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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #31  
Old 2013-04-12, 5:03am
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LOL Hell no. I'll be doing it outside, w/eye protection, long sleeves/pants and gloves at minimum (I loathe pain).
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  #32  
Old 2013-04-12, 6:08am
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Originally Posted by allicat View Post
LOL Hell no. I'll be doing it outside, w/eye protection, long sleeves/pants and gloves at minimum (I loathe pain).
So in Prince Rupert's drop we see that uniform stress can work for us not against us. Manufactured marbles are cooled rapidly and uniformly to cause stress all over the surface of the marbles. This in turn makes the marble very strong. In other words the uniform stress tends to pull the marble together and keep it there. Ever try to break one? In Craquel art glass the artisan cools the surface of the glass with wet paper to create tiny cracks all over it. The surface cracks do not extend in the main bulk of the piece but remain only on the surface as a decorative effect. You may have seen some of this glass in the lamp shade industry. Yet another way to get stress to work for us is to score a larger piece of tubing with a carbide knife, then apply a drop of water on the score mark. Then heat the end of a small piece of rod and apply it to the score mark. The tube will crack in a perfect circle with no jagged edges. There are other ways to use stress to our advantage as well.
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  #33  
Old 2013-04-12, 8:07am
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such a high level of skill evident in Talonst and HyperT posts, thanks to both of you for sharing with us.
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  #34  
Old 2013-04-12, 11:01am
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By the way. We are all confused the sun does not go down the horizon moves up!
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  #35  
Old 2013-04-12, 12:02pm
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There's been a lot of good technical explanation in this thread, so let me just add a non-technical observation (and no, I'm not trying to be a smartass) --

he can do it because he's really, really good at it and has had a lot of practice. Lucio Bubacco has been flameworking since he was eight (if I'm remembering correctly). Gianno Toso probably started at a similar age.

I don't mean to suggest that you couldn't learn to do sculpture in the Italian technique. You could (and if you want to learn, I would highly recommend one of the Murano trips that Ofilia Cinta organizes for classes with Lucio). Just be aware that when you're watching someone like Toso or Bubacco or Emilio Santini, you're seeing one of the true masters of the art.
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  #36  
Old 2013-04-12, 2:20pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily View Post
There's been a lot of good technical explanation in this thread, so let me just add a non-technical observation (and no, I'm not trying to be a smartass) --

he can do it because he's really, really good at it and has had a lot of practice. Lucio Bubacco has been flameworking since he was eight (if I'm remembering correctly). Gianno Toso probably started at a similar age.

I don't mean to suggest that you couldn't learn to do sculpture in the Italian technique. You could (and if you want to learn, I would highly recommend one of the Murano trips that Ofilia Cinta organizes for classes with Lucio). Just be aware that when you're watching someone like Toso or Bubacco or Emilio Santini, you're seeing one of the true masters of the art.
Well you are right about that, experience does matter. I think I am lucky to have been born into one of the oldest glass blowing families in the United States. I was apprenticed at age 9, which was traditional for my family. I only have a bit over 60yrs experience and hope to keep learning as I go. I will probably die at the lamp.
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  #37  
Old 2013-06-03, 5:33pm
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I just saw this thread, and want to mention something as to why this is always confusing for beadmakers.

You are confused about this style of working glass because you are a beadmaker - a fundamental aspect of your work, which you have so ingrained in your heads, is that you must always keep the piece warm to the core. This is because you're working on a radiator. Not one which warms your piece, but which constantly robs heat from your piece AND has a drastically different COE than the glass your bead is made of. You must always keep that bead warm and not ever let it cool down as you go, otherwise it cracks. So obviously, when you see off-mandrel work, it freaks you out that the piece is air-cooling. You can't do that with a bead!

So now remember back to high school science, where you learned about insulators and conductors. Glass is an insulator. In-and-of itself, it wants to cool down slowly. This is not to say that it's easy to work off-mandrel, and that even folks like myself still have problems with cracking, but there's no mandrel running through the piece, stealing heat from it.
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  #38  
Old 2013-06-03, 5:36pm
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PS - here's a piece for you to mull over, I made it mostly OUT of the kiln. Only for one little bit (for a repair) was I keeping the entire thing hot to work on it. I made the various components and assembled them all "cold", heating only the connection points. Overall, it measures about 6 inches wide.



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  #39  
Old 2013-06-03, 6:11pm
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great info Wes!

If I was planning, say, a butterfly, could I make the wings ahead of time with little "nipples", anneal them and let the wings get cool, THEN add them to the body by warming up the just the "nipples" on the wings to attach to the hot butterfly body? Or do I have to get everything hot in the kiln before introducing the wings to the torch for heating up the bits to attach to the body?
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  #40  
Old 2013-06-04, 6:00am
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Originally Posted by AmorphousDesigns View Post
great info Wes!

If I was planning, say, a butterfly, could I make the wings ahead of time with little "nipples", anneal them and let the wings get cool, THEN add them to the body by warming up the just the "nipples" on the wings to attach to the hot butterfly body? Or do I have to get everything hot in the kiln before introducing the wings to the torch for heating up the bits to attach to the body?
This is how I make them.
I make the wings first and I do leave a nipple on them.
I have a clamp stand with a ring clamp that holds a small stainless steel bowl like you would use for a small pet. This is positioned above my torch. It's only purpose is to keep things warm as I work, not hot just warm. If my red glass looks black I know it's hot enough. This bowl is heated from the rising heat of the flame. Sometimes I use just a steel plate the same way. I put the wings in the bowl or on the plate, then make the body. legs. loop, etc. Then warm a pair of tweezers and pick them up and weld them to the body at the nipple one at a time keeping everything warm. Or you can also weld a handle to the very tip of wing and keep them warm in your oven. You can also just lay the wing on the plate then when you are ready for it heat then end of a rod and pick it up to apply the piece. I just don't like to waste energy when I already have a source of heat. Which brings us to: I can do all of this without keeping everything hot, but then I have years and years of practice as a lampworker. I am also extremely fast, the glass doesn't even have a chance to cool down. If you want to waste your time, energy, and one heck of a lot of figurines and glass go ahead and learn it that way. I say put your time in and one day it will come to you like magic.
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  #41  
Old 2013-06-04, 7:00am
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Elizabeth, you can do it either way - obvious HyperT is successful with one method, and I use another. But whichever way you do it, you're going to need to dial down your flame to a small point, in order to get between the base glass and the nub for the wing. It's going to be very tricky, and will involve a lot of trial and error. Good luck!
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  #42  
Old 2013-06-04, 7:12am
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Default speed and sculpture

Hyper-T hit on one of the fundamentals of the Italian technique that I witnessed watching Lucio do his work in Murano: speed. Although I understand the technique and can "somewhat" do it, it is always my lack of working quickly that tends to trip me up and my piece ends up cracking. And as I am sure Hyper-T will agree, that speed - without sacrificing technique, accuracy or details - can really only come with time and experience!

As I have started my lampworking adventure with no intention to do beads, and to only work off-mandrel, it is one of my biggest challenges!

Hyper-T, and Beastmaster: can you direct me to any good books or tutorials for someone like me, aiming to do soft glass sculpture? Right now, I am just working on learning to read the heat, practicing compression, making pendants, but sculpture and assembly of multiple pieces is my future goal. I have a Lucio torch on order to set up my first studio.

Thanks!

Tami

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  #43  
Old 2013-06-04, 7:13am
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Here's another method

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFwtVo6NrEY
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  #44  
Old 2013-06-04, 7:18am
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Here's one of the best sources of information I've found: Anatomy of the figure at http://www.artcoinc.com/lucio_bubacco.php

The Lew C Wilson videos provide a great introduction to glass sculpture - all boro, but the same techniques apply.
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  #45  
Old 2013-06-04, 8:50am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Talonst View Post
Loved this one!
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  #46  
Old 2013-06-04, 8:58am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TJ View Post
Hyper-T hit on one of the fundamentals of the Italian technique that I witnessed watching Lucio do his work in Murano: speed. Although I understand the technique and can "somewhat" do it, it is always my lack of working quickly that tends to trip me up and my piece ends up cracking. And as I am sure Hyper-T will agree, that speed - without sacrificing technique, accuracy or details - can really only come with time and experience!

As I have started my lampworking adventure with no intention to do beads, and to only work off-mandrel, it is one of my biggest challenges!

Hyper-T, and Beastmaster: can you direct me to any good books or tutorials for someone like me, aiming to do soft glass sculpture? Right now, I am just working on learning to read the heat, practicing compression, making pendants, but sculpture and assembly of multiple pieces is my future goal. I have a Lucio torch on order to set up my first studio.

Thanks!

Tami

Know the steps you are going to use in a figurine BEFORE you start. You don't have time to think about it as you go. Figure it out first. I have been making elephants for example since I was 9 yrs old, the very first figurine I ever made. I don't have to think about that anymore it's automatic robotic. I only wish I had kept track of how many I have made one at a time by hand over the years!

P.S Hint good luck Bingo Elephants must have the trunk up, it's a tradition. Ask me how I know lol.

Last edited by hyperT; 2013-06-04 at 9:06am.
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  #47  
Old 2013-06-04, 3:26pm
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Quote:
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P.S Hint good luck Bingo Elephants must have the trunk up, it's a tradition. Ask me how I know lol.
Oh. My god. Did you interpret that as an elephant? I guess it does kind of look like one the way the figure is oriented... a very grotesque one!

Here, perhaps now you can see the headless figure turned right side up:


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  #48  
Old 2013-06-04, 5:31pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperT View Post
Know the steps you are going to use in a figurine BEFORE you start. You don't have time to think about it as you go. Figure it out first. I have been making elephants for example since I was 9 yrs old, the very first figurine I ever made. I don't have to think about that anymore it's automatic robotic. I only wish I had kept track of how many I have made one at a time by hand over the years!

P.S Hint good luck Bingo Elephants must have the trunk up, it's a tradition. Ask me how I know lol.
No I did not.
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  #49  
Old 2013-06-04, 9:06pm
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  #50  
Old 2014-10-17, 8:53am
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Mr. HyperT,
I have searched out your blog entries and read them all - this is not intended as a suck up - just wanted to establish the reference for your entry about using a s/steel bowl or plate to keep glass parts warm while waiting to use them in a single work. I've been doing something similar but way harder/dumber and wanted to say "Thanks, I really needed that!"

I've been holding my oversized graphite paddle flat and above the glass being worked in the flame to push down the heat onto the worked piece and to hold the pieces on top and keep them warm until I add them to the core piece. It never occured to me to use a ring stand and clamp a s/steel bowl or plate above the flame instead. My shoulders, arms, and hands thank you too.

The reason I've been using the graphite paddle is a work-around to the way some of the Murano glassworkers use their amazing dexterity to do the same by holding items between various fingers - but far more elegantly than I've been able to manage. I was fortunate to live in Venezia for several years, and was able to worm my way into some of the Murano fornaci - it's amazing what good will an American Thanksgiving dinner, rattlers from rattlesnakes, and Jim Beam can get one.

Thanks for your posts.

Now for a question regarding stained glass' COE 92-96: I have been to the Weismach Glass Factory on the Ohio river and gone through their boneyard, I have 300+ pounds of stained glass (@ $1 pound!!!). I have used this for beads & other small items - but have worked to keep the entire item all Weismach Glass - thinking that the COE should be similar and less prone to problems. Does this make technical sense?

I've also found that this glass happily accepts and gives amazing results with pixie dust/mica. I have some avertine that's not on glass strips, and have been thinking to try thin stringers of it on the Weismach - any guidance?

Bonus question: I have some black basalt (lava) sand from the Pacific Islands and I cannot work it into a glass object without it cracking during/after annealing. I'm assuming the basalt just doesn't work with lime. Any thoughts?
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  #51  
Old 2014-10-17, 12:03pm
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Is Gianni Toso is using oxygen or natural gas in that video? He wasn't just working soft glass, but some of the most temperamental colors - it's so easy to boil opaque turquoise colors and transparent aqua's.
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  #52  
Old 2014-10-17, 1:27pm
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if you actually watch the whole corning vid - you see that even the masters deal with exploding glass - between 53:28 and 53:57 Gianni is using a fairly thick white and you'll notice it explodes twice, but he keeps going without even a flinch. I actually was impressed at how steady his hands are on the tiniest of detail work. Her nose and eyebrows actually end up where they are suppose to be. Unlike mine, where the nose would be over by the ear LOL
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  #53  
Old 2014-10-17, 4:48pm
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Patience, grasshopper.
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