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

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  #1  
Old 2012-03-10, 12:27pm
rcair3d rcair3d is offline
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Default New IL Hobbyist Needs HELP

Hi all,

I have been interested in glass working for many years. Ever since chemistry in high school, making glass droppers, I have been intrigued on how a complete solid can be transformed into a whole new shape through the addition of heat. So this year I decided to just leap into lampworking. I have done quite a bit of research and much more is to be learned! I want to go over my setup and absorb any suggestions.

I started with purchasing marver pads, graphite sticks, vermiculite(to allow pieces to cool) 20lbs of odd length pieces of 104 COE glass in assorted colors and a redhead torch. I got to mess with that for a couple weeks, But I am really interested in making borosilicate glass vases, pendants, and pipes. So I bought a National 8m torch(seemed like the best bang for the buck) and sm7 tip(surface mix for boro). I opted to use propane as it is just easier. For oxygen I have an elderly friend that has an abundance of o2 tanks and his insurance fills them for free. so it is cost effective. I purchased 15lbs of COE33 glass (color, tubes rods, etc). I, for some reason have to start out with difficult projects. So I decided to make a pipe with the new setup. It was not the best looking piece, but it wasn't the worst. I am not running gauges which is dumb but I just haven't got that far.

HERE IS MY PROBLEM!!!!
The glass is melting decently, but I am getting a black sutty film that develops and that reduces heat transfer to the glass. I have been scraping it off with a marver and it melts fine again. What am I doing wrong? I am approximating a 3:1 mix(but no gauges so not accurate). Any help to a new hobbyist would be great.

Thanks,
Nick
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  #2  
Old 2012-03-10, 12:32pm
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beadsoncypress beadsoncypress is offline
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turn down your propane.
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  #3  
Old 2012-03-10, 12:41pm
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Dragonharper Dragonharper is offline
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Yup, you need more oxy. You can look at your flame and tell if it is reducing or oxidizing. If all of the candles are blue with no yellow tips you are into the neutral range, increase the oxy until the outer blue flame starts to thin out slightly and the torch hiss increases in volume. This is an oxidizing flame. If the candles have yellow tips you have a reducing flame. These guidelines are for a premix torch only, like your National 8m. If you are using a surface mix, neutral is when the candles have yellow tips but the candles is crisp and well defined. Adjust your oxygen up or down accordingly. If you are geting soot then you are working in a heavy reducing flame.
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  #4  
Old 2012-03-10, 12:57pm
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alb6094 alb6094 is offline
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Hi Nick!

Welcome to glass!

Just a heads up, if your interest lies in the direction of pipework you might also want to join this forum:

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/

I lurk there, lots of sick art.

Also, there is a boro room on this forum with lots of good info. On the front page look in the 'library'. The boro room is the the third one down in that section.

Glass ppl are the most welcoming and giving community you could possibly imagine but it does help if you do legwork. Both this forum and the melting pot have search functions in the top bar. Type in what you want to know and worlds of info will come up. If you want to search with a three letter word like 'rod' if you will add * and make it '*rod' you will get everything with the word rod in it. These forum searches don't recognize three letter words. It's a great trick (thanks Squid) to get to what you need.

The soot I'm not sure about. I'm guessing you're too close to the torchhead. Try moving further out in the flame and see if that helps.

Now get your stuff and get to melting!
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  #5  
Old 2012-03-10, 5:51pm
rcair3d rcair3d is offline
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Alright I will lower my fuel pressure. Another Question, if anyone is keen on oxygen consumption, I have an "E" class cylinder of o2 which yields about 680 liters ~180 gallons. About how long should this bottle last? I got about 90 minutes of use. Is this about right? Oxygen generator will be my next big purchase!

@ Dragonharper Good advise on the redox theory I will remember that for the next time I fire up the torch!!

@ alb6094 I have perused a couple articles in the past on the melting pot. I couldn't remember the web address. Now I have got it. I however didn't find the soot issue on there. But I am going to register tonight!! Thanks
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  #6  
Old 2012-03-10, 6:04pm
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Forgo the oxy genorator as your next big purchace. Begin looking at kilns.
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  #7  
Old 2012-03-11, 10:35am
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Remember you have two controls for each gas, 1.) The regulator, sets the overall working pressure and available volume of gas. 2.) The torch knobs, these control the ratio of propane to oxygen (flame chemistry) AND flame size. I do know that some more advanced boro workers run their torches wide open but they are working big stuff and running on liquid O2. For starting out I recommend that you don't use a bigger flame than necessary and take it slow. Boro has a fairly narrow range where it moves, and goes from not moving to runny quickly.
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  #8  
Old 2012-03-11, 2:34pm
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You need gauges if you using bottled oxy but other than that it just sounds like you have either too big a flame and/or too much propane in the mix, your flame should be blue with only the teensiest bit of orange at the candle tips
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