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  #1  
Old 2015-09-30, 10:37pm
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Default Burnt beads day one

So it's my first day making beads...i have devardi glass. A hothead torch and a small $3 canister of propane. My beads are burning and the flame from the torch has a lot of orange. Shouldn't it be all blue? I don't like burnt beads...i even tried a slower heating rather than shoving the glass in but i can't get it to wrap on the mandrel till it glows orange??? Please help i want to make great beads
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  #2  
Old 2015-10-01, 3:10am
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If by burnt you mean they are turning grey, they are reducing not burning. Your fuel mixture has too much fuel and not enough oxygen. Since you are on a hothead, it is probably defective.
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  #3  
Old 2015-10-01, 5:37am
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Where are you in the flame? You most likely are too close, if you are like most of us starting out. Move out and slow down would be my first advice.
Is it the brand name Hot Head, or are you meaning that type of torch?
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Old 2015-10-01, 7:58am
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eileen View Post
Where are you in the flame? You most likely are too close, if you are like most of us starting out. Move out and slow down would be my first advice.
Is it the brand name Hot Head, or are you meaning that type of torch?

It's the hothead torch that Devardi sends out with the starter kit. I have it attached directly to the small propane tank. I get a large orange and blue flame when it is on for a few minutes. They think the torch is misfiring. They're being very kind and sending me a replacement hothead before i invest in an oxyen/propane setup.
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Old 2015-10-01, 8:02am
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragonharper View Post
If by burnt you mean they are turning grey, they are reducing not burning. Your fuel mixture has too much fuel and not enough oxygen. Since you are on a hothead, it is probably defective.

Devardi mentioned many people use just propane and their hothead torch successfully, they think the torch might be misfiring and are being very kind sending me a replacement.

If the beads still turn grey, im going to have to invest in an oxygyn/propane setup arent i ?
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  #6  
Old 2015-10-01, 8:22am
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speedingpullet speedingpullet is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aidenblack View Post
If the beads still turn grey, im going to have to invest in an oxygyn/propane setup arent i ?
Not necessarily. Lots of us started lampwork using a Hot Head - I know I did!

You'll find it harder to strike/reduce/oxidise beads, due to the fixed mixture ratio in a MAPP canister, but as for 'regular' colours and shaping? Shouldn't be a problem.

If you enjoy making beads, then it might be worthwhile thinking about investing in a propane/oxygen setup down the line. But I'd advise trying the HH out until you're absolutely sure that lampwork is your thang

Sounds as if theres a problem with the HH, honestly.
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  #7  
Old 2015-10-01, 10:23am
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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thank you everyone for your input. i think i will finish these two small propane canisters and move on to mapp gas from them. i got my first correct color today also...i have trouble getting the glass to twist unless it is red hot...but by the time it is red hot, it is burnt almost, any suggestions? i know i need to move it out of the blue cone in the flame into the "sweet spot" and heat it up slower. i would really like to use clear glass beads
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  #8  
Old 2015-10-01, 12:56pm
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Also I want to say that I have heard those small propane canisters are difficult to work with as they can burn dirty. Mapp gas would be much better. I had two of the Devardi torches to start, problems led me to buy an actual Hothead. Problems with that led to an oxy/propane set up. The fault is partly the climate here, it was hard on the o-rings that they all used to seal the torches. Good luck!
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  #9  
Old 2015-10-01, 1:10pm
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KJohn View Post
Also I want to say that I have heard those small propane canisters are difficult to work with as they can burn dirty. Mapp gas would be much better. I had two of the Devardi torches to start, problems led me to buy an actual Hothead. Problems with that led to an oxy/propane set up. The fault is partly the climate here, it was hard on the o-rings that they all used to seal the torches. Good luck!

i am noticing i can not get a clean flame for the life of me...it's always half orange and as soon as the glass touches it, it gets dirty...I am having a lot of trouble not feeling discouraged by this frustration. I think tomorrow I am going to get some mapp gas and try that.

if the flame still burns dirty, should I assume it is the torch? (devardi has a replacement torch on the way for me, i was quite stunned when they offered)
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  #10  
Old 2015-10-01, 4:48pm
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Is this where you are working?
How does your flame compare? Can you dial it back & get this flame?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4kYMs-oItY
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  #11  
Old 2015-10-01, 4:58pm
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PS. It gives me the shivers to see him using the torch without it being tethered in place somehow. I have a homemade thing, but my torch is secured to the table when I take it out to use it (not often anymore, but still!)
I have a true Hot Head too, so can't speak to the flame on the Devardi one, but I think it should be similar to the video.
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Old 2015-10-01, 5:57pm
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eileen View Post
Is this where you are working?
How does your flame compare? Can you dial it back & get this flame?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4kYMs-oItY


I am using exactly what he is except for propane on a devardi hothead style torch(mine is anchored down i built my own shelf)

that is where i put the glass, in the upper flame above the cone, but the problem is, the flame is already orange before i put anything in it. shouldnt the flame be blue all around so that it will not discolor the glass? i know it will turn orange after the glass is in it but it should be blue before right? the longer i have my torch turned on the more dirty the flame gets. (tomorrow i am trying mapp gas, everyone says these tiny propane ones will burn dirty)
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  #13  
Old 2015-10-02, 6:15am
ShazMcNasty ShazMcNasty is offline
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I use a hothead too and the flame is never orange. Except when I douse something in the cup of water nearby, it goes orange for a sec. It sounds like a defective torch honestly. Your flame should be blue with some yellow at the base but not orange around the edges. You are correct, that is a dirty flame.

I hate to say it but you'll want to wait for a replacement. You're gonna have dirty beads all around with what you have and you don't wanna waste that glass!

edit: I am too broke to use MAPP gas all the time so I switched to Propane and have no issues with the hothead.
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  #14  
Old 2015-10-02, 9:52am
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShazMcNasty View Post
I use a hothead too and the flame is never orange. Except when I douse something in the cup of water nearby, it goes orange for a sec. It sounds like a defective torch honestly. Your flame should be blue with some yellow at the base but not orange around the edges. You are correct, that is a dirty flame.

I hate to say it but you'll want to wait for a replacement. You're gonna have dirty beads all around with what you have and you don't wanna waste that glass!

edit: I am too broke to use MAPP gas all the time so I switched to Propane and have no issues with the hothead.



thank you for the information. i am still picking up some mapp gas today so i can atleast see if it is the torch or the propane. if i still get bad flames today, ill be waiting for the replacement torch. thank you very much for your time
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  #15  
Old 2015-10-02, 7:42pm
aidenblack aidenblack is offline
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so everyone thank you all for your input. i have determined it is the torch...the mapp acts the same as the propane, it is a pretty blue flame for about 5 minutes then turns into an orange flame after that. i am waiting on the replacement torch piece. thank you so much Devardi for the great customer service btw! can't wait to get it so i can start working. i had ordered extra glass so i can still practice.

i do have a follow up question about glass though...i notice clear glass doesn't burn till it is red hot, opaque white barely burns at all, and the red burns almost instantly??? do different colors have to be heated up at different speeds?
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  #16  
Old 2015-10-02, 9:20pm
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Different glass goes through different color changes as it heats. I'm not sure what you mean by "burns" unless you mean gets soft enough to flow? Clear does turn glowing, white turns transparent, some turn a hot pinky purple, the warm colors all look black in a certain temperature range, etc. As you use them you will get more familiar with that, and what those colors mean. You could even just heat the end and make a gather and watch the glass to see how it acts and what color changes it goes through as it heats.

Also remember that just because they don't look hot does not mean that they aren't hot, and you need to be careful to not touch the hot ends when they are in that state!

Do you have (or does your library have) any books on making beads? They have a lot of information in them that should be helpful to you.

Passing the Flame (Corrina Tettinger)
Making Glass Beads (Cindy Jenkins)
and others are out there, and very helpful to get started.
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  #17  
Old 2015-10-07, 6:13pm
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I used a hothead for years it was great. The only time my glass got "dirty" was when I was at the end of a propane tank or when I was using colors like copper green or turquoise that reduce since the hothead has a reduction flame. Is your address in ragok? Are you using devardi glass?
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  #18  
Old 2020-03-10, 7:30am
JosieS JosieS is offline
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Hi Eileen,
Do you happen to know the name of the video? The link isn't working anymore, but I would love to see what a hot head flame should look like. I'm self taught, and most of the flame videos are on the bigger torches.
Thanks,
Josie

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eileen View Post
Is this where you are working?
How does your flame compare? Can you dial it back & get this flame?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4kYMs-oItY
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