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Safety -- Make sure you are safe! |
2009-03-19, 3:02am
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Old to LE, new to torch
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Join Date: Apr 26, 2008
Location: Spokane, Wa
Posts: 319
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Shock threshold of glass
Hi all, I'm not sure I'm posting in the right area, but it kinda seems like a safety issue to me. I haven't lampworked since November because I lampwork outdoors (until I can afford to safely ventilate my garage). How warm should I allow the weather to get before attempting to lampwork again? It's supposed to reach the 50s sometime this week. What is the shock threshold of glass?
__________________
~Cindy~
I'm pyrophobic, yet I'm hopelessly drawn to lampwork....Yes. I am weird.
I work a graveyard shift, so if I don't answer posts/pms right away, it's because I'm sleeping, not being rude To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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2009-03-19, 7:11am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 21, 2008
Location: Herndon, VA
Posts: 867
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Cindy - Glass is most prone to shock when heated too quickly through and past the strain point (~600 degrees). It's not an absolute temperature effect so much as a rate of temperature change. Depending on formulation or how well the starting rods were annealed, some glass is more sensitive to the fast rates of change experienced when introduced into a flame (ie 'shockier') than others. The only thing I've found when working during cold weather, as you're asking, is that I have to be slightly more patient (maybe 15 seconds more) when introducing a rod into the flame than when it's summer. Occaisionally, I find have to also pre-warm certain colors during the winter that I may not have to when it's summer. If you're annealing your beads as you go, then the air temperature won't matter to your finished product, either.
I think it's really more a matter of your personal comfort and how well you can shield you and your setup from the elements since you're working outdoors.
Linda
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2009-03-19, 8:32am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 2,159
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When you consider the temperatures involved with working molten or semi-molten glass, a few degrees here and there in the ambient temps won't make much difference. Linda's right, it's more your own personal comfort than anything else.
Robert
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2009-03-19, 9:11pm
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Old to LE, new to torch
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Join Date: Apr 26, 2008
Location: Spokane, Wa
Posts: 319
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Awesome! Thank you guys so much. I've missed lampworking incredibly over the cold months (but not enough to compromise my health) and I'm so eager to get back to it.
__________________
~Cindy~
I'm pyrophobic, yet I'm hopelessly drawn to lampwork....Yes. I am weird.
I work a graveyard shift, so if I don't answer posts/pms right away, it's because I'm sleeping, not being rude To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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