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Beads of Courage


 
  #1  
Old 2009-04-06, 8:34am
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Purrpleturtle Purrpleturtle is offline
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Default Help with Cricket

Hello Folks, I am looking for a bit of help with the Cricket torch. I am wondering if anyone could post me some pictures of what the neutral and reduction flame looks like and where they work in the flame, for both making the initial bead, and working with stringer.

I have just upgraded from a HH and have only been at this since January. I do realize that there is a learning curve associated with changing torches, but at the moment i am a little discouraged. I was making some beads that i really liked on my HH and i cannot get the same result with the Cricket so far. By results i mean that i am having trouble reducing some reaction glasses that i found easy with the HH.

So... a bit of info i guess. I am running a EX-15 (8lpm) oxycon and tanked propane. I do have a regulator for the propane set at 5lpm and the oxycon is set to the max 8lpm. I did get the instructions with the torch, but it didn't have any pictures of the flame and i have only ever worked on a HH so i have no idea of what it should look like. I have checked in PTF but it is stated that the flames could look different from torch to torch.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!! I am almost at the point of setting the HH back up....
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #2  
Old 2009-04-06, 11:46am
pastafarian pastafarian is offline
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I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of my cricket. Should be here anyday now. How loud is your cricket compared to the HH?
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  #3  
Old 2009-04-06, 2:09pm
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you have to strain to hear it!!!!! that is about the only reason i bought the new torch, i was tired of listening to the HH
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #4  
Old 2009-04-06, 5:07pm
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I don't have any pictures uploaded, but I can give you a description of what to look for.

If you can run 3/8" candles with tips that are about 2 mm or so, maybe shorter, that should be a neutral flame for soft glass. To get a reduction flame, you can either turn the oxygen down a little or turn the fuel up so that the tips are longer. Sometimes, you have to turn the fuel way up to get really long yellow tips for certain effects. It depends on what you're trying to do. Basically, the longer the yellow tips, the more fuel-rich the flame is and the more reducing it is.
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  #5  
Old 2009-04-06, 8:37pm
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Thanks Kimberly! I will give it another go tonight and see what happens.
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #6  
Old 2009-04-10, 7:20am
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i feel your pain Joanne. i just upgraded from the HH to a mega minor and it took me 3months before i could even come close to replicating the beads i made on a HH. i still can't fully but i've at least figured out how to reduce some colours.

the most helpful tip for me was instead of turning down the oxygen, instead just turn up the propane various amounts. so far, i've found different glasses react at different areas and levels of reduction flame (unlike the HH where everything seemed to reduce nicely with the same flame)

good luck!
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  #7  
Old 2009-04-10, 6:52pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purrpleturtle View Post
I am running a EX-15 (8lpm) oxycon and tanked propane. I do have a regulator for the propane set at 5lpm and the oxycon is set to the max 8lpm.
A couple of points:

When you set the regulator on your propane tank, you are setting the *pressure* (psi), not the *flow rate* (lpm). The Cricket doesn't *need* the pressure that high, but many regulators are not good at regulating low pressure. So, 5 psi will be fine.

On all oxycons, the higher you set the flow rate (lpm), the lower the oxygen purity. Unless you are doing big work and/or boro, you probably won't need that much oxygen. Dialing the oxycon down to about 5 lpm may give you better oxygen purity.

Since you have just moved up from a Hot Head to an oxy/fuel torch, you now have to learn how to properly use one. First, you have to learn how to get a neutral flame. This thread might help:

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh....php?p=2291279

There are different types of glass that are sensitive to the flame atmosphere, and people sometimes use a rod of them just to make sure that they have the flame set right. With practice, though, you'll be able to do this by the look and feel of the flame.

Once you can consistently get a neutral flame, *then* you can learn to adjust the torch for an oxidizing or reduction flame. There are a number of different schools of thought on how to do this:

* Leave the gas alone, and adjust the flame with the oxygen knob

* Leave the oxygen alone, and adjust the flame with the gas knob

* Adjust both the gas and oxygen knobs

You're going to have to try them all, and see what works best for you. There should be no problem getting a reduction flame on the Cricket.

If you can, find another lampworker in your area, and ask them to help you. Most of us are happy to assist.

HTH

Malcolm
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  #8  
Old 2009-04-10, 7:21pm
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Great tips, Malcolm, thank you!
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  #9  
Old 2009-04-10, 10:58pm
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Evelyn - sorry to hear that you had such a hard time, but you give me hope that this is doable. For the most part i am happy with a lot of what i am getting; i can do some wonderful encasing now, but i am still working on the details.

Malcolm - thanks so much for your help!! I will dial back my oxycon to get more purity, and i really should have know that the propane regulator regulates pressure not flow... I will definitely pull out a rod of reactive glass and will use it as a indicator and thanks for the link to the other thread, there was some helpful info there too.

I have made quite a bit of progress on getting to know the new torch over the last couple of days. There are just a couple of things that are bothering me still....
  • i am not sure where the heck i can find the "right" amount of heat to work stringer. My flame seems to "breath" a fair bit with the ebb and flow of the oxycon, so it is difficult to work at the tip of the flame. Any lower down and the stringer melts too quickly. This is annoying, because i was really mastering stringer control with the HH.
  • Sedonna glass is disappointing.. with the HH if i melted some Sedonna into pastel ivory, i was getting the gorgeous black line (the typical purple reaction), and wonderful striations of color from pinks through to purples. With the Cricket, it is either going devit, or the edges of the stringer are feathering. I realize that both probably mean that it is being worked too hot, so, if i turn the oxy and propane down (at the torch) does this cool the flame? Is it hard on the torch to keep adjusting the flame?
  • Reactive glasses... i am still working on getting a full reduction flame. Last night was my best so far, and the yellow "feathers" on the candles must be about 3 to 4 inches long. For some reason i didn't think it would take that much of an adjustment to the flame. And i am sure that this is probably different for each type of torch.
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #10  
Old 2009-04-16, 1:49pm
daisysoup daisysoup is offline
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I am having the same questions on my new cricket and was going to email GTT a photo of what the flame looks like--I can post it here instead if it would help others???
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  #11  
Old 2009-04-16, 2:15pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daisysoup View Post
I am having the same questions on my new cricket and was going to email GTT a photo of what the flame looks like--I can post it here instead if it would help others???
Sure

Malcolm
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  #12  
Old 2009-04-16, 7:12pm
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I would love to see any photos that people can post!

I have made a bit of progress over the last couple of days. I am still finding reducing glasses to be a bit more difficult than i would have thought. With the hothead, it was either cover the holes or not, and i found with the holes covered, all of the reduction glass that i have worked. But now with the Cricket, i am finding that the glass is VERY temper mental to the amount of reduction. Plus, with the change in flame being so dramatic with the HH i was more or less expecting something similar with the cricket.

I am having trouble striking glass too, but i think that is more from a complete lack of experience at it.
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #13  
Old 2009-05-04, 4:01pm
daisysoup daisysoup is offline
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Please see my post and link here...maybe these should be combined??

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=128865


thanks!
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  #14  
Old 2009-05-04, 6:03pm
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Daisysoup - I went to the other thread and had a look at your photos... I have now been working with my Cricket for about a month, and i manage to get around 15 hours a week at the torch. To me the first picture that you show looks still a little propane rich in comparison to the flame that i am using. I am not sure if it is just the photo though; perhaps i will try taking a picture of my flame for you. On my torch i am working it with only about 2-3mm of yellow at the top of the candles. If you turn your propane up to the point where the tops of the yellow part of the candles gets a TINY bit feathery, you have gone too far and that is definitely a reduction flame. Hmmm... this one is tough, but i have my flame set with the propane just a bit below that point.... sorry that is such a lousy description.

For me the easiest way to figure this one out was to use a rod of Double Helix Triton; this glass reacts very quickly and obviously to even a slight reduction flame. So, if the Triton reacts, you have too much propane. If you don't have any triton, i can send you a short for you to use as a marker if you like.

What torch where you using before the Cricket? I had a hothead and i tell you, the first few nights that i was using that Cricket i was very discouraged. Then i used the Triton, got the neutral flame correct, and then the rest of it has fallen into place rather quickly.

I Hope this helped a little, feel free to ask if you have any further questions.
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Purple Sparkle Cricket w/ EX-15 8lpm Oxycon and tanked propane

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  #15  
Old 2009-05-04, 8:59pm
daisysoup daisysoup is offline
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Thank you! As you can see from the other thread, both of the senior members thought I was getting adequate oxygen use--I do still have questions about the flame, your thought on the double helix triton is most appreciated--I don't have any of that, but I live in Portland OR, so there has to be some of it somewhere....If I can't find any this weekend, I'll PM you about sending a bit my way...thanks!

Also, I read another thread that said that with the cricket, you can just turn the pressure down on the propane to 3 or 4 instead of 5 and that can help.

I think that the top photo is what I should be shooting for--the second one is def. incorrect...
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  #16  
Old 2009-05-05, 9:03am
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I agree with Joanne: the flame you are running looks a bit reducing. Try turning up your oxygen or turning down your propane just a little.

Make the adjustments with the valves on your torch. Some propane regulators don't like to be set to lower than 5 psi, so it's better to have them set to at least 5-10 psi. Setting the regulator pressure higher does not make your torch use more gas unless you open the valves to let that available gas come in. Higher pressure just makes it so that you don't have to turn the valve as far to make an adjustment. Setting the pressure to betwen 5 and10 psi will be good for the regulator and will still be low enough to allow for fine tuning with the precision valves.

BTW, you don't necessarily need Triton to test for flame chemistry. It helps to use a reductive glass, but you can test with plain old Effetre white if you're in a pinch.
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Last edited by kbinkster; 2009-05-05 at 9:06am.
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  #17  
Old 2009-05-11, 7:20pm
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Hi Kimberly,
I am brand new to this...I have been reading everything I can about making a switch from a HH to my next torch. It seems the Cricket is a popular new choice and I'd like to go with an oxygen concentrator. I see in your signature, you might be able to help me with both. What can you tell me?
Thanks,
Lynn
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  #18  
Old 2009-05-12, 9:38am
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I tested the Cricket for GTT on an Invacare and on a Regalia. It did equally well on both when set at 5 LPM. Wally tested the Cricket on a DeVilbiss and on an M-10. It did better on the DeVilbiss - the running pressure was higher on the DeVilbiss than the M-10. I have yet to test the DeVilbiss up against the Invacare, but the DeVilbiss should be similar to the Regalia in terms of psi output.

I think that with 5 LPM, you can get a nice flame for soft glass beads and small boro. If you want to work hotter/faster, then you should add more oxygen. On the Cricket, psi is not going to make much of a difference.
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