Mega minor stretch the limit
 

Any one did a 3inch marble with this mega minor nortel torch.

Use: For lampworking beads, small sculpture, marbles, from small up to 3 inches. Primarily for use with soft glass and some borosilicate. Runs well on a single concentrator, but will happily produce a larger, hotter flame with two concentrators.
Franklin

I made a 2 inch marble on my original minor it took forever to melt the gather. mORE poWeR was needed.

Steve

Thanks. Remember how long? Did you have to be weary that it would crack and you had to reheat very often?
Franklin

I use soft glass so I am always worried about cracks reheat all the time. The marbles fall off the punty and roll all over. I am getting better about keeping the punty end warm. But it is still tricky keeping heat in. I get lost in details and forget to add insurance heat then ...........Crack ..........sigh

Steve

This true of glass in general. Soft, Boro, power meter covers, etc. :) I have done 2.25" on my Lynx but they were marathon sessions. For marbles that size you should upgrade to something the size of a GTT Mirage or other multi stage torch with tanked oxygen.

Also keep in mind that there is a huge difference in a 3" soft glass marble and a 3" boro marble. Even so, I have not heard of anyone making a 3" soft glass marble on that torch. It would be neat to see if someone did and how long it took. I might just try it and see for myself. :)

Mr Smeeth thanks for sharing your soft glass experience, i dont feel so bad now when my marble falls.
Larry I am trying to get away from tank oxygen. its a pain to refill the heavy bottles. can two concentrators work instead? I have one and its nice to know i will not run out of oxy. I can save up for another conc if it will work. is there an alternative? how about heat up in a gh then focus heat with the torch? needs fast juggling.
How about the air propane set up.

I have no idea how much heat is needed for a 2" marble but I just tried one and it was a mess. cold, minimum implosion, a big sunken part in the middle of the maria. I believe that soft glass is workable just need patience. Which I dont have too much of. Dont waste your time kimberly, 3" could take hours if at all.
franklin

is a hotter flame a longer flame?
franklin

Generally, the longer your candles, the hotter the flame, provided it's neutral.

Theres no free lunch. Some of the industrial oxygen systems look promising.

What torch would you consider to be adequate for a 3 inch marble.
Franklin

For boro I think something in the approximate heat range of a GTT Mirage is sufficient but it still requires quite a bit of experience and skill. Three inch thick solid pieces are not something easy to do in a torch if you are trying to compromise on your equipment.

The Cheetah and the Scorpion can work boro marbles up to 3". A larger torch like the Sidewinder, Phantom, or Mirage would make quicker work of it.

Franklin, correct me if I'm wrong, but you are working just with soft glass, right?

The bigger the marble you wish to make, the larger your torch will need to be. The larger your torch, the more oxygen you will need. So, as I see it, your biggest limitation will be your oxygen supply:

If you use bottled oxygen, the bigger your torch, the faster you go through a bottle.

If you use a concentrator, the size of your concentrator(s) limits the size torch you can run. And yes, you can gang up several concentrators to increase your oxygen supply.

So, if you are on concentrator(s), I suggest that you determine the maximum amount of available oxygen, then choose the largest, most efficient torch you can run with that amount of oxygen.

If you are on bottles, it becomes a question of time vs money. Which do you wish to spend?

Malcolm

Thanks Malcom.
Franklin