Respectfully, Dale, I disagree. Conservation leads to bad mixture settings and poor glassworking results. A smaller cooler flame does not result in good beads.
This seems to be one of those never ending discussion points - but the thing is, it's basic chemistry. At a minimum, you need 2 PSI of oxygen for every PSI of propane you burn. You cannot get around this rule, if you try, you will end up with a reduction flame and bad glass.
Oxygen usage is part and parcel of what we do. You cannot compromise on your usage.
When I was working on smaller torches, I'd typically blow through a "K" oxygen tank in one week and a 20 pound BBQ tank of propane in 4 weeks. Other people have reported similar results. Now that I'm running a larger torch (Tiger Shark), I'm using the equivalent of a "K" oxygen tank in about 3 days, and a 20 pound BBQ tank of propane in 3 weeks.
Keep in mind that if you get an oxygen concentrator, your purity of oxygen is actually less than tanked oxygen, and you will have to work with lower propane pressures to compensate. Going to a concentrator may not always be in your best interests because of that.
Essentially, you do have to "deal" with it (no insult intended). Do what works for you. There's no way around it, oxygen is expensive, but it's just like a kiln, you have to have it.
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Chaotic Glass: Safety for the glassworker, and random thoughts and opinions on the state of the glassworking world To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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