I want a big girl torch

Amm12345 · #1 2010-10-19, 7:28am

Hi All,
I am looking for suggestions on what torch to get next. I have used a hot head for a long time and want to expand to using boro and other glass. My husband is giving me a hard time about propane and oxygen in the house or gararag. Does anyone have set up instructions and arguments I can use to convice himthat I will not blow the house up. I use the map gass in the basement. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ann

Lea Zinke · #2 2010-10-19, 7:38am

I used the trusty wonderful Hothead for the first couple of years. When I decided to upgrade, I did a lot of reading and decided to go with the Glass Torch Technology (GTT) torches because of all the wonderful reviews, i.e., clean-burning, problem-free, etc.

I bought the Bobcat, which is comparable to a Minor which a lot of folks were using at that time. Loved it, still have it as my back-up torch, and then upgraded to a Lynx several years ago. Other than having the Lynx cleaned a couple of times it has been just a dream. Big enough to work small boro and anything else I want to do! So that's my two cents!

HTH!
Lea

Amm12345 · #3 2010-10-19, 8:07am

Thanks for the info. Now to convince the husband I will not blow the house up.

Lea Zinke · #4 2010-10-19, 8:11am

Heh,heh, good luck with that! There's lots of safety info here on LE that you can print out for him! (Sometimes reading it in print helps solidify the concept!)

I loved my Hothead though! I hear people say all the time they can't make big beads which is absolutely not true. I made big, encased, multi-layer beads all the time with mine. But then like everything, you always want to upgrade!

Have fun making your decision, PM me if you've got any questions!
Lea

theglasszone · #5 2010-10-19, 8:19am

Ann~

I realize that you'll probably hear pros and cons on keeping oxygen and fuel INSIDE when working with a oxy/fuel torch when you upgrade, but I CAN'T RECOMMEND ENOUGH that you consider piping in your Propane and then if you use an Oxycon, you don't have to mess with refilling and switching out heavy tanks.

Piping your Propane in THE RIGHT, SAFE WAY isn't difficult - and I'm sure your hubby will help you if he thinks this is the safe way to do things, right?

Here's my Tutorial here on LE to show how piping the Propane into your studio is done - with shut off safety valves and such to make sure you're playing it SAFE! Hope it helps and good luck to you!

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...hlight=propane

GlassGalore · #6 2010-10-19, 8:46am

I just want to echo what De stressed about making sure your Propane is stored OUTSIDE and piped in with the proper pipes and shut-off valves. There is a ton of info in the Safety section on how to do this, although it does take some work and calculations.

I would recommend too going with an oxygen concentrator over tanked O2, just for the ease / safety factor and never having to worry about running out. It will be a bigger up-front $ investment, but will quickly pay for itself as O2 tank rentals and refills can get pricey fast. Never mind the hassle of running out in the middle of a project.

And don't forget that good ventilation is extra important when moving to a dual-fuel torch.

Hope you get your hubby's approval and have a great time with your new torch setup!

tnehlers · #7 2010-10-19, 8:55am

I also went from the HH to the Bobcat. I hated the HH. Everything came out horribly and I thought I was terrible at lampworking; turned out it was the torch.

I love my bobcat for soft glass and it is ok for small boro. I was working on an M5. It was slow but I was making small (1") implosions and 40mm sculptures. I've since upgraded to an M15 and haven't tried boro yet, but I'm sure it will melt much more quickly. I love the bobcat on the M15 with the soft glass even more than I did on the M5.

I'm now upgrading to a scorpion because I'm very impatient.

I'm keeping the bobcat; I might keep them both set up, or just keep the bobcat as a backup because it's just that great a torch! GTT is the way to go imo; I love their torches and they are worth the wait.

Lorraine Chandler · #8 2010-10-19, 9:36am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amm12345

Hi All,
I am looking for suggestions on what torch to get next. I have used a hot head for a long time and want to expand to using boro and other glass. My husband is giving me a hard time about propane and oxygen in the house or gararag. Does anyone have set up instructions and arguments I can use to convice himthat I will not blow the house up. I use the map gass in the basement. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ann

Your DH is right on two counts, one is that to set up in a garage or home you need to be approved by local authorities which include neighborhood CC&R's.and city, county and state codes.

Second, Most insurance companies will cancel you if they find out you have a torch in your house or garage. Especially if the garage is attached. Best to have a separate building like a tuff shed just for the lampwork.

Look up all of the threads on insurance here, it will help prepare you. Also a few people built the shed in the back yard and set up only to have the homeowners CC&R's imposed and they had to remove the shed.

I would suggest getting all of your ducks in a row and if you can have a studio, and your insurance is okay with it, ( get the okay in writing ) then have everything installed to code safely. Then everyone will be happy and safe.

The reason I say get the insurance okay in writing on your policy is because the agents sometimes say no problem but when you ask the underwriters about an open flame policy they say NO WAY.

Good luck, most of us have been here and it is a real pain and very expensive to get everything set up for a "legal" lampworking studio.

Amm12345 · #9 2010-10-19, 10:13am

Thanks for all the great information. I did not think about the insurance aspect. There is a place I can set up to work in out of the house, but since both kids have gone to college I did not want to leave husband alone. He misses them. I actually like working in my house. I am not sure the oudoor shed can be converted. I will ask him about that. Would need electricity for lights and heatsource. Hmmm lots to think about.
Ann

Dale M. · #10 2010-10-20, 8:20am

Some reading...

http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum...php?f=12&t=430

http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum....php?f=12&t=11

http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum...c.php?f=12&t=9

http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum...php?f=12&t=273

IF you observe certain safety criteria, it can as safe as anything else in life.... Quite frankly if properly done, you are probably safer in studio than out on road riding/driving a car....

Right now with hothead and fact you are in basement you are probable in more danger than with fuel/oxygen torch....

Biggest issue in basement is ventilation and fuel storage.... IF ventilation is done properly and you leave fuel and oxygen tanks above ground (outside storage) and pipe fuel and oxygen in (or use oxycon instead of tanked oxygen) everything is pretty cool.....

Dale

Bakerman44 · #11 2010-10-21, 5:45pm

it's always best to ask for forgiveness than permission

just do it!! (and im officially a GTT snob myself, I see no reason to try another torch now)