Total clueless newbie ramblings and questions

StellaBlue · #1 2009-03-17, 9:00am

Ok, so I took the plunge and played around with my boro stuff for the first time last night. I have to batch aneal (no kiln yet) so I won't post pics until after they come back from my local glass shop so I can see if I got the "dreaded baby poop" issues. Am I correct that I should tell the shop I want them annealed at 1050 for 40 minutes, then ramp down?

I have a minor with tanked O2. I made a clear snipped heart (ala Brent) first, since I've made these in soft glass, so that I could get a feel for how boro melts. Then I made a heart with an amber purple twist. Got some nice purple and an overall wispy look, but I didn't really strike it hard enough. Then two funny looking little implosion pendents using irrid and amazon nights. I need to practice cold seals, 'cause I struggle with punties. The second one was really nice until I tried to make the loop and blobbed extra clear all over everything. After reshaping (I'm using a dapping block in lieu of a marble mold, works ok) it looks ok, but off center. I hate loops. Gonna stick to putting little beads on the top for now.

Then I tried a bead. Wierd, I find it EASIER to make a nice round bead using boro than with 104. I used a twistie of hyacinth, agua azul, unobtainium, and clear, pulled and squiggled and swirled over a small clear base, struck, dotted with clear, melted in, reduced, encased. Pretty right now, very sparkly, we'll see about post-kiln.

Then I tried to sculpt a little off-mandrel goddess. I LOVE sculpting with 104 and I was looking forward to the fabled easier-to-sculpt boro. I may find that place eventually, but right now if you held me at gunpoint and told me to sculpt something, I'd have to grab for 104. I realized that with 104 I have been letting the heat and natural flow of the glass do the sculptural heavy lifting. I use my tools more for guiding than sculpting, let the 104 barely "skin" to where it is still pliant, then tilt, spot-heat to meld seams, hold the tools in the right places to guide flowing glass... Boro just doesn't move that way, guess I will actually have to *sculpt* the stuff. At least wings and sticky-out bits don't shatter off in the vermiculite like with soft glass.

I was surprised at how FAST boro melts on my minor - I was expecting slower. I have to go much slower on lots of 104 stuff that burns or boils and can't be run so hot or close to the candles. I was also surprised at how fast it stiffens up - maybe I am not getting it hot enough to begin with, but gosh it seems to go from soupy liquidy to almost too stiff to move VERY quickly - none of that intermediate plasticity that I get from soft glass - or am I just missing it?

Is there a "sweet spot" in the flame or in the glass for sculpture? Are there tools you find particulary useful? My softglass sculpting tool box consists of a paring knife (I use the serrated tip, the sharp edge, and the slightly curved back), a brass stump shaper, graphite marver, a small exacto knife, dental picks, a paint can key, and tungsten rakes and picks. Anything else you like for boro?

Bunyip · #2 2009-03-17, 9:36am

First off, a disclaimer: I'm very much an intermediate boro worker. Others have FAR more experience than me!

Boro rods melt pretty good on a minor, I think the torch is definitely under-rated. It's comparable to the center fire on many bigger torches. The problem is when you go up in size it's difficult to keep a large mass of boro molten enough without a bigger flame.

The thing you noticed about how fast boro stiffens up... That is characteristic of boro for sure, and something that you will come to love (or hate). You will learn not to be shy and to work in the flame more. Larger masses of glass hold heat longer and can be worked longer, but boro is always going to be stiffer than soft glass. I think that is partly where the name "hard glass" comes from in fact.

The tools I use most for manipulating, prodding and shaping boro are my needle-nosed pliers, scissors (I have fancy cup shears and diamond shears but others have great success with metal scissors from office depot) tabletop and handheld marvers, marble molds, tungsten pokers & picks, peter's tweezers (for loops), gravity and various graphite reamers (I still need a brass one). I actually use glass rods a lot too, using punties to pull shapes or to bend a piece etc... I also think you'll find that you can do more with less with boro, building sculptural features directly onto your piece without fear of them melting in unless you drastically overheat it.

StellaBlue · #3 2009-03-17, 10:32am

Thanks, Chris! Another question (if you start to feel like Shahrazad Of The Torch, tell me to STFU

)

So I understand "working in the flame more" and I feel pretty comfy with that, but you still have to take the piece out of the flame to use a shaping tool, right? I mean, a tool that would be ruined putting it in the flame you use for working soft glass will STILL be trashed by putting it in the hotter flame you use for working boro, right? So is there a trick for shaping glass that stiffens up so quickly, or do I just need to work faster? I can keep soft glass plastic enough to work nearly indefinitely without cracking by holding the piece at just the right place in the back of the flame. And if you move a piece of boro out of the flame to sculpt, move it back in to get it back to soft enough between sculpting bits of it, doesn't that mess up striking colors, since you are basically striking repeatedly by heating/sculpting until too cool to work/reheating? Or should I just go back to my torch and play now until I blast through enough glass to figure it out

pipyr · #4 2009-03-17, 4:01pm

Hope you don't mind me piping in

Yes boro stiffens up MUCH faster than soft glass. The trick is to work quickly and go right back into the flame. Don't forget, the upside is that the details won't melt out so quickly. Be careful of using razor tools and things with extremely sharp edges...I find that they can cause stress/cracking in boro. I like to use wax-working tools that have a puffy shape, so the edges aren't as harsh. That might just be me, but I do use tools quite a bit for the fine detail and for my style, that's what works.

You will find that silver colors will develop as you sculpt. This can be a very good thing. If you want to keep the silver from developing too much, you want to try to keep the part you are working with *glowing* until you are done. Boro will still glow when it's too stiff to move, so go right back in the flame with it. You can definitely use gravity to sculpt boro. I use a lot of gravity in my work. It takes a lot of heat and a lot of leaving it in the flame.

I hope that answered some of your questions! Have fun with it!

StellaBlue · #5 2009-03-17, 7:13pm

Thanks, Pipyr, that's really helpful. I think I need to look for wax sculpting tools. I think the boro downside for me right now is that, um, the details don't melt out so quickly. A stray touch stays in. My favorite little sculpting knife has some serration near the point, works great for soft glass. I noted that using boro, it took me a looong time to get stray "toothmarks" out of my little goddess's butt. Hrrrmph. Softer tools are definitley in order.

Thanks for the tips!

kebira · #6 2009-03-18, 4:01am

I'm fairly new to glass( < a yr) and find brass marvers pull the heat out of the glass way too fast .Stick to graphite for most shaping.You can heat the graphite in the flame to warm it before working the glass. If you try that with brass, you'll probably incorporate the marver into your sculpture.There's lots of graphite tools out there. Check out the "glassblowing" and "glassblowing tools" sections on E-Bay.There's always something interesting.And don't forget that you can shape graphite with files, fine sandpapers and dremels to get a custom tool you can't buy.Use particle masks,rubber gloves and do it in someone elses area (Ha! just kidding(not really)) as its messy.Use water to keep the dust down.This way ,you can buy small marvers or graphite rods and make it your way.

Kevin

kebira · #7 2009-03-18, 4:09am

Oh ya, and if you want move ahead on sculpting and shaping boro, Pipyr's the bomb. I'm having a blast with her "Eye Cane" murrini tutorial.(and a few of her others) It kicks ass!

kebira · #8 2009-03-18, 4:33am

And i'd be remiss in my need to give props to people if I didn't tell you Brent Graber (Mr. Smiley) is another great inspiration to my learning something new.Every time I look at either's work, I get weepy at my lack of skills.

kittyluv4ever · #9 2009-03-18, 4:46am

If you are wanting to get into sculpting I'd definitely recommend Pipyr's creature tutorial, I also recommend both Pipyr's tutorials and Brent a.k.a. Mr. Smiley's dvd for learning how to bring out the color in boro. I have both and there is so much information packed in them.

StellaBlue · #10 2009-03-21, 12:35pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittyluv4ever

If you are wanting to get into sculpting I'd definitely recommend Pipyr's creature tutorial, I also recommend both Pipyr's tutorials and Brent a.k.a. Mr. Smiley's dvd for learning how to bring out the color in boro. I have both and there is so much information packed in them.

Thanks, y'all! I am definitely picking up these tutorials as soon as my budget heals from my last tutorial-and-glass-buying binge. Right now I can't even afford the kiln run to see if they look like baby-poo or not! There is a local instructor who is offering private lessons including intro to boro at $35/hr, so I'll probably do that, too.