silver glass and torch type

jhuels · #1 2011-10-17, 4:43pm

I have a mini cc. Some silver glasses like Triton and phyche are fairly easy to strike. I put fire lotus on 96 clear and got some reaction. I put in on both 104 black and ivory and got taupe!! Does the torch you use have ANYthing to do with it or are you going to tell me it is all me!?

jamie lynne · #2 2011-10-17, 4:49pm

Triton and Psyche reduce. Putting Fire Lotus (a striking glass) on 96 will probably not work, there will be compatibility issues. Fire Lotus is 104coe. Ivory will react with it, and you will probably get taupe every time. If you put it on black, and then put it in the kiln, it will likely kiln strike if it is still taupe in the flame. If you reduce Fire Lotus it will be taupe every time. It is a striker.

Carolyn M · #3 2011-10-17, 5:38pm

What Jamie Lynne said. Fire Lotus likes heat to strike it to pinks and reds, and benefits from a long hot soak in the kiln. The other two need to be lightly reduced

jhuels · #4 2011-10-17, 6:36pm

You are not mentioning the torch so I guess that is not it. How long in the kiln, Carolyn? Thanks, guys.

jhuels · #5 2011-10-17, 6:37pm

And what temp?

jamie lynne · #6 2011-10-17, 7:12pm

If you are working with a HotHead you can't strike glass properly. It needs to get super hot, then cooled, then reheated to a soft glow. A HH doesn't get hot enough to strike it to it's full potential. You can reduce on a HH, just not strike.

If you are on any kind of oxy/fuel torch you should be able to strike and reduce with out any issues.

Beckah · #7 2011-10-18, 8:38am

Are you using a 5LPM oxycon with your MiniCC? Psyche needs the torch on the more fuel (more propane or NG=reducing) side. Since others are saying Fire Lotus is striking, then Fire Lotus needs the flame to have more oxygen in the mix (striking=flame on oxy side). It sounds like your torch is simply not getting enough oxygen or perhaps you didn't re-mix your torch to create a more oxygenated flame. If you're using an oxycon, the fuel knob is usually lowered or raised to change your flame mixture.

Also if your oxycon is older, it can create a more reducing (low oxygen) environment. Older oxycons are more likely to have a decrease in the purity level of oxygen. In other words you may have your oxycon at the same level but originally it may have generated oxygen at 98% pure and if it's older, it may now be at 90% pure. Less purity in the oxygen output creates a more reducing atmosphere at your flame. Humidity and hose run distance can also decrease an oxycon's purity levels. When purity decreases, then the atmosphere is more reducing (Pysche likes it) rather than striking. I usually try and associate "more fuel" or "less fuel" with the various silver glasses since I constantly mix up "striking" and "reducing".

Play around with a bit of Psyche and your fuel knob. What does your flame look like when you can no longer get Psyche to change?

So to answer your original question, if you're having problems with striking or reducing; it's most likely an issue with either your fuel or your oxygen. Every torch has its sweet spot requirements for those two items. You can also double-check for carbon build-up on the nozzles. But if the nozzles are clean, there's not much else that can go wrong with a torch. If you're not using tanked fuel and oxygen, which is the gold standard for purity, then there are various torches that run better on less than optimum feeding.

Hayley · #8 2011-10-18, 10:27am

Jill,

Psyche and Triton are reducing silver glass and require your changing the flame chemistry to a reduction flame (either lowering the oxygen, increasing the propane/natural gas, or doing both) so the flame is bushy with yellow candles. Technically you are "striking" the glass in a reducing flame.

Fire Lotus is a striking silver glass - it both flame strikes and kiln strikes. You will need to heat the glass to white hot, let it cool until the glow is gone and then strike it at the tip of the flame to bloom the colors. It will strike again in the kiln cycle.

I would not recommend putting any COE104 glass on COE 96 base.

I have some silver glass information, including tutorials, on our website if you are interested:
http://envisionsf.com/

click on "silver glass 101"

Hope this helps.

artwhim · #9 2011-10-18, 10:52am

Yes, every torch/setup is a bit different as is every silver glass. The mini cc often runs slightly reducing, so for Fire Lotus you will want to error on the side of either adding more oxygen or taking away some of the gas. You will need to experiment to see which gives the best effect. I often find it easier to determine which a glass needs by experimenting on a large bead instead of a small one. Things happen too fast on a small spacer for me to get an accurate read on the glass.

jhuels · #10 2011-10-18, 4:56pm

Thanks so much for all the info. I have an R-10 oxycon and keep it on #4 thinking I read I got a purer gas there. My propane is tanked and I set it around 3. I don't have any trouble with most striking glasses. It is amazing but when I put fire lotus on 96 I did not have cracking issues and got the most reaction. My kiln is set at 940. I usually torch for 2 hours and then leave it on for another hour and just turn it off. The fire lotus did not further strike in the kiln. I will check for carbon buildup. My oxycon is probably 5 years old. Again, thanks!