[artwhim]

Ditto the suggestion on shade 3 for small boro, otherwise you will be working in the dark. I use stick-on readers that are available at drug stores and Amazon. They are inexpensive and work great. I only replace them if the strength I need changes, otherwise mine have lasted for years.

Not sure what kiln you have, but the white insulation is usually the same material as a fiber blanket. Does your kiln also fuse? If so, the fire bricks might be to block off the dog door when fusing. That’s what my Arrow Spring kiln has, although the firebrick has a handle.

I haven’t used a National, but for all torches, when doing boro tuck the glass right up near the torch candles. You will need to sink a lot of heat into the glass and keep the heat, otherwise you will find it frustrating and slow. Once your boro pieces are cool, if they are brittle or if the clear has a frosted look, you didn’t get the glass hot enough when working it.

For soft, totally disregard the above advice. If you work it that close to the candles you will have a mess. My recommendation is to choose boro or soft at the beginning and focus on just that COE until you feel comfortable with your skills, then tackle the other glass.

Have fun!