Blowing Christmas Ornaments on 1/4" Hollow Mandrels

[Tink]

First off, I should mention that I'm using a Barracuda. I did some tests today using only the center fire, which is essentially a Pirahna. Also, if you have a toolbox annealer, make note of the maximum size piece that will fit through the door before you start. That was a real "duh" moment, let me tell you.

1. Coil a rather large hollow form on the end of a bare (no bead release) mandrel. This will eventually create your starter bubble for you.
2. Melt down coiled ball until the surface of the glass is smooth. You can puff into the mandrel a TINY BIT during this process, just to keep the bubble in place.
3. Once the mass of glass is smooth, do your best to heat the mass evenly and thoroughly. As mentioned in a thread elsewhere, it's very hard to do this on a regular torch: The side away from the flame begins cooling immediately. Keep an eye on the color of the glass: This will give you an indication of temperature variations.
4. When the heating of the mass is as thorough and even as you think it can be, lick your lips (so the mandrel won't stick to them), and continue turning the mandrel as you tilt it up and GENTLY puff air into it. KEEP TURNING AS YOU BLOW! Use the top edge of the mandrel as a "sight", and adjust your speed of rotation as necessary to keep the expanding ornament on center.
5. When you're finished blowing, remove the mandrel from your lips, but keep turning as you take a look at the work. The reason for this is that the mandrel end is still warm, and if you don't keep turning the ornament may sag.
6. Grab the ornament with flash-heated hot fingers, then heat the mandrel (NOT THE GLASS) just above where the ornament is hooked on. The heat will soften up the glass, allowing you to pull the mandrel out.
7. DO NOT FLASH THE ORNAMENT IN THE FLAME!
8. Get a gather of glass ready and squish it onto the ornament over the hole left by the mandrel. Pull back a bit, then flame cut, leaving just enough glass to twist over to form a loop.
9. Anneal.

This should at least give you a starting point. These look really cool when made with filigrana. You can also do some nice stuff with frit. I add the frit after I melt down the ball of glass, then melt the frit in and continue from there. Have fun!

[Kaibeads]

Hi Tink,

Do you know a good way to get the metal tube completely free of glass after its been used? Or will there always be little dots left on the surface of the metal? I've gotta try this technique, but I also want to keep my metal tubes smooth for when I want to dip them in release. Or would I need seperate sets of tubes for each purpose? I've only tried the bare metal technique a few times and was hoping you might have some info. I did the heat it up and stick it in water method, but there was still some bits left.

[Mr. Smiley]

Tink... don't you think a thread on blowing Christmas ornaments shoul be in the bedroom under fetish?

[Tink]

Hey, I got a phonecall bright and early one morning last month:

Me: "Gmorningblackswamp" (I was still asleep)
Then: "Yeah, do you blow piggy banks?"
Me: (Long pause) Um. No.

I thought that was pretty darn personal.

As for glass remaining on the mandrels: Yes, some bits will remain, even when you plunge in water. And the amount of heat you apply to remove the mandrel from the glass ball can mess with the steel, too, but that really doesn't matter for this application. I have a couple of mandrels that I use JUST for nekkid blowing (which is how I like to think of it when I use no bead release).

[Slaterville]

Tink, when you say "Its very hard to do this on a regular torch", what kind of torch are you referring to?

[Tink]

Originally Posted by Slaterville

Tink, when you say "Its very hard to do this on a regular torch", what kind of torch are you referring to?

A torch such as the kind most folks here use, that shoots fire in one direction only. Crossfire torches make it easier, as would a glory hole. But it IS do-able. You just have to pay attention, read the heat in the glass and act accordingly.

[Mr. Smiley]

Tink... I've got one end for naked and one end for release... since I only have one and my box has yet to arive. Hint hint... nudge nudge.

Thanks for the tutorial. I love making little vesels in the flame. It makes me feel like a real glass blower to use a steel blow pipe. The first time I did it with gaffer glass I was giddy!

[Jude Rose]

That was great, Tink. And very timely. I still have a little girl's torch, but I'm stubborn and like to play, so I'll do it.

[lunesse]

to make a coil form on the end of a mandrel...do you just coil big to center then back down again to the end? I've only tried hollow beads and making discs meet in the middle....

[Kaibeads]

one end nekkid, one end for dippin.. ah ha, *light goes on*

[pipyr]

Thanks Tink! Can't wait to give this a try.
If no one minds, I'd like to add (after blowing little vessels all day) That it is a lot easier for me to do the condensing and heating back up parts if I use the top of the flame instead of sticking the whole shebang in there. Also, heating slowly starting at the back of a fluffy flame and working my way up seems to help. It makes it much easier to control as a newbie to blowing, and I seem to have an easier time keeping an even heat register, allowing the finished piece to have even walls.
Just my .02...hope it helps someone
Mel

[midniteburner]

hey Tinkapaloo, do you think you can add a couple of pics? Sure would appreciate it/

Sara

[Bubbyanne]

Ditto on the pics and I'm wondering about what size are the ornaments you make?
Thanks for posting this too Tink. My ultimate dream is to have a studio set up that will accomodate blowing ornaments. I'm going to try a few small ones on my HH. Hopefully with enough PPP I can get a couple decent ones before Christmas.

[PaulaD]

Oooooh TInk. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
I was just thinking that I should teach some kind of a Christmas Class at the studio...
Paula
ps. What's a Crossfire torch??

[Tink]

John and I will be taking some photos for an upcoming project. I'll have him remind me to do some for this tut.

A crossfire torch is two torches that point towards each other. Essentially.

[PaulaD]

Aaah. So much to learn!!
Paula

[LAG]

Thanks for this tut... Tink...

[helensharvest]

Hey Tink...can we punty to the end rather than having to have marble finger things? Love, Helen

[Curly Irish Girl]

How about posting a pic, Tink, so we can see what these are supposed to look like....and I'll know how WRONG mine is!!!

[Tink]

I'll get on this as soon as I can. Yep, you can punty up if you wish. You can also do them with bead release (the way I do vessels) and put an ornament cap on them. Which I think looks really nice and tidy.

[LAG]

I, also, would be curious as to how big these are that you make, Tink?

[Tink]

About 2" in diameter. A nice, medium sized ornament...

[firelady]

A crossfire is a kind of torch that is popular with neon workers. It was also used by artistic flameworkers in the 50's & 60's and earlier. It is a gas/air setup. No oxygen. You have 3 or 5 or 7 "jets" that the flame comes out of, and a matching number directly across facing the first set of flames. These torches are illustrated in James Hammesfahr's book, Creative Glassblowing, copyright 1968.[See pages 23, figure 2-5, 24, figure 2-6, page 31, figure 2-13, and page 92, figure 4-4]. Even though I'm basically the birth mother of the Barracuda, I still have a place in my heart for crossfires. They are great for pendants, Christmas ornaments and other blown forms, but really not very practical at all for beads. They are SLOW, and will not melt boro, only soft glass. Shane Fero uses a crossfire in combination with a Carlisle in his blown work. Anyway, they are ancient, but I love them.....

[Tink]

Hey Marcie!

After spending a couple of weeks with Fred and Shane at Penland, I became totally enamoured with the crossfire. I'm hoping to add a crossfire station when I do a little studio expansion next year.

You know that I will be forever grateful to you for the Barracuda, right? It's the ideal torch for me... Like an extention of my mind and hands. A couple of weeks ago, the Assistant Director of the Toledo Museum of Art visited my studio, tried the 'Cuda, then bought one immediately. I'm doing my best to see that we have 10 or so in the new Glass Pavilion, too.

[McDuck]

oh tink that is kewl do you have a pic of one done?