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

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  #1  
Old 2015-01-23, 9:22pm
boveson boveson is offline
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Default beginner needs help!

i am new to flamework. im using a beginner torch with Mapp gas and the glass is clear messy 8-10mm. im trying to do a simple implosion but the clear comes out etched looking or even wrinkled looking and feeling. can someone please tell me what is causing this and how i can prevent it?
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  #2  
Old 2015-01-23, 10:44pm
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Looks like you're working the glass too hot. Move it further back in the flame & turn your flame down. You're probably boiling your glass. Look where she's holding the glass at this link. That's pretty much the prime spot unless you're trying to reduce or something.
http://gabiloraine.blogspot.com/2013...nas-fotos.html

Notice that when she does move in to work closer, she's no longer on a HotHead. A Hothead mixes room oxygen with the Mapp gas and you have to give it a bit of room for the gases to mix. The dual gas torch mixes the 2 gasses closer in so the sweet spot follows suit.
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Last edited by Listenup; 2015-01-23 at 11:02pm.
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  #3  
Old 2015-01-24, 7:04am
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istandalone24/7 istandalone24/7 is offline
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and....CIM clear is famous for being junk. i was able to work it w/o greying it out, but it took practice and a hothead is already a dirty flame.

my suggestion....get Lauscha soft. great for the hot head.

as for the wrinkles, seems your tooling/marvering the glass while it's to cool.
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  #4  
Old 2015-01-24, 12:25pm
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If you could just get a minor burner the with oxy and pro regulators and tanks you would have much better results, clear glass needs higher oxygene to keep it clean
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  #5  
Old 2015-01-24, 7:38pm
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You can certainly get clear with your set up. But Kay is right, change your spot, and practice, practice, practice. Mine looked like that at first too. Now even my Messy is clear using propane.
Personally, I would recommend stop trying to do implosion and just work on making simple plain beads. That will help you with reading the glass and learning control. Everything else (including implosion) will follow.
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  #6  
Old 2015-01-25, 9:22am
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It's not that you're working too hot - you can work twice as hot, but not with that torch. Its flame tends to be reducing and otherwise difficult, and that's part of the battle of working with a Hothead. The torch has its benefits, but, aside from being cheap and not requiring oxygen, they're few and small, especially compared to its drawbacks.

Last edited by dusty; 2015-01-25 at 9:30am.
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  #7  
Old 2015-01-25, 3:42pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dusty View Post
It's not that you're working too hot - you can work twice as hot, but not with that torch. Its flame tends to be reducing and otherwise difficult, and that's part of the battle of working with a Hothead. The torch has its benefits, but, aside from being cheap and not requiring oxygen, they're few and small, especially compared to its drawbacks.
Ok, I gotta take exception to these sort of statements (it's not just you Dusty! Your's is just the most recent in this thread LOL).

I use a HH, and fairly successfully IMHO. The only type of glass I don't feel the HH can handle at all is some of the striking glass (like Tag's Dalai named glasses). Reduction glasses mostly love the HH, and I have no probs with clears, whites, any of the light colors. Haven't tried marbles (yet! on my to do list), but I've made beads up to 2", vessels,small sculptures all on my HH. I've also been doing this for a few years and practice does make a diff:

Vessel made with reduction glass:
Name:  IMG_6607-001.jpg
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Size:  32.5 KB

1 1/5" heart, red & white:
Name:  IMG_7042-001.jpg
Views: 557
Size:  32.1 KB

Sea Bead:
Name:  IMG_8216-002.jpg
Views: 473
Size:  40.0 KB

You can do it Boveson! Just takes practice.

Alli
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Old 2015-01-25, 3:52pm
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Thank you Alli for putting it better than I could. A hot head is my only option, and because of practice and help from this site, my beads went from looking like the ones in the first post to nice and clear
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  #9  
Old 2015-01-26, 1:24pm
boveson boveson is offline
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thanks for all your help! im definitely practicing alot. im not actually using a hot head. its the beginner torch that comes with the fireworks beginner bead making kit. its red and has a button built in to strike with. not sure if that changes your advice. i cant do beads because the bead release that came with it is bad and unusable so ive got some of that coming. ive got a 8m torch on order and should be set up later this week. that said, if i work farther out in the flame it wont get hot enough to do anything. im also having trouble with all my blues changing color :/ not sure if i should work closer or farther out to fix that. thoughts?
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  #10  
Old 2015-01-26, 2:46pm
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The general advice about that Fireworks torch....throw it out and get a hot head!
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Old 2015-01-26, 3:39pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by one hot beader View Post
The general advice about that Fireworks torch....throw it out and get a hot head!
This!

I also started with a Fireworks torch. IMHO, it is a piece of poo. Except poo burns better. There isn't too much you can do to alleviate your issues; the problem is mostly the torch. I feel it doesn't bring enough oxygen in, so you wind up with a fuel rich flame that muddies and reduces everything.

Allison
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Last edited by allicat; 2015-01-26 at 3:41pm.
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  #12  
Old 2015-01-26, 6:50pm
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I've been at this since 2001 and I've yet to hear anyone say anything good about the Fireworks torch. I have a HotHead and a Cricket - and I use my HotHead the most.
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Old 2015-01-26, 7:09pm
Cherri Cherri is offline
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I work on a HH.. the advice you have been given is good.. Find the best adjustment for you flame and your sweet spot is the most important, aside from learning your torch.. the link given should help.. with regard to the Messy, I don't use that clear. I have done implosions with my hot head.. slow and steady is the key.. If you try to push it you will burn or smut up your glass. I would (if you can) get a different clear. The only other suggestion would be to get some glass and just play with it.. Don't really try to make or follow a tutorial, just play.. Learn the glass and how it reacts to the different areas of the flame and where your heat is going.. It may feel like wasting time, but really it will help.. Once you find the spot and get the flame it will click. I haven't heard good things about the torch you have, but until you can do something about that, just learn with what you have.. Best of luck to you..
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  #14  
Old 2015-02-25, 11:13pm
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Aye. If I remember correctly ( and its been almost a decade now ) the thing with the hot head torch is that it can only burn a specific amount of fuel and turning it up past the largest flame just creates unburnt fuel scum to collect on your glass.

So light the torch, turn down the flame until it almost goes out then turn it back up only as far as the length of the flame continues to increase. Once the flame gets as long as it is going to get turn it back down a smidge to ensure that you are not bathing you glass in unburnt gas.

Oh and work as far out in the flame as you can. Anything melted within the distance of a 25 cent coin of the brass is going to be too full of fuel that has not had a chance to burn yet and will also scum up your glass.

The hothead is a torch that teaches patience or frustration. Which you learn the most about is up to you.
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Old 2015-02-26, 3:09am
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The hothead is fine. In fact, to this day I think I made better beads with mine.
Just turn the flame down a bit and work a little farther out, like someone else said. But man, I think the reaction looks kinda cool! But you couldn't get it if you actually wanted it, lol!
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  #16  
Old 2015-03-04, 7:55pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boveson View Post
i am new to flamework. im using a beginner torch with Mapp gas and the glass is clear messy 8-10mm. im trying to do a simple implosion but the clear comes out etched looking or even wrinkled looking and feeling. can someone please tell me what is causing this and how i can prevent it?
I really like the big one!! what a nifty effect. I'd wrap it.
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