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Beads of Courage


 
  #1  
Old 2009-05-27, 10:18am
zaphro zaphro is offline
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Join Date: May 27, 2009
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Hey there. I have taken a few glass classes at school, and am interested in purchasing a torch of my own. And after looking around and not seeing what i needed I decided to start my own thread. I am looking for a torch for boro glass, one that can handing making everything from small beads to pipes, and that wont break the bank. Any help as to what to look for, where to buy (I live in Northern California so I will probably just purchase it on the internet) and any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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  #2  
Old 2009-05-27, 10:34am
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glasshouse glasshouse is offline
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I would recommend a visit to Arrow Springs if you are in Northern Cal. It was a bit of a drive for me, but I really wanted to go see the torches for myself and come home with one. I am glad I did, because I originally was thinking about getting a Bullet and budgeted for it (as a beginning torch, soft glass--!!!!) and when the friendly folks at AS fired it up for me, I was melting glass drips onto the table in seconds. I quickly realized that whoa!! hot!! a smaller torch was sufficient for what I was doing, and it saved me about $700 from what I was originally going to spend. I have 3 torches, 3 different sizes, now, and the total I've spent is still less than that $700 I saved when I first started. Just my .02, but I highly recommend Arrow Springs. They always take good care of me, they don't just try to sell the most expensive item. They rock!!

Kelly
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Old 2009-05-27, 3:57pm
rg9403 rg9403 is offline
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It all depends on how much $$$ your willing to spend.
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Old 2009-05-28, 12:07am
zaphro zaphro is offline
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Well I was hoping to keep it low, but i am willing to spend more for something that will work well. I am just looking for some advice in as to what to look for.
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Old 2009-05-28, 12:56am
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Malcolm at ArtCoInc posted this a few days ago, and I think his advice is on the money for anyone deciding on a new torch, whether you have owned a torch before or not. The folks at Arrow Springs (near Sac'to) will let you try any of the torches they have set up (lots of variety) as long as the studio isn't being used by a class, you can see for yourself what feels right for you. Ask questions about oxygen consumption, know before you go if you will be using tanks or a concentrator. Tanked oxygen is frickin expensive! But you can't beat the flame... what's most important to you? I could tell you my set-ups and what works for me, but it might not work for you.

And, any of the surface mix torches, even the Cricket, Minor and on up, will be able to handle what you want to make. Many many pipes have been made on the little Minor. Not huge pipes, but still, it is possible. It just depends on what you want to $pend and how much time you want to spend making each piece. Maybe starting out with a smaller torch like the Minor will be ok for a beginning torch to learn on. You can always go bigger later on and then have it as a back-up, or for when you feel like making smaller stuff later on. Which is what I did, and I recently went back to using my Minor (trying to rein in my ginormous beads and save $$ on oxygen) for awhile 'til I can figure out how to power my big torches without breaking the bank and my back. It's really whatever works for you... Malcolm said it best!

Anyhow, sorry for the book... I hope you get a chance to try out the torches before you buy. If you are near Sonoma County you're welcome to try mine.

Kelly
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