Fumeing Hothead

akglasshole · #1 2010-01-07, 4:42pm

Can anyone give me some pointers or post some pics? Ive read some tips about covering the air intake holes with tin foil but i guess you could say i dont excactly get the full idea. I have been lampworking for 6-8 yrs now and began with a major/minor which was easy to fume with. In the last 2-3 yrs ive been demoted to a HH due to setup space and monetary limitations.If someone could please post pics of what the flame looks like of the ideal reduction flame on a HH and how to achieve it I would so greatly appreciate it!

Mr. Meker · #2 2010-01-07, 5:32pm

Umm... you cant fume on an HH. The flame is always slightly reducing.

jamie lynne · #3 2010-01-07, 5:36pm

You need a slightly reducing flame for fuming silver.

akglasshole · #4 2010-01-07, 5:50pm

I know that I cant fume on a hothead but i have seen others that can and have seen finished results done on a hothead. I do know that it takes a reduction flame, but am wondering how to get the right reduction on a HH.

gemsinbloom · #5 2010-01-07, 6:20pm

I would like to know how to do this as well.

Sue in Maine · #6 2010-01-07, 6:46pm

I've read that you need to make an aluminum foil "collar" and put it around the holes on the hot head head... you can see them about (what?) 4-5 inches or so from the end of the head... kind of on the shoulder of it. Hell, they're holes. You can see them! lol.. I am so bad at directions.

If you do a search on "reducing on* a* hothead" you may find some old threads... or try "aluminum foil* hothead." (You know you need to use the * as a wildcard for words 4 letters or less within the search feature, right?)

Hope I helped. If I confused, sorry about that!

Sue

carolinainmymind · #7 2010-01-07, 7:08pm

Aleta- You beat me to it... I was just looking for that link to post!!!

Thanks!!!

gemsinbloom · #8 2010-01-07, 7:09pm

So reducing is fuming?

Shrimp · #9 2010-01-07, 7:10pm

See if this will be of help to you:

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...56#post1748856

Here is another one on Wetcanvas.com You may have to be a member in order to view the thread.

http://wetcanvas.com/forums/showthre...reduction+coil

jamie lynne · #10 2010-01-07, 7:24pm

No, you need a reduction flame to fume silver... I think more oxy for gold (but have never fumed gold)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemsinbloom

So reducing is fuming?

akglasshole · #11 2010-01-07, 7:49pm

thank you very much Aleta the first link did help due to the pics. I do have the glove needed but since i will be fumeing im goin to need both hands but atleast i have a visual of the reduction flame on a HH. goin to give it a try tonight and ill keep you posted on whether or not i am successful.

Sue in Maine · #12 2010-01-07, 8:05pm

Please do not do fuming unless you have an excellent ventilation system. If you are unsure, be safe and do major research on fuming. It can be very dangerous without proper ventilation.

I can't stress this enough.

Sue

Shrimp · #13 2010-01-07, 9:20pm

Sue is absolutely right. Very dangerous without proper ventilation.

Mr. Meker · #14 2010-01-07, 10:01pm

You can reduce silver glasses with a HH, but you can't fume silver metal onto glass. I would not use the glove method as the glove gets hot enough to burn you after a few seconds. Try the WC link or get some rivets or screws and use your tweezers to drop them in the holes on the torch.

A reducing flame is created when there is not enough oxygen to oxidize (the opposite of reduce) the fuel to carbon dioxide and water. When there is not enough oxygen, hydrogen and carbon monoxide are formed. These want to be oxidized so they steal oxygen from the silver in the glass. The shine on the black nebula bead is a thin layer of metallic silver on the surface of the bead.

Fuming is when the silver metal is melted then boiled in the flame and deposited on the workpiece. Silver fuming results in blues, yellows, browns, and then a metallic coating the heavier the piece is fumed. I have only fumed with gold a few times, but in my experience, it results in pink, then red, then dark ruby, and finally a gold coating. Gold is easier to burn off, but takes higher temperatures to deposit.

HH's are simply not hot enough to fume silver. The adiabatic (perfect) flame temperature of propane in air is 1980C, with MAPP producing a temperature of 2010C. Silver boils at 2162C and gold at 2856C.