Boro Tutorials for Boro Newbies! - Page 5

eej713 · #**121** 2009-02-23, 5:59am

Quote:

Originally Posted by steph1214

Another good idea, a mandrel!! Believe me, you all will probably see my stuff at its poopiest of colors, i am going to start with beads, just simple beads and see about the striking etc... thanks again
steph

And what is easy about beads????? I've only done beads a few times and I'm less than pleased with most of the results. I work better off the mandrel! I know practice, practice. Only trouble is, when you are renting studio time, you don't want to spend half an hour or more making one bead, just to find it less than "keepable".

Only another week or two and my torch will be here. I got the Oxygen Concentrator delivered Friday afternoon. I will then be able to work from home. Whopppee!

steph1214 · #**122** 2009-02-23, 10:07am

Yeah, i finally get the experience i need under my belt with soft glass and then i decide to switch glasses, well, i will always have my wall of soft glass that i will still work a lot with! I am excited though for the challenge, and that bigger/hotter flame!!!

eej713 · #**123** 2009-02-23, 11:41am

Holy Cow, is that your "soft glass"? How big is your room, that looks like the length of my garage, if not longer. I wouldn't dare leave my glass out like that, I'm looking into containers that will seal to keep the dust off of it. You can fit most of my glass in a few containers with lots of room left over. My "studio" shares a corner of the garage, which has to be cleaned up before I can fire my torch.

Lynn in PA

steph1214 · #**124** 2009-02-23, 12:56pm

Hi Lynn,
yeah, my hubby is awesome, i just wipe them all down before i use them. A dip in the alcohol (on another table) or the armpit swipe, ha! It seems that whenever i get a dull moment i can turn around in my chair and stare at the wall and sometimes it gives me color idea. I love it much better this way. Here are a few more pics (i know this is not a studio thread, but hey, i should show off what my husband has done for me). the propane is outside and housed in a locked box and comes through the brick into the studio. I have 650 cfm and two work stations. I am still putting the studio together. Now i guess i will have to have a wall of boro!!! All of my bullseye is in containers and still needs to go on a wall. I have three walls left, it really is a big room. We lucked out because my nephew owns his own construction company and he and Mark did this in two weekends. I am still decorating it because i want it to feel like home.

Tancaro · #**125** 2009-02-24, 11:09am

Oh my gosh, LOVE that wall of glass! (And the rest isn't too bad either! LOL)

-Carol

steph1214 · #**126** 2009-02-24, 11:45am

Thanks Carol, it makes it so much easier to see the glass that way and i still have two more glass walls to put together, the glass is sitting in bins just waiting. My floors are now done and i have cool rugs and it is getting there. now i have to figure out if i like boro when my stuff comes and then i can put that on the wall too!!!
By the way, i love these tutorials, i cannot wait to get my stuff so i can do them.
steph

eej713 · #**127** 2009-02-25, 6:18am

Quote:

Originally Posted by steph1214

Yeah, i finally get the experience i need under my belt with soft glass and then i decide to switch glasses, well, i will always have my wall of soft glass that i will still work a lot with! I am excited though for the challenge, and that bigger/hotter flame!!!

Okay, how did you make that glass wall? It looks like PVC pipe (Size?) cut into segments but how did you get it hooked to the Masonite? Getting your hand in there to put a screw or nut cap would be hard. Did you glue them in place? I won't always have to keep my glass away from dust, and having it where you can see it would be great.....plus you could put a sticker on the holders to let you know the glass manufacturer and color.

Lynn in PA

steph1214 · #**128** 2009-02-25, 8:33am

Bingo, it is all listed and i love it. Ok, so you have to stand above the board and reach around as you put bigger plastic zip ties through the holes and then pull on the other side as tight as you can, you have to do this uniformly or one side will hang a little lower, so just check them and if a couple are loose pull harder. i was able to get my small arms over the top for almost half of the board and then i turned it upside down and did it again and then mark helped with the middle by being behind the board and me in the front. OR easier would be to just get a friend or something to stand behind while you fish through.

steph1214 · #**129** 2009-02-25, 8:36am

oh, so you can see that you have to cut the pipe in 1 inch or so, mabye 2 inches and then you go through the hole from the back on the right side of pipe, go through the pipe and then back through the back of board and slide zip into counterpart and pull. hope this helps, do not have a closeup
steph

eej713 · #**130** 2009-02-26, 7:41am

Great, I never thought of electrical ties, but that makes a lot of sense. Did you stagger the rows a little? It doesn't look like it, but it seems like that would allow you to pull the rods out a little easier, or is that a problem?

Still waiting for my torch to get here.

steph1214 · #**131** 2009-02-26, 8:28am

Lynn,
I pull a little to the right and then angle and go through the bottom, no probs. However i can get a lot more glass on this because it is soft glass. WHOA, i got my boro yesterday, could it get any longer??? Do you all cut it in half i hope? I could use one of those rods to balance myself on a tight rope!! ha
steph

eej713 · #**132** 2009-02-27, 6:44am

You should see the clear, or is that what you are talking about? Clear, I cut up about 5 rods in 12 inch lengths to use. The rest, I'm keeping in the box wrapped in the plastic they shipped it in.

Colored, I do cut in half and when it gets too short, I either punty to same color or a clear rod. Colored for now is in a plastic container that I bought so they would fit. I think most of them are 20-22 inches long if I remember right. If I were you, for the colored boro, I'd stagger the rows so you can get them out. Just drop down between the holders on the first row for your first set of holders. I'm putting in another order today to Wales for the Asian glass (most of it is transparent) and really cheap at $8 a pound to practice with.

My torch arrived yesterday, but we need to finish the cage for the propane. I just may try to find someone to fill a couple of tanks today, just so that we can fire it up and check it out. My Oxygen Concentrator arrived with two broken wheels, they are going to send new wheels, but I'm not sure when I'll get them.....in the meantime, I'll just put a block of wood under the one side.

Have fun with the boro..........I'm going to need to order a little soft in order to use up the frit and stuff I have, or trade it off for something else.

s38hyler · #**133** 2009-02-28, 6:30pm

Steph,
I love your wall of glass and your set up, do you think I could send my hubby for lessions from you hubby on how to make me a set up like that. All I can say is wow, I am in the garage and it stays too cold out there in the winter to torch.

I love this thread I so wanted to work on some of these this weekend and it has been cold and raining here since friday and they are calling for snow tomorrow, and I am in the south I thought spring was here.

Sandra ( who is disappointed she isn't getting to try the new things she learned on this thread.)

steph1214 · #**134** 2009-02-28, 9:24pm

No you do not want to send your hubby for lessions< haha!!! but for lessons that would be no prob. (i could not resist)!! Good luck with the weather, that is the nice thing about my studio. where are you? probably in one of the big time glass states. Here in Ohio, there are not many of us it seems.
steph

eej713 · #**135** 2009-03-01, 5:34am

I'm in PA and it was cold again here yesterday........but that didn't stop me from setting up my torch finally. I'm still waiting for Pyronamix to send me new wheels for my Oxygen Concentrator (2 of the wheels broke in shipment), I'll call them again on Monday, but for now we leveled it with a piece of wood. I need to go buy some longer hoses for the propane and torch, but that might have to wait a few days. Think I'll check out Harbor Freight and see what their prices are before I pay the local prices.....I'll have to check their prices out also.

I'll have a bit of a learning curve with the Cricket after using a 9 jet torch at my instructor's studio. So far I like it, but it is a bit slower to melt than the bigger torch. I did sit down in the "cold" garage for about 3 hours to play, until my son remembered he had a propane heater in the other garage and I had gotten two tanks filled, so he sat that up and I managed to stay warm. I'm going to try to keep track of how many hours I can get out of the small propane tank, I dropped $43 filling two tanks (12.4 gal.), my instructor says it lasts forever.......but then she has about a 200-300 gal. (or is it lbs.) tank behind her studio.

My problem right now is figuring out how to program the Bluebird oven. My son did it last night and it was wrong, after 4 hours it still wasn't up to "garaging heat". I can't find out how to remove the program from the memory either. I used a fiber blanket for my little heart buttons (for my SIL), and the little pendants I did. I'm delighted with the little mushroom I tried, even if I did get it "catywampus", I'm going to try some more of them today. I'll add some photos of a few things, but they aren't very good. The camera battery needed replacement so they aren't as clear and sharp. I'll take some new photos later today.

steph1214 · #**136** 2009-03-01, 7:18am

I love your mushroom, i have never done that either, remember, i am soft glass girl. I am glad that you are able to keep warm. my propane lasts forever too, it is just the oxy that goes so quickly. but now that i am turning up the propane a little higher it will go a little bit faster. I do not even want to know how quickly the oxy goes. good luck with everything, they always say "oh it is so easy to program" the kilns but my brain does not like to think that way. ha !
steph

StellaBlue · #**137** 2009-03-01, 1:53pm

Great stuff here for newbies - thanks! I've been using soft glass for the past year and a half. The proprieter of my local glass shop (troublemaker!) just made me a wonderful gift - sample packs of NS, GA, and Simax promo packs - about 40 different colors in 4-6" shorts. I've got a couple rods of clear (and will get more soon), appropriate eye protection also on the way. I have a minor and tanked O2, so I should be able to do small stuff ok.

I do not currently have a kiln (will be getting one in a couple of months), and batch anneal all my soft glass at my local shop. I cool in vermiculite, then take everything down to be annealed every week or two.

Can I batch anneal small boro beads in the same manner, or do I need to wait until the arrival of the kiln before I can play?

Yours in clueless newbiehood,

Kare TX · #**138** 2009-03-01, 2:17pm

yes you can batch anneal. Still need to cool in vermiculite. Boro is more tolerant of temp change but can still react and some colors more than others. Do not try to encase green since it is more likely to crack, also no matter what I do GA Bibitibobiti blue cracks on me.
Have fun

StellaBlue · #**139** 2009-03-01, 2:45pm

Coool! Thanks so much! I've tried some of the "boro-style" stuff - Brent's hearts, on-and-off mandrel implosions, some little mushroom-things - in soft glass, and I'm really looking forward to trying them in boro.

Appreciate hearing from you.

StellaBlue · #**140** 2009-03-01, 5:14pm

Here's the colors I got, all 4-6" shorts. Is there anything here I should stay away from at first, either because it is hella temperamental or because it has been out of production forever and no one wants to see me lay waste to it on a newbie practice bead? Or conversely, stuff that is so easy and fun that I will be forever drawn to the dark side?

Simax clear shaped (2 triangles, 2 squares) – what are these for? Are they to be used as twisty bases? Or some other purpose into which I am not yet initiated?

PC14 dark amethyst (2)
PC16 Green Tea (2)
PC12 Silver Creek
PC40 tan silver creek
PC 66 obtainium
PC10 unobtainium

(GA color labels all have working suggestions – i.e.; flamestrike, do not overkiln, etc…)
GA 386 Purple Luster (2)
GA 138 Ruby Strike 4
GA 444 Clover
GA 446 Aqua Azul
GA 987 Amazon Night (2)
GA 301 Acid Yellow Crayon
GA 204 Orange Crayon
GA864 Sienna
GA132 Jasper Red
GA 974 Black (Violet)

NS 63 Canary
NS 78 Mystery Aventurine
NS 72 Millennium Moss
NS 53 Forest Green
NS 01 Cobalt Blue
NS 81 Blue Caramel
NS 75 Onyx
NS 45 Blue Moon
NS 41 Butterscotch
NS 82 Ruby K
NS 65 Cherry
NS 26 Double Amber Purple
NS 04 Dark Multi
NS 14 Irrid
NS 70 Ice Blue
NS 27 Green exotic
NS 80 Hyacinth
NS 83 Skyline
NS 79 Blue Spruce
NS 54 Star white

eej713 · #**141** 2009-03-02, 6:52am

Rita, Lucky you, to get such a neat sample package. A neat way to try out a lot of colors.

I bought an Oxygen Concentrator for about $400 and a new Cricket torch $200 (with small top marver, shipping, etc.) and that takes care of my oxygen. I've been on the torch the last two days playing around. That's why it took me so long to get a setup in place, I had to wait to afford these last two items. I had no desire to run around with tanks of oxygen in my car. I'm trying to keep track of the number of hours I get out of this tank of Propane so that I have an idea how much to budget for Propane.

I got the Bluebird programmed yesterday and it seems to have worked great. I'll make a few changes to the program as recommended by Paul Ewing and I should be good to play. I'm going to try to get out my Photo Cube and see if I can get some better photos of the mushroom pendant, I made another one that I like and one that turned out a bit wonky.

Okay, got to get off the computer and get three birthday cards made that have to go in the mail today........two of them will more than likely get there the day after their birthday, but I forgot to make and mail them last week. We are suppose to get a snow storm today (up to 12", but I'm not sure that's in my area), so I have to get to the post office before it starts in earnest.

s38hyler · #**142** 2009-03-02, 9:21pm

Hi Steph, Looks like I did mis spell LOL. I am in Western NC not much glass here. Or at least there not much that I know of, I know there are people around that do lampwork but there aren't that many that I know of.
take care,
Sandra

theglasszone · #**143** 2009-03-02, 11:40pm

Required BUMP to get it back up there!!! This is a cool thread!!!

De

jojo101 · #**144** 2009-03-05, 11:46am

rita ns14 irrid is awesome, its one of my all time favorites. its really easy to use. but if u blast it with oxy while u work it , like really relly really overkill it with oxy, and hten strike it with an oxy flame, u get really awesome silvery effects.

StellaBlue · #**145** 2009-03-06, 5:28am

Quote:

Originally Posted by jojo101

rita ns14 irrid is awesome, its one of my all time favorites. its really easy to use. but if u blast it with oxy while u work it , like really relly really overkill it with oxy, and hten strike it with an oxy flame, u get really awesome silvery effects.

Awesome - thanks! Are there any other colors you particularly like to use it with?

eej713 · #**146** 2009-03-06, 10:22am

Uggh!!!!! I've been trying to make an Imploded flower every day, for the one I got (almost) right, I have 3 that end up off-center on the rod and the petals don't meet in the center. I've tried standing up, keeping it at a 45 degree angle, and am just not getting it right. Maybe I'm holding it in the wrong part of the flame? Maybe I'm not putting the lines close enough to the center? It's almost like the thick rod itself is acting as a heat sink and keeping the rim from heating up enough to pull in. It's taking me 45-60 min. and then I turn it into a fan pull or pendant............I shall keep trying, one of these days I'll do it right at least two times in a row and then it should start getting easier..........I hope.

I have an order into Wales for some 12mm clear rod, I'm almost out of the rods I got at the estate sale, all my other rods are 7mm. I told them to wait until the rest of my Asian glass gets in to ship it, no sense in paying the shipping twice.

Today I practiced pulling twisties, using a transparent over a solid color and did some fairly decent ones, although not as long as the experts. I'm happy when they don't pull out "thick & thin". I'll do a lot more of that, especially once I figure out the implosions.

I'm hoping my electric bill won't shoot through the ceiling for this month, since I'm turning on the oven for 8 hours or so a day. I bought the Bluebird XL (bead doors) and they said it was energy efficient......sure hope so.

I need to learn how to take decent photos of my glass. I don't know how you all do it and come out with such clear photos.

Lynn in PA

eej713 · #**147** 2009-03-06, 10:32am

Where do you go to sell or trade some glass? I have a bunch of soft frit and Millefiori and I only use the boro. I really don't have any idea of the value, and it's been 3 months or more since someone told me they were interested and I've lost her name. I'd like to trade it for Boro frit or tools.

Lynn in PA

steph1214 · #**148** 2009-03-06, 11:05am

Hey Lynn,
I am hoping that you will get it soon, they make it look sooooo easy on the videos, ugh is right!!! Don't worry, you will not be alone for long, i will be heading down to try and something tells me even though i have been on a torch for two years, i still have no off mandrel experience and i feel completely intimidated by it. i am still waiting for my 15mm rod to come but i got my vin pin and peters tweezers in the mail today!!! I have not been this excited over a glass tool in a long time, that vin pin is soooo cool.
steph

eej713 · #**149** 2009-03-07, 2:02pm

Well Steph, I have little to no experience on mandrels. I've learned mostly off mandrel and I'm more comfortable doing that. I'll tackle beads one of these days. I don't have a clue as to what I'm going to do with all this glass I'm making. My friends are sure getting happy with all the things I'm giving them. I have the Peters Tweezers, but don't think I'll be ordering the Vin Pin real soon. I'm waiting for a set of marble molds I ordered on eBay on the 14th, and still haven't gotten. They cost me about what the Vin Pin costs......I am not happy!

Kare TX · #**150** 2009-03-07, 5:33pm

eej713- you can try selling some in the "garage sale" area.

Steph - off mandrel with boro is totaly diff than soft. Try a leaf first, supper easy. I can't work off mandrel with soft but prefer it with boro.

Also you don't need to spend the money on a Vin-Pin right away. Go to hobby lobby etc and get a metal "floral frog." You can find them on line in different sizes. it will work until you want to spend on a vin-pin.
http://www.stonelantern.com/Kenzans_s/50.htm