KBinkster-please post the crickets here. - Page 9

squid · #**241** 2008-09-23, 1:48pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by osvold

only 6 days from USA to Czech Republic (including Toll office), wow allmost unbelivable, usually it takes weeks, even months.
Hmm, i have to buy new hoses.
One question, in the manual, there is "if you use propane, set the regulator to 5lbs of pressure", does it mean that the outgoing pressure should be 5psi?

Another question, will you use flashback arrestors for the Cricket?

yes, the pressure out from the tank into the torch should be set at 5psi.

kbinkster · #**242** 2008-09-23, 5:28pm

It can run on a lot less, so if your regulator does not go up all the way to 5 psi, but can put out at least 0.25 psi, you can run the Cricket. I'll check with Wally about how low it could go while still getting top performance.

pompedom · #**243** 2008-09-24, 3:05am

I got my cricket today!! That's really fast shipping!! I'm so exited. I'll get my concentrator friday or saturday and then the real torching can begin.
In the manual they stated 5 pounds, but how does that convert into bar? My propane regulator goes from 0 to 6 bar and my sinlge fuel torch runs at 4 bar. So I suppose it should be less then 4. Minors run at 1.5 bar, is that a good starting point? Or should it be even less?

Paul Ewing · #**244** 2008-09-24, 5:52am

I would say .2 bar (2.9 PSI) to .3 bar (4.35 PSI) should be about right.

The 1.5 bar figure for the minor seems way high. That would be 21.75 PSI.

Willabeast · #**245** 2008-09-24, 9:31am

I got mine yesterday, only 5 days after it was shipped. It looks beautiful and the packaging was great too. Now if I can only get my concentrator and hoses so I can try it!

Rose · #**246** 2008-09-25, 7:42am

I LOVE this torch!

That's all

squid · #**247** 2008-09-25, 9:48am

yeah, I love mine too - I am probably going to sell my minor.

gubnavnania · #**248** 2008-09-25, 8:52pm

I had a go on Cricket today. WOW so hot. A lot more hotter than my minor.

Being a GTT newbie

, I think I got the neutral flame but not 100% sure. Because I think I have 1/2" candle and very long flame (compare to minor) and I can hear the hiss thingy. Do I have to run the candle shorter? Did I run the cricket on oxy instead of neutral?

Could someone possibly post the picture what the neutral flame on Cricket looks like, please? Or on any other GTT torch?
How long the candle suppose to be?

Thank you in advance.

Kym · #**249** 2008-09-25, 11:37pm

I think my concentrator sucks instead of blows?! Yunita, I had about 1/2 candles with yellow tips and it seemed pretty good. I am going to hook it up to my O2 tank shortly and see how it likes that.

gubnavnania · #**250** 2008-09-26, 12:42am

Hrmm, maybe I should take picture of the flame in the dark like yours, Kym. And use the spare didy on my camera hehe...

So hard to see the flame width during the day, even though I have dark grey tiles underneath.

Willabeast · #**251** 2008-09-26, 9:23am

I got mine hooked up yesterday and I have questions about flame chemistry and candles too. I'm on household NG and the candles were all blue. Is that normal for this fuel??

I didn't have a chance to play but I pulled a few stringers I agree that the flame is really hot. I was concerned about using natural gas instead of propane but my concerns have evaporated.

squid · #**252** 2008-09-26, 12:28pm

my candles are almost all blue too - I have two oxycons, so I'm thinking it may have to do with how much oxy it is getting?

kbinkster · #**253** 2008-09-26, 1:55pm

On propane, a neutral flame will have candles that are mostly blue with little yellow/white tips. The longer the candles, the more yellow/white tipped they can be. If you look at the ends of the tips, they are rounded off. Once you add too much propane, or if you turn down the oxygen too much, they lose the roundness and start to feather a little. You can take a sensitive color and test to see if the flame is neutral. Effetre white is easy, you just put it in the flame about 4 inches out or so and see if it turns brown or gets black spots on it. If you do, then just add more oxygen or turn down the propane a little. Amazon night is a good boro color to test with, but not everyone has it in their studio. Just pick a color that you know would be sensitive to reduction and try it out.

Generally, if you run candles shorter than 1/4" in length (about the width of an average rod of glass) on any torch, you will want the candles to be all blue (oxidizing). A 1/4" to 3/8" flame should have small yellow/white tips like 1mm to 2mm (really approximate). Look at the ends and see if they're rounded and test with glass.

On NG, it is hard to see the tips of the candles. So, you need to put glass in the flame and check for reduction.

gubnavnania · #**254** 2008-09-26, 2:01pm

Thanks, Kim

I guess I got the right flame then. I was testing it by pulling white stringers, put psyche, supernova, iris blue in and out the flame. But I wasn't sure if those flame were oxy or neutral.

Willabeast · #**255** 2008-09-26, 2:55pm

Thanks Kim!

I pulled some white stringer last night and it worked perfectly so I think I have the right chemistry then. Going to go home now and play!

angelique_redhead · #**256** 2008-09-26, 3:59pm

We got ours hooked up. It looked great when Paul was playing with it. The MU can hardly wait! Hopefully we will get to do glass tonight.

Angelique

pompedom · #**257** 2008-09-27, 5:21am

Mine is hooked up and I played with it! I love it, I really like the pinpoint flame, perfect for stringer work.
And Boy, it's fast, encasing is peanuts!
I have a few boro punties and I tried to melt one, it melts like butter!
I'm of to play some more!

gubnavnania · #**258** 2008-09-27, 5:22am

Here's my flame looks like

Looking good?

sarlou · #**259** 2008-09-27, 7:05am

I got my cricket last week- this is my first oxy/ propane torch. Getting my regulators and hose today- and hopefully some tanked oxy. Do I need flashback arrestor?
Can't wait to try this torch out. I am more or less a newbie - been on a hot head on and off for about two years, and was really excited when I found this thread on the cricket as I had started to look at used minors and cc's. The reviews have been so great on this torch I am really glad that it is what I got.
If I don't need the flashback arrestors I might get to play this afternoon.

kbinkster · #**260** 2008-09-27, 9:28am

On surface mix torches, where the oxygen and fuel are mixed outside of the torch body (as opposed to premix torches where the oxygen and fuel are mixed inside the torch body), flashback is rare - but it can happen if there is ever a leak in the torch. Flashback arrestors offer extra protection, kind of like a spare tire - it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

It's up to you how safe you want to be - "seat belt/airbag" safe, or "five-point harness and a roll cage" safe.

stewart castle · #**261** 2008-09-27, 8:15pm

I just received my Cricket and can't wait to hook it up and use it. I've got an oxycon and it's supposed to be great with them! Can't wait. Let you know how it goes.

ellyloo · #**262** 2008-09-28, 12:08pm

I just hooked it up!
I got so much DONE!
The glass just POURS off of the rod.
Encasing raku (and terra and other striking colours) is great, you can just focus the flame on the rod, and the clear just pours onto the glass you don't want to reheat with a close flame.

I got a deep purple for the first time with terra! (because i didn't strike it again and again accidentally)

I miss my torch top marver though.

OH WELL.

gubnavnania · #**263** 2008-09-28, 1:39pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellyloo

I miss my torch top marver though.

OH WELL.

Ditto!

I'm going to modified my minor top marver, maybe next week or two so I can use it on cricket.

Sherri*S · #**264** 2008-09-28, 2:42pm

what marver will work on the cricket???

I am SO loving this torch, it is fabulous! But I really do miss the torch mounted marver

squid · #**265** 2008-09-28, 3:10pm

The one for my minor looks like it will fit the cricket too, but I haven't tried mine yet.

Sherri*S · #**266** 2008-09-28, 4:15pm

oh, lol, squid, it never occurred to me to see if mine fits... i seem to remember that I had to work hard to get it on my minor originally, so I thought it would be too narrow. I'm going up right now to try it

Rachel_D · #**267** 2008-09-29, 8:34am

This torch sounds fab. I've got a Bethlehem Piranha at the moment and it's pretty hot although I've not used any other torches so I've got nothing to compare it to. I can manage to do small boro beads with the one 5lpm concentrator. Does anyone know if the cricket would be hotter than the piranha?

squid · #**268** 2008-09-29, 10:05am

I don't know for sure, but I am betting it would since it was specifically made to work with concentrators and lower pressures.

beadworkstudio · #**269** 2008-09-29, 10:29am

I was on a Piranha for 3 years, and my new Cricket is hotter on one concentrator. It's not a huge difference, but I think it was worth $139. It's also a LOT quieter and I like the flame better. It has more radiant heat, so I don't have to waft my longer beads back and forth in the flame as much.

xiola blue · #**270** 2008-09-29, 4:36pm

oooooooh, I LOVE my little Cricket! I got it hooked up today, programmed my kiln for boro, and now I have four pieces annealing. It is so nice to work with, very hot for boro, and my first implosion was quite a lot larger than the ones I tried with my mini cc. I had to draw little diagrams for turning the knobs on and off, since I am used to the configuration of the mini, but it will just take a little getting used to. I am so happy to have this torch! xiola