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Safety -- Make sure you are safe!

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  #1  
Old 2005-08-02, 10:15pm
Tannise Tannise is offline
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Question Newbie Questions

I'm sure all you experienced lampworkers (?) are sick to death of these questions - but I'll take the risk.

I've wanted to learn lampwork for years and have finally taken the plunge and signed up for a weekend beginners workshop. After reading about all the safety issues - I'm a little freaked out..........especially about the oxygen & propane.

Can a studio be safely set up in my home? I'm an empty nester with a spare bedroom just begging to be put to use. Is this a good idea? It has a huge window, so ventilation shouldn't be a problem. Is it ok to use a torch in front of an open window? Will the draft cause temperature problems for the beads?

Can lampworking be done without oxygen? Maybe these questions will be answered this weekend and I'm just jumping the gun. I'm afraid to light a gas stove.........so maybe this isn't for me?

Thanks for any insight - now I'm going to go breath slowly into a paper bag.
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  #2  
Old 2005-08-03, 12:18am
Nejoum Nejoum is offline
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You are going to love Lampworking!
You can start out with the Hot Head Torch that uses 1 pound canisters of gas.
There are beginner set ups to get you started.
Take your class first. You will ten be able to decide what you want to do.
Diana
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  #3  
Old 2005-08-03, 5:51am
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There are MANY home-based studios. Provided you take proper precautions with regards to safety, you should have no problems. The very first thing to do is check with your home owners insurance company. Tell them you plan on having a home based hobby (do not tell them this will be a business!). Tell them about the torch, the kiln, etc. If they raise objections, listen to them. If there is ever a fire or other problem that requires insurance payment, if you violate the terms of your insurance, you will not get coverage, in fact, you will probably get your insurance cancelled.

Large windows are a good thing, but windows alone do not make good ventilation. You need exhaust as well as replacement fresh air for the exhausted air. This can be done as simply as a window fan blowing the combustion air out the window and an open window on the opposite side of the room, all the way up to a professionally built exhaust hood, and anywhere in-between.

For a hothead torch, my recommendation would be a minimum of around 400 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of exhaust. Because the hothead uses only room air for combustion, it does not burn propane as completely as would a propane/oxygen torch, and you will end up with some residual combustion fumes, like carbon monoxide, however, NOX will be a much larger risk factor. All these things need good ventilation to remove, and plenty of fresh air to replace the exhausted air. Note that this needs to be done all the time you are torching, regardless of the weather outside - rain or shine, 100 degree or -30 degree temperatures, you need replacement fresh air, so be aware of that.

You will also need to protect the floors of the room you plan on using. If there is carpet, hardwood, or even vinyl tile, you will need to place some kind of protective surface on the floor. This will prevent flying hot glass (yes, it will happen) from buring a hole in the floor, and will also protect the floor from scratching from the shards of glass that occur when you cut glass. A hard wearing surface, such as plywood or composition board will go a long way towards protecting the floor underneath. If you have carpets down now, you will need to use extra thick boards to protect it - the carpeting will compress under load and you will end up with an uneven surface as you move around - thicker protective boards will help spread the weight (more even distribution), and will be less likely to locally deform under the wieght of a chair or bench.

As far as propane usage, use one pound cannisters only. It is national fire code that you cannot use or keep more than two (2) one pound cannisters of propane in your residence at any one time. You definately cannot keep a 20 pound bbq tank in the house! If you do decide to use such a tank, it must be kept outside at all times, and the propane brought into the house with a proper high pressure hose set, through a window or door. The Hot head torch uses full tank pressure to operate properly, and it is against national fire code to plumb more than 20 PSI of propane through a wall. For this reason, many lampworkers will soon switch to an oxygen/propane torch, such as the minor after they have decided that this is a hobby/craft they want to continue to persue.

Don't forget that at some point you are going to have to invest in a kiln. You definately cannot sell your beads unless they have been annealed in a kiln (there is no such thing as flame annealing, nor is a bead blanket or vermiculite a suitable replacement for a kiln). Check around, there may be someone close to you who can do batch annealing of your beads, but please don't sell them unannealed! Unannealed beads will break at some point in time, possibly causing harm or injury to the wearer.
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  #4  
Old 2005-08-03, 8:55am
Tannise Tannise is offline
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Diana, thanks for the encouragement. I've wanted to do this for so long - I hope I love it. I don't know how much talent I have, but I'm fascinated with glass and after years of bead stringing and weaving, this seems the next logical step.

Mike, wow! You are truly an encylopedia of information! Thank you so much for your time and input. The ventilation info is invaluable, as is the info regarding the regulations about propane. So much to think about. I don't know that I'll ever sell my beads or have a business, but good to know that I should contact my homeowner's insurance should I make that decision.

I can't wait for this weekend - and finally finding out if this is for me. Thank you both again!
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  #5  
Old 2005-08-03, 10:15am
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Good luck to you! I hope it works out very well.
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  #6  
Old 2005-08-03, 11:06am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tannise
I'm afraid to light a gas stove.........so maybe this isn't for me?
It all depends on how badly the lampwork bug has bitten you.

A few years ago I asked for, and was given, a gas grill as a gift. I was so freaked out about the propane tank that I never even got it filled. Two years later the grill was broken in a storm, and I threw it away, never having even used it once.

Fast forward to today and I have a lampwork studio set up in my laundry room. But no tanks...I run my torch on piped in natural gas and an oxygen concentrator. Lighting that torch for the first time was one of the scariest things I've ever done. I made my daughter go outside with all the pets and had the back door open so I could run out. Since I'm still here to post, obviously nothing awful happened. I've overcome most of my fear, but not enough to become nonchalant about the dangers of playing with fire.
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  #7  
Old 2005-08-03, 11:32am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisdd
.I run my torch on piped in natural gas and an oxygen concentrator. Lighting that torch for the first time was one of the scariest things I've ever done. I made my daughter go outside with all the pets and had the back door open so I could run out. Since I'm still here to post, obviously nothing awful happened. I've overcome most of my fear, but not enough to become nonchalant about the dangers of playing with fire.
glad you're still here to post I lean towards they pyromanic side so no problems there lol

but I'd really love more info on using natural gas vs. propane....
I have natural gas in several spots throughout the house, would I be able to just tap into one of those?
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  #8  
Old 2005-08-03, 12:15pm
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MikeAurelius MikeAurelius is offline
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The major point you have to keep in mind about using natural gas is that household gas pressure is about 1/4 to 1/3 PSI. "Most" torches will require at least 10 times that pressure, in the range of 2-5 PSI. I say "most" because there are always exceptions to the rule, and in this case, the Nortel Minor (in fact, *most* of the Nortel line) is the exception.

The Nortel Minor runs awesome on household natural gas.

You *can* get your pressure increased, but like everything else, it costs money and it needs some special things.

There are several ways to go about it:

Option 1: Tap off the main line before the regulator/gas meter, add a 2nd meter/regulator, but this one set at 5 PSI. Run a line to your work station.

Option 2: Increase the pressure on your household line to 5 PSI, and install regulators on your other gas appliances to lower the pressure back to 1/4 to 1/3 PSI.

There are people I know doing both options, and so far, it appears that option 2 seems to be the most widely accepted and the lower cost option.

A lot is going to depend on the configuration of your house and studio.
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  #9  
Old 2005-08-04, 8:51pm
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Bobcat also runs fine on NG We have 1/4 PSI at our house.
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  #10  
Old 2005-08-04, 8:56pm
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My Minor runs great on NG; didn't need to boost the pressure as I already had a little over 2 psi. All I did was have an existing NG line moved from one side of the room to the other.
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  #11  
Old 2005-08-15, 9:31am
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Default Natural Gas/ Annealing question

Our house has natural gas and I'm trying to talk mom into using this for the torch (MAPP gas canisters are too expensive). Who do we hire to add the other line? I'm pretty clueless, my family usually does home improvements with the help of a friend that is a contractor/builder. But when it comes to something that can explode I'd rather have a professional/expert in that field do it. I'd appreciate any advice.

And on annealing- we have been using an electric skillet filled with that stuff- vermiculite??? Anyway, can beads be annealed at any time? We do also have a kiln but because our beads are small didn't think it was really necessary to use. I have heard the term "batch annealing" and it sounded to me like you take a bunch of beads that have already been created and heat them back up? Or do you have to stick them in a kiln right after your bead is taken from the flame?

~*Tracy*~
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  #12  
Old 2005-08-15, 9:51am
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MikeAurelius MikeAurelius is offline
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You can't use natural gas with the Hot Head (or Fireworks) torch - those torches need full tank pressure (100 pounds per square inch and more).

Household natural gas is about 1/4 to 1/3 PSI, which is fine for working with a Nortel Minor or equivalent (and you will also need a source of oxygen with this torch as well).

Annealing - you aren't annealing with the skillet/vermiculite - you are only preventing heat shock. All beads, if you plan on selling them (or even giving them away) should be annealed - it removes the stress caused by shaping the bead, and prevents future breakage.

Batch annealing is taking the beads from room temperature up to annealing point, holding them there for a period of time, lowering them slowly to the strain point and then back to room temperature.

End of day annealing is putting beads mostly straight from the flame into a hot kiln and then annealing when the session is over.

For batch annealing, a cycle looks like this:

Ramp from room temp to 960 F over 2 hours.
Hold 960 F for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Ramp from 960 to 850 over 2 hours.
Hold at 850 for 10 minutes.
Ramp from 850 to room temperature over 2 hours (this is essentially turning off the kiln - most firebrick kilns have enough thermal mass to slowly lower the temperature the rest of the way without further manual or automatic control).

For end of session annealing (assume kiln is at 900 F)

Ramp from 900 F to 960 F over 10 minutes
Hold 960 F for 1 hour 30 minutes
follow the rest of the cycle noted above

You can do either method - if you batch anneal, you may have a slightly higher breakage rate from heat shock than if you put the hot bead into a hot kiln.

If you have a kiln, my suggestion would be to use it for an end-of-session annealing process.
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  #13  
Old 2005-08-15, 10:02am
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Thanks for the info Mike, especially the annealing cycle time and temps.

OK and if we buy a Minor torch (and oxygen supply)then we can use household natural gas without increasing pressure? I'm thinking maybe if we call the gas company they would be able to provide us with a list of people who could install another line? I'm still a little confused about the process of hooking up a gas line to the torch. I've read other people's posts mentioning "flashback arrestors" and saw photos of one person's gas hookup done outside the home (I think it may have been the man with 2nd floor studio). I don't remember seeing anything like that around the outside of our house. I'm going to be making beads outside on our 2nd floor deck so I'm thinking it will be easier since we won't need any holes drilled in our walls,etc.

Anyone have info/advice to share that already has household gas hooked up?

Thanks! Tracy
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Last edited by x_phoenician; 2005-08-15 at 10:17am.
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  #14  
Old 2005-08-15, 10:37am
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Dale M. Dale M. is offline
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If you have not already read this thread... You may want to go here and read a bit about bringing NG or Propane into residence...

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1020

Also some torches that will work on low pressure NG and low pressure oxygen (Oxygen concentrators)..

GTT Bobcat
Nortel Minor
Carlisle mini CC (I think)
National 8M with SM5 or SM7 Tips

There may be a few more but none comes to mind at this time.

Dale
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Last edited by Dale M.; 2005-08-16 at 8:26am.
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  #15  
Old 2005-08-15, 8:00pm
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Thanks Dale, that was exactly what I needed to read. Appreciate it....

Tracy
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  #16  
Old 2005-08-16, 4:23am
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Yep - the natural gas company will want to do any "outside" work themselves, but you can usually find a local plumber who also does natural gas work - even the HVAC guys do it as well, depending on the local codes AND union rules.
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