2007
Location: Central N.J.
Posts: 322
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i did originally and that is when I found out i was having a concentrator issue now that that is fixed i will go back to GTT and see what they have to say thank you for your help
Debi
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2011-11-10, 11:30am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 07, 2011
Location: Northern California
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Please let us know how it works out. I havent used one of these but I am curious.
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2011-11-10, 1:09pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 15, 2007
Location: Central N.J.
Posts: 322
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I just called GTT and spoke to Josh and he was really wonderful.. he explained that I may have my concentrator turned to high and so the output is less O2 and more air.. he told me to turn the torch O2 on all the way and then regulate the concentrator so that at full it only gets to 4 1/2, that gives a better mix. He also explained that my issues may be that what i am seeing on the glass is not reduction but oxygen haze. The cricket should have yellow candles and that the neutral for that torch is a wide range of flame settings. So I will unfortuately not get to try this until early Sunday but will let you know.
Debi
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