[kikosun]

Hi
I am still fairly new, but I have definitely gotten bitten by the lampworking bug! I have been working on a hothead with small tanks of MAPP gas, but I've begun to get really frustrated by that setup. It always seems to take a long time to melt glass on the hothead, and I hate running out of gas in the middle of a bead, which always seems to happen when I'm on a good bead! I have been on the hothead long enough to know that I will be sticking with this new hobby, and now I think it's time to move on.

I am currently amassing supplies to upgrade to a propane/oxygen system. I would like to use an oxygen concentrator to avoid dealing with tanked oxygen, and decided to purchase an M15 from unlimited oxygen.

I am having a harder time deciding on the torch. I have my eye on the GTT Lynx, and have done alot of research here and on other websites. I am currently making small beads with soft glass, but I would like to branch out into boro, marbles, and small sculpture in the future. I would like to get a torch that would not limit my options. I am someone who likes to get the best equipment from the beginning, rather than upgrading to something that you might outgrow in a year or two and having to upgrade again a short time later. From my research, it seems to me that the Lynx might be the torch that would be suitable for my intended purposes for the rest of my hobby career. I've read that people who have purchased larger two stage torches like the Phantom end up using the Lynx center flame 90% of the time anyway.

My question is - do you think a jump from Hothead to Lynx is too big, and are there any cons to working too hot too soon? I am sure there will be a steep learning curve. It seems that the Lynx especially has such a large variety of flame characteristics that will take a while to master. But my rationale is if I upgrade to a Minor or Mini CC, then a few years later want to upgrade to the Lynx anyway, it might be better in the long run to just learn on the Lynx from the start.

One other question I had is regarding the Lynx's focused flame. I like the option of having a pinpoint flame for detailed work. But it seems like the one thing that some people dislike about the Lynx is that it lacks a bushy flame for insurance heat to the rest of the bead. Have people who have been using the Lynx found this to be a problem at all? Or is it ok once you've mastered the dynamics of the flame?
From what I've read, the Lynx should work on an M15 concentrator - correct me if I'm wrong. I've read it works better on two, so my plan was to add a second when I get comfortable with the flame on one concentrator.


Thanks for the help. This community has been a great resource for me!