Stupid Newbie Mistakes for Laughs - Page 12

houptdavid · #**331** 2010-10-20, 10:04am

Donna

1982 to present... 97.5% zinc core, 2.5% copper plating

ironmountainglass · #**332** 2010-10-20, 11:48am

Thanks David. I did alot of researching after my volcano and I learned to use shavings not half a penny

.

Mitosis Glass · #**333** 2010-10-20, 11:50am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmountainglass

When I first started I saw this neat pendant with copper flecks in it in a swirl so of course being the newbie I thought to make mine different I'll use a chunk of copper from a copper penny. Talk about your real live volcano damn thing spit, spewed molten fire and globs of glass and I'm blowing on it to get it to quit only its like fanning the flames of fire and getting bigger then I'm thinking to myself "oh shit what the hell am I supposed to do with it" So I run to the shop door and toss it outside only for it to land in my flower garden thats covered with leaves and yep you guessed it now my flower bed is on fire and I'm trying to put that out when the neighbors sees all the smoke and calls the fire department so they arrive after I already put the fire out (did remember I had a fire extinguisher on hand) and I had to explain what the hell happened and the fireman (who happens to be a friend of ours) looks at me and says why didn't you just dunk it in that big bowl of water you have right there on your bench?
Lessons learned:
1) don't use a copper penny unless it is very old, the newer ones are NOT pure copper.
2) Please tell your neighbors not to call the fire department unless they see you running out the door hollering the shop is on fire.
3) try to remember that big bowl of water is there for a reason not just because you think it looks good.

Hilarious!!!

Care13 · #**334** 2010-10-20, 9:09pm

Newbie tip

Don't be so excited when buying your first lot of pretty colored glass rods, that you whip them out to show your husband and slash your upper arm so nicely because, guess what!, the ends of the glass rods are sharp like razors! LOL! Then husband looks at you strangley while doctoring you up with steri strips because you feel so stupid to go get stiches and asks why making beads is a good idea when you can just buy them! LOL!

jonibird · #**335** 2010-10-20, 9:23pm

lol! Now I don't feel so bad :c)

beadsoncypress · #**336** 2010-10-21, 1:08am

Donna, best laugh of the day!

CheriB · #**337** 2010-10-21, 1:55am

My lesson to share is to not set a really hot marver on your chair while you go after an escaped cabochon before it burns a hole through the floor. Well, the lesson actually is NOT to sit down on the marver after you've retrieved said cabochon. There is a very interesting scar that no one since the doctor has seen except me -- and only with the use of a mirror. Sitting down was a pain in the a** (well, high on the thigh) for a long time. Look on the bright side though; I sat down off center on the chair. Otherwise, THAT burn would have taken a long, long time to heal, instead of only two months.

Cheryl

ironmountainglass · #**338** 2010-10-21, 6:15am

I'm so glad this is a funny thread, it makes everyone of us feel like we are not alone in being newbies and stupid. I've probally done 90% of the things talked about and I'm sure even when I've been working at this long enough not to be a newbie I'll do the other 10%. Got to give it 100% right? LOL

alb6094 · #**339** 2010-10-21, 7:10am

Quote:

Originally Posted by CheriB

My lesson to share is to not set a really hot marver on your chair while you go after an escaped cabochon before it burns a hole through the floor. Well, the lesson actually is NOT to sit down on the marver after you've retrieved said cabochon. There is a very interesting scar that no one since the doctor has seen except me -- and only with the use of a mirror. Sitting down was a pain in the a** (well, high on the thigh) for a long time. Look on the bright side though; I sat down off center on the chair. Otherwise, THAT burn would have taken a long, long time to heal, instead of only two months.

Cheryl

Aaaaaaaah....that makes me hurt just to think about it. So sounds like something I would do.

bluemantid · #**340** 2010-10-23, 8:17am

I dont even own a torch yet. I have made only 3 beads (all were wonky.. lol) this thread is why i decided to join this forum. I have laughed so hard! I work in law enforcement so i have a twisted and strange sense of humor. This thread really tickled my fancy. I cant wait to have a few painfully funny stories myself. Nice to meet ya'll

ironmountainglass · #**341** 2010-10-24, 8:21am

Welcome bluemantid, just remember when you have a few of your own stories to tell.... post them here so that we can laugh right along with you.

ShellyJo1969 · #**342** 2010-10-24, 3:27pm

One lesson I learned was make sure when you dip your mandrel that the bead release is smooth and round shaped, you know, the way you want the center of your bead to end up. Just because the bead release will eventually come out of the center after soaking in water does not mean that it'll automatically make a nice smooth cylindrical shape! In other words if you make a bead on a lumpy mandrel, the center of the bead will Not be smooth and cylindrical!

Moonwillow · #**343** 2010-10-24, 3:56pm

#1 - Dont let kitty on shelf above torch...while torching.
#2 - Cat fur ignites.
#3 - If its not a smart cat it 'will' jump down into the flame again.
And #4
Learned this one this morning. Dont use kitty litter to keep your dipped mandrels.
Cuz kitty 'will' use it!

Pia Kaven · #**344** 2010-10-25, 1:35am

Yup, my cat peed in my mandrel holding sand bowl... and I dont know how he did it, cause the bowl is pretty small, and he is huge... I was kinda amused to find that out. Just purchased flame drying release, so hopefully that will not be my problem anymore.

Oh, and I have posted a picture here on another thread about what not to do... I practised the stringer control on a 1/16 mandrel, and was concentrating little too intensively on the stringer... until half of the mandrel with the bead fell on the table top. I had burned through the mandrel.
I have pure hate relationship with those mandrels, I cant get any beads off of them, not long ones, nor the spacer sized ones. Im done with them, and why not, they are all mangled anyhow!

loudgirl · #**345** 2010-10-25, 11:34pm

I make polymer clay beads too.., so sometimes I forget which rules go with the material that I'm using. One day while at the torch I wanted to try to use metal powder to coat my bead, sorta like pixie dust. I really got that bead covered and then reintroduced it to the flame..........I'm here to tell you that it puts off a flash, even your diddys don't help much. Oh yeah...... thats for polymer.

And then if your personal taste is to use glass puntys and then go to a class where the instructor hands out metal puntys to use.........ya might want to think about picking up the metal punty at its end and not halfway up the rod....Ouch... that burn is healed now. But it was a good thing that we were working with enamels because the breathing mask really does muffle screams!

Mitosis Glass · #**346** 2010-10-27, 6:27pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyhorton

Um, when this happens to me it means its windy and Im carbonmonoxiding myself to death cuz the fumes are coming back in! lol

RE:
if you are becoming ill and are about to faint, position your elbow and your hand so that your bead is resting nicely in the warming part of the flame, and hang your head as low as it'll go until the feeling passes. Once you've saved the bead, go to bed! (or maybe that first part is bad advice, I dunno

)

[/quote]

Yes, always good to check the ventilation! In my case, the one time that happened I was coming down with "that" flu, the one that caused all the panic a year ago, and didn't realize yet that I was sick, only that I really would have been better off on the couch.

naomiwashburn · #**347** 2010-10-31, 2:43am

Major tip: pay attention to your punty! I can't count the number of times I've been focusing on my glass and completely missed that my punty was melting. Most of the times I've had that happen, the piece has fallen onto the counter below, but one time it happened to hit my arm and roll down it on its way to the floor.

Pia Kaven · #**348** 2010-10-31, 3:48am

Quote:

Originally Posted by naomiwashburn

Major tip: pay attention to your punty! I can't count the number of times I've been focusing on my glass and completely missed that my punty was melting. Most of the times I've had that happen, the piece has fallen onto the counter below, but one time it happened to hit my arm and roll down it on its way to the floor.

Weren't we talking about newbie mistakes??? What's this doing here?

I still do it... all the time!!! I need to buy metal punties! I am hopeless with this. And exactly for the same reason, I pay too much attention to the stuff that I am trying to melt, to even notice that my punty is melted. I hate when that happens.

naomiwashburn · #**349** 2010-11-03, 2:29am

Quote:

Originally Posted by piakaven

Weren't we talking about newbie mistakes??? What's this doing here?

I still do it... all the time!!! I need to buy metal punties! I am hopeless with this. And exactly for the same reason, I pay too much attention to the stuff that I am trying to melt, to even notice that my punty is melted. I hate when that happens.

Lol. I AM a newbie, so I figured it was a newbie mistake. Good to know I'm not the only one!

Pia Kaven · #**350** 2010-11-03, 3:04am

Well, I guess I could be considered a newbie too, but I should know better than that, but no, it doesnt keep me from just doing it aaaaaall over again and again. At least you dont have to beat yourself up for it when youre newbie.

I repeatedly waste ton of my murrinis for this. Thats why I have started to use some bent 1/8 mandrels that I purchased... (hate the mailorder thingie... cant check your purchases before buying) So I might skip the clear on the end all together. Less waste, for me anyhow.
Naomi, I wasnt trying to be rude about it, just laughed at myself. But I think you got it? Sometimes sarcasm would need a font of its own.

bead-meltdown · #**351** 2010-11-03, 4:36am

funny i have done all of these. the burns hurt a lot.

della · #**352** 2010-11-05, 1:16am

I thought I had done all the stupid things at least once already but Nooooo...last night..shocky glass, frag flies off and adheres to my left wrist, had a bead on in right hand, wrist is hurting bad now so I used my tongue to flick off the molten chunk. Way worse than a pizza burn I'm tellin ya.

Pia Kaven · #**353** 2010-11-05, 2:48am

That is hilarious!!!!

zact01 · #**354** 2010-11-05, 7:29am

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluemantid

I dont even own a torch yet. I have made only 3 beads (all were wonky.. lol) this thread is why i decided to join this forum. I have laughed so hard! I work in law enforcement so i have a twisted and strange sense of humor. This thread really tickled my fancy. I cant wait to have a few painfully funny stories myself. Nice to meet ya'll

heare heare.

i joined for the same reason. but i do have one sotry to add. having only ever made 3 beads and a twistie.

dont try and rubb the swet off your diddys whilst holding a mandrel with a bead freash form the flame between 2 fingers and hold the t-shitrt ur using to wipe them diddys in the same hand. hmm is that smoke i smell. whos hair is on fire ? ahhhhggggg

firebreathingdragon · #**355** 2010-11-07, 8:26am

Don't lay your stringers under your torch and then stick your arm through the flame to reach them... talk about ouch. As a side note, thank god for hippies, they gave me some pretty awesome burn slave and I don't even have a scar...

Pia Kaven · #**356** 2010-11-07, 8:29am

Wouldnt it be illegal to have slaves? Any kind!???
I know Im a smartass... couldnt resist!

alb6094 · #**357** 2010-11-07, 8:37am

Quote:

Originally Posted by piakaven

Wouldnt it be illegal to have slaves? Any kind!???
I know Im a smartass... couldnt resist!

Ah hahahahahahahaha.......

My aloe vera plant is my burn slave.

"Give me your leaf."

"NO, not again! Mercy........!"

"GIVE IT TO ME! (snap)"

****Sounds of plant crying in the background****

Pia Kaven · #**358** 2010-11-07, 8:40am

Mine is Pitty Pat, her burn salve is awesome...

dcaaw · #**359** 2010-11-07, 11:08am

I've learned the hard way not to clean up right after torching as the torch wants to leave a kiss mark!!

Elisenda · #**360** 2010-11-07, 11:16am

Mine's the same as yours DC- just because you've turned the flame off doesn't mean the torch is magically suddenly cool. If you stick the unerside of your arm, where the really sensitive skin is, against it, it will burn the bejesus out of you.

And, it's better not to store a cardboard box with plastic bags of frit, face masks, and other various combustibles on the ground right next to your torch table. When a giant piece of molten glass lands in it, it's amazing how much will burn/ catch fire before you can pick said piece of with the pliers.