blown beads questions

[dogmaw]

Well, it is all Smiley's fault. He said he was going to get some tubing and play, and of course I do everything Smiley does, so I got tubing too. Naturally I got a DVD on making blown beads, because I have no clue what to do..... turns out I need a smaller diameter tube for the cold weld at the end of making the bead, and a graphite reamer. What size tube do you like for a blow tube, and where do I get the darn reamer? I can hardly wait to start pulling points!

[beadman]

what is boro? is it borosylicate? what do you use it for? what tools do you need to work with it? is it just better quality glass????????? help!

dude_action@yahoo.com (email me if you wana)

[dogmaw]

Hey dude, you a bot?

[Over the Moon]

Hey Jo! You don't need a blow tube to pull a point...you can do it straight off a tube you've got...Do a search for Robert Michelson's (sp?!) site - he's got a great article on pulling points! Have fun, and show us pics!
P.S.: You can use a graphite rod, or a variety of things in place of a reamer for the moment - so you are good to go!

[dogmaw]

Val, I figured out I don't need it to do points, but what about for finishing the bead. In the video I have, he makes the tube with 2 points, decorates, and then takes the point off one end and connects a solid rod. Then he finishes the other end, taking off the point, finishing it with the reamer, and cold connects a blow tube. Then the solid rod is removed and that end is finished. Lastly he takes off the cold connect tube. He uses the cold connect tube to help the bead keep its shape while finishing. So I thought I needed a smaller diameter tube for the cold connect.

[pam]

Jo, you can make a Y with your glass rod to attach to the "hole" end of the bead while working on the opposite end. The arms of the Y cold connect to each side of the bead hole. Actually you don't even need to pull points, but that's another story.

[baylie]

Originally Posted by pam

Jo, you can make a Y with your glass rod to attach to the "hole" end of the bead while working on the opposite end. The arms of the Y cold connect to each side of the bead hole. Actually you don't even need to pull points, but that's another story.

Or you could use hot fingers. I make beads on points and don't use a blow tube or transfer tube, just my six finger grabbers

[dogmaw]

Thanks guys, now I have all kinds of things to try out!

[LAG]

Pam, I want to hear the "OTHER STORY"? Please??? Or a link or something???

[Tanya]

Yeah, me too, me too!! I hate pulling points. That is, I haven't practiced enough and my points are really really bad. Plus they're super boring. I tried to buy Doug's dvd, but Wale was out of it. He says you don't have to use points. I know it would be good for me to learn how to pull points, but why do today what can be postponed until tomorrow...

[Cosmo]

Well, pulling points is like pulling stringer. To learn, I just got a whole case of tubing from a friend of mine in random sizes, and pulled points from the whole thing. It's really not that hard.

Getting blown beads to come out right.... well... that's another story.

[beadman]

what is boro??

[Tanya]

Chad - alright, I'll admit I wasn't too good at pulling string when I started and now I'm great at it! But points seem a lot harder because the tube is always trying to collapse. I have a bunch of tubing, I'll try some more.

Beadman - Boro stands for borosilicate glass. It's also called hard glass. It's like pyrex. It's very different from and completely incompatible with soft (soda-lime) glass. It costs a lot more and takes more heat to work. It doesn't stay workable as long. You need better eye protection, better torches, more oxygen, etc. So why do we all like it so much??? It is much less subject to thermal shock so you can mostly just stick the rod in the flame with no popping. You can put a bead down and come back and start working on it again. Many of colors are amazing - especially the silver containing colors. There's no comparison in the soft glass world, although many of the reactive frits can be a bit similar. You can work in tubing (I can't work with tubing very well, but lots of people can) and do great things with blown beads like inside out, reverse axis, implosion (ok, you can do implosions with soft glass rod, but they're harder to manage because of the thermal shock issue.) I could go on a while. There are a couple of threads in the boro room about switching from soft to hard glass if you're interested.

[Cosmo]

The main thing that I've found helps pulling points is this:

When you are heating the tube, it wants to push itself apart where it is heated. Keep it together, so the part you are heating gets thicker than the rest of the tube. I usually get it about twice as thick. Once that happens, take it out of the flame for a couple seconds, then pull. Oh, and don't stop rotating at any time until you are done.

[Tanya]

Great suggestion! I have been having the pulling apart problem for sure and my point end up puny and thin. I'll try it - maybe later this afternoon (school commitments earlier, sigh.)

[baylie]

Try pulling it out at a 30degree angle from the tube,while spinning both hands the same direction. Does not sound right, but it works. I'd say 90% of my points are perfect, 5% off center, but still straight handle, 5% wonky, but the wonky ones are usually at the end of the tube when it is getting short.

[Tanya]

Thanks. I might get to it this afternoon. My yard work is calling to me, but I'm pretty good at ignoring it.

[pam]

Okay, here's the story. Just so you boro people don't yell too loudly at me, this is how Suellen Fowler taught me to blow beads (and for those who don't know Suellen here is a link to some of her work: http://www.seekersglass.com/artists/fowler/suellen.htm

Suellen has been blowing glass on a torch for over 35 years. She mixes her own color and is responsible for many of the reactive colors found in boro, such as amber purple, etc.

I took a two week class with her in Penland and then TA'ed for her for a couple of years at Corning. In one of her classes I asked her how she makes beads and so she showed me. She uses, say, a 12mm heavy-wall boro tube, melts the end so it is closed, then blows a small bubble. She then cases the bubble in layers of color, blows some more and decorates the bubble with stringer work or dots, or whatever. She shapes the bubble to the shape bead she wants, then pulls a thin "neck" on the end of the bead connected to the tube. She then blows a small hole in the opposite end of the bead, reams it to the appropriate size, and after placing a Y-shaped punty to the hole end of the bead, breaks off the thin neck close to the bead, trims it, melts it and reams it to match the other end. It's really pretty simple, but of course she makes everything look simple. I got to be pretty good at it for a while, but then realized that I really much prefer making mandrel wound beads in soft glass.
That's the story.

[baylie]

That is the same way I do it, up until the little y... I just use my grabbers or sometimes my hemos if the bead is not round.

[dogmaw]

Well, the tubing I have is about 4 feet long. If I want to try it without pulling points, how do I cut it into manageable lenghts?

[baylie]

Cut it with your torch. Or score and snap..

[HardwoodTrailGlass]

Originally Posted by beadman

what is boro??

That is funny

[dogmaw]

Originally Posted by baylie

Cut it with your torch. Or score and snap..

Okie dokie. I was just afraid of having it shatter in my hand.

[Tanya]

Originally Posted by butterflykj

That is funny

It does seem funny to me now, but just over a year ago I didn't have a clue. So many different types of glass to learn about all at once. I am SO glad I'm working in boro now!

[HardwoodTrailGlass]

I thought beadman was joking since we are in the 'Boro Room', but what do I know?

[Ro]

boro is the same as soda lime EXCEPT that borax has been added to the formula, originally used for scientific glassblowing. at least thats what ive heard. different glasses exist because of the different quantities and additives to make the formula.
ro

[Tanya]

I thought he was joking too but then he asked again so I figured I'd explain. Ro - yes, borax is added to the formula but there isn't as much, if any, of the soda-lime part. The soda-lime acts, in part, to lower the working temp. The borax does this too but not as much, thus the higher working temp. Borosilicate also has a higher percentage of silica because of the diminished soda-lime part. Hmmm, maybe that's why the working temp is higher - more silica. Pure silica has the highest melting point - around 3200 F I think.

[boroburner]

Pulling points sucks!!!!!
I always use at least 12mmX2.2mm tube as a handle(LARGE pieces 2-3lbs get 25mmX4.0mm), I used to pull points but broke enough in my hands to learn better. Picking glass outta my hands is not my idea of fun.
Other reasons I use a standard tube vs points;
-blow hose will always easily attach
-my handles are always straight
-I very rarely break handles
-I never grab a handle thinking it cold and its not..Doh!
Im sure there are others but i cant think of them now. Hope this helps.
B

[Tanya]

Originally Posted by boroburner

Pulling points sucks!!!!!
I always use at least 12mmX2.2mm tube as a handle(LARGE pieces 2-3lbs get 25mmX4.0mm), I used to pull points but broke enough in my hands to learn better. Picking glass outta my hands is not my idea of fun.
Other reasons I use a standard tube vs points;
-blow hose will always easily attach
-my handles are always straight
-I very rarely break handles
-I never grab a handle thinking it cold and its not..Doh!
Im sure there are others but i cant think of them now. Hope this helps.
B

Thanks B - this is news I love to hear. I used up all the odd tubing I have the other day pulling really crappy points. Now I won't bother, but I have another problem. Please see my new thread "Shipping costs for tubing...OMG!!".

[boroburner]

no prollem.
B