new to lampworking and using a hothead

[nrollin]

Hi everyone
I'm wondering in I could have some opinions regarding the safest place for a newbie to try lampworking without investing on permanent modifications to the house!

I'm on a hothead (not using bulk gas, due to the many threads I've read here of the potential dangers).

So I'm on the small gas cylinders and am therefore limited to torching about 4-5 hours at a time. Probably no more than 3 times a month due to the cost of the gas (I'm in England, and the MAPP cylinders here are £13.98 which is about $25!)

I know it's not safe to torch inside the house without a proper hood and exhaust and makeup air setup. So, I was thinking the best thing would be to set up outside?

But considering our famously wet weather in England, that would mean I would probably get to torch about one day a year

We do have a "summer house" (which is a garden shed where the doors on one long side open up completely, so it would basically be a three sided structure with a roof. It's about 8ft by 6ft in floorspace if I remember correctly.

Would it be safe to torch in here with the doors wide open? Or would I still be best doing it completely outside? With me being a beginner I won't be using silver at all.

Many thanks for all the useful info you guys have put on the forum!

[RSimmons]

Without some sort of active draft to capture and remove the torch plume I believe that you'll find your summer house filling up with torch fume. Hotheads run a slightly reducing flame so you'll have some unburned fuel added to the mix - pretty noxious. Remember that hot air rises, so the ceiling/loft space will fill up first. Are there any window that you could use to vent a hood of some sort?

Robert

[nrollin]

Thanks very much for your reply Robert. I can't quite recall the placement of the window in the house, (I'm at work right now) but if there is one, I'm thinking it's likely to be by our bird table. Don't want to gas the little buggers, my mother would be very upset indeed!

We do have a very large fan that I was going to use to help circulate air, which sounds like an airplane taking off and absolutely freezes anyone who sits in its path but would it still be best to have a hood hooked up to a fan venting at the window/door? (might have to see if my dad can be roped into helping me cobble one together)

[RSimmons]

You need to set the fan up so that it removes the exhaust from your torch flame as close as you can get it to your immediate work area. A fan in the window won't give you enough draft in your immediate work zone and you'll have the exhaust plume spreading around the room. Circulating the air isn't the same thing as capturing and exhausting the torch plume. Working under a fan-powered hood is the best way to work safety - remember that the flame is a high speed jet of hot gases and heat rises. It's going to go up and spread out at the ceiling if you don't capture it near to the source. Proper ventilation is not an easy setup for many people, but it is more important than just about anything else.

Robert

[nrollin]

Thanks again. I'm going to have a dig around in the summer house tonight and see what the possibilities are.

[Charli!]

W00t, another UKer! I'm only a newbie myself and currently torch outside on the patio under a marquee- so rain isn't a problem but 99% of days it is just too windy! Where are you getting your gas from?
http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/commerc...Go-Gas&pid=605

it is only £6.20 a can (though with £6.00 shipping no matter how many cans you get), which could make it a bit cheaper for you! You can also get same sized propane bottles from them for even cheaper.

Charli

[nrollin]

Cheers Charli, that's a great link. I'd been buying from B&Q and I must admit they may as well have just batted me over the head and taken all the money from my wallet! £13.98 per little can of MAPP, or about £11 for propane! I knew it was expensive but I thought they had me over a barrel.

I shall use this supplier next time I need to fill up on gas. Do you have any idea if there are restrictions in the UK on the number of canisters we can keep inside? From what I hear on this forum in the US it seems to be two cans of propane?

[Charli!]

No idea on UK restrictions I'm afraid, seeing as no flamey stuff will ever be allowed in my parents house it is exiled to the shed!

[nrollin]

Probably the best place to keep them anyway, I suppose. I've ordered two sample sets of glass from Martin at Tuffnell, can't wait to get to play with them again!

[agw]

Furrybert, I just picked up and hooked up a bulk MAPP tank to my hothead. It's a 13.6 kg tank and with rental for the tank, assorted fees and the gas, it works out to just over 6$ CDN or just over £3 per equivalent to small canister. I was paying about the same as Charli for my small ones. According to my supplier, MAPP is safe to have in the house, even in this size cylinder. At least in my city in Ontario, Canada, it is. I specifically asked and told them where in my house it would be. They also said the tank I have can be filled with the new MAPP replacement gas when the current supplies run out.

I've rented the canister ($35 or about £17 or £18 per year) as I don't want to commit to buying a tank I might be stuck with if I move on or bigger. Full, it weights about 40 lbs and I was able to carry it myself into the house and set it in place. I've connected the hoses, done the soapy water test to check for leaks and I lit it to make sure it all works. I'm just thrilled!

Now I'm impatiently waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive with my order of glass and tools. The tracking number shows it was loaded onto the truck at 6:23 a.m. for delivery but it's not here yet and it's 1:29 p.m. I can hardly wait to play! I've used up what bits and pieces of glass I had, so waiting to see how the flame might differ from the little canisters is driving me nuts!

[SmithGirl]

Hi Furrybert,
I am new to lampwork too and still in the process of setting up my studio in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. I am using the hot head and mapp gas in the basement. What I have done is brought a cheap kitchen hood fan; hang in on the ceiling joist and connect duct work from the hood fan to the basement window to vent it outside. When I have more time, I will put a y connector to my dryer vent and vent it out that way and use the window to draw in fresh air. I also purchased a carbon monoxide monitor and a gas monitor for my work area and so far it has not detected any dangerous levels of gases. I also brought a adaptor to fit on the large 20lb tank and can fill those 1 lb disposable cannisters. That helped on the cost of the small tanks. Don't know if you have those in the UK. There is a good site for all lampwork supplies. Hope this will help. Here is the link to it.
http://www.sundanceglass.com/about.htm

Here is a link to where I brought the adapter. http://www.northerntool.com/


Mei Wah

[cyndi13]

i use dispaosable 1 lb bottles of propane and a hh torch. safer i think. i use it in the house with the ceiling fan and open windows.