2 Beginner Questions
 

I've finally got my Lynx setup going and have about 20 hours on the torch. 2 questions so far.

1. I'm using a round 2" didymium lens mounted into a gooseneck holder. After a couple of hours my eyes begin to feel irritated and slightly itchy. Do I need to also use a welding lens?

2. After awhile the torch begins to foul that shows up as bright specks on the torch tip and when shut off there are tiny flakes of tin foil like material attached to some of the gas ports. I'm using a guitar string to clean. What is it and what's causing this to happen and do I need a dedicated port cleaner?

Thanks.

1. What kind of glass are you melting? If borosilicate, you do need at least shade 3.
2. That sounds like carbon buildup, and can be caused by a reducing flame chemistry. Are you using tanked or concentrator oxygen? GTT torches will soot up pretty quickly if your flame is not typically neutral or oxygenated. Cleaning it regularly is good; proper flame chemistry is also good. I had a wire that came with my torch that I put on a magnet on my hood and cleaned ports after every session, and as needed if I was doing a lot of reducing.

Hi ctual.
i. Sore eyes are usually caused by UV, your 2" didymium filter is too small - not protecting both eyes from seeing the flame. I use a clip-on filter (on my specticals) designed for both sodium flare & UV light (a 'pure' didymium filter removes sodium flare & little UV)
2. I agree with Kathy, but I think excessive carbon build up comes from dirty gas, if you are using bottled propane, try another supplier.

Peter

Thanks for the quick replies. Can you send me a link/name for your clip on spectacles. I'm really hoping for ones that flip down as I like to see the flame as I'm heating up the rods.

I'm using a BBQ tank that I just filled up and a K size oxygen tank, which means I got lots of dirty propane left to burn.

I'm still trying to get a handle on flame chemistry / ratios, which I find confusing when you add in just more overall gas flow. Both influence heat output, but I just don't know when to use what? Last week, made a gather of glass (104 coe) go completely soupy and pour onto my wooden book cart / workbench, which was pretty crazy... lots to learn as beginner.

I got my clip ons at Mountain Glass Arts

The Double Helix website has a good description of flame chemistry

I'm in Australia, got my clip-ons locally - don't have a brand on them, try your local lampworking suppliers.

While you are at the first stage of learning, stay away from reactive color & thus don't need to worry about oxidizing or reducing flame.
Very simply, gas controls the flame size, oxygen changes flame temp, thus you should reduce the oxygen. Also, the hotest part of the flame is just outside the white/yellow candles, the further you move out from the torch, the cooler the temp, thus work further out from torch.

Peter

You may not have dirty propane. As I said, GTT torches are sensitive to a propane rich flame. Just flick off the sparks with tweezers or a mandrel, and clean after you bleed the lines after you are through for the day.

Since you are using tanked oxygen you don't need to worry about whether a concentrator has a purity issue, so you should be good there if your settings are appropriate.

I think learning flame chemistry is important. If you have a problem, you can start from an informed perspective if you know what type of flame you were using. You do want to avoid a propane rich flame unless there is a specific need to use one, like reducing silver glass.

As far as soupy 104 - transparents are stiffer than opaques, and white and ivory are really soft. Work out further in the flame once you have some glass wound on your mandrel. You don't have to keep the glass screaming hot to shape the bead. Practice is you friend for this!

Early on most people (me!) keep the glass too hot, and spin the mandrel too fast. Once I learned to read the heat, learned how glass moved, and that it was not going to explode if I let it cool a bit, things improved for me. Good luck!

Well, moving the mandrel slower really does help. Just spent an hour or two pulling stringers and my new polycarbonate sodium flare flip up lenses did the trick in not making my eyes irritated. Trying to be more purposeful in my flame chemistry, but know that's going to just take more bench time. Thanks for all the advice.

Glad to hear things are going better...Just hang in there and keep at it....

The Lynx is a great torch and I have found I can do quite a bit with it even in the world of Boro....However, there is a learning curve and my experience with soft glass showed me that it is super easy to overheat the glass....Less is more definitely applies.

Remember a few things:
There is a whole lot of work that happens just outside the flame and it can be hard to tell that folks are outside the flame slightly even when you are in the room watching as angles of sight are different. The issue is even worse when watching videos...

The videos you see (assuming you watch them) show a much different looking flame as the way the camera picks up the light is different than our eyes....

Typically you can tell a reducing flame from others (on a GTT) by the fact that your candles are getting sharp/pointy and yellow or orange tips. Try to keep them rounder and/or whiter for neutral/oxidizing

If you are too close to the torch face you are also in a more reducing environment than if you move out a few (4-6) inches (even when you have an oxidizing flame) as the mix of gasses is taking place just in front of the torch.....

Also make sure that unless there is a good reason not to, for a short period of time, the middle valve on top should be cracked open to help keep carbon from building up...Just barley turn it until you see a very small change to the flame for normal use, but eventually you may want to use it for the sharp flames as well.....

I have run a Lynx for quite a while on a 10 lpm concentrator at 5400 feet elevation and have never had any sign of carbon build up...I am pretty sure it is just by running a proper flame....

I also believe in running a little oxygen through the torch after use to help cool it down but not sure if that contributes or not....It is easy for me as I just let the concentrator slowly dump the remaining oxygen out after I turn it off...with tanked I would just put a very small amount coming out of both Oxygen ports and give it a minute...Not much but some. Just a thought.

Also, this video from GTT may help you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ylgwDS9Xo

The part that shows flame adjustment is done with a 2 stage torch so the inner flame/fire is the Lynx and transfers over directly to your use....He also shows a flame to NOT use. After the flame adjustments there are some demonstrations starting with someone using a Lynx to make some flowers if I remember correctly....cannot remember the others but you can either watch or skip....

I hope this helps and wish you happy melting!

This might help with your flame issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhevq2xGa_o