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#1
Float Glass / Re: Can float glass be tack fu...
Last post by Dietmar - February 24, 2024, 04:43:16 PM
Float has a COE of 82. Bullseye has 90. That is a diference of about ten percent.

Tackfusing means the glass is just sticking togeather and the contact surface has still undercuts. These undercuts will be the starting point of the cracks. If you are lucky, you can see the finished work when opening the kiln, but expect the diferent COEs separated and at unintented places in the kiln.

Fazit: Unless you want to create an "implosion effect" stay within only one COE.
#2
Looking For..... / Re: 2mm mandreks
Last post by Margram - December 23, 2023, 03:30:06 PM
Hey, thank you both! I'll check them out  8) :)
#3
Murrine / Re: Heart Milli by Laurie
Last post by Dietmar - December 09, 2023, 01:20:22 PM
DO NOT OPEN THAT LINK.

It seems to be corrupted.

Heart Milli in my words:
Choose a color for the heart (red) and an other for the background (white). Make a cylinder from red about 4-5cm long and 2cm in diameter (ca. 1/2 of final diameter before pulling). Attach it to a boro punty or keep working on your red rod as the punty. Heat one side of this cylinder over the whole length and push a groove in it. Add some red to the opposite side and shape it into a sharp ridge. Looking on the end you should see the heart shape. Take the white and paint two thick lines next to the edge of the ridge to protect it from melting. Next fill the groove with white and then wrap the whole red glass in white to make a nice cylinder shape. Add a clear cone to the open end and attach a punty of your choice. Remove the "old" punty and add a second clear cone with punty. Heat the whole thing untill it is nice and pliable before you pull it into the desired diameter. Stop pulling just before you think it is thin enough and put it on an insulating place while removing the punties.

Have fun with this discription and use the product with love!
#4
Common Problems / Re: dirty glass
Last post by Dietmar - December 09, 2023, 12:47:48 PM
Every torch needs a ceartin length of the flame to complete the combustion. This length seems very short at the mini CC and it might be longer at the bethlehem burner. That means you might have to work with longer arms (more distance to the torch) if the flame setting is OK.

Try to compare the color of the flames. Adjust the mix to get a more blue flame with a purplish hue. A tourquoise hue means too much propane.

You will have to learn seeing it comeing. This "dirt" ist already visible in the flame while making the bead. Make a spacer from opaque turquoise glass or an other glass with a copper color (reducing to red). Work as far from the torch as possible. Lok at the surface of the bead under good licht, if there are reddish spots (I hope they art not there). Go back into the glame and place the bead very close to the end of the torch, inside of those brighter burning "candles" and look for an oily brighter glowing shine on the surface. Before the glass is too hot go out of the flame and look at the surface, again. It should have some red spots. The final part of this exercise is to "burn away" those spots by working very far away from the torch end. Those brighter glowing spots should disappear slowly in front of your eyes. You might want to repeat this procedure once more untill you see, what I want to tell you.

I hope to give you with these two lecrures the "tools" to avoide those "bad colors" or the "dirt".

Can you tell me on which colors this "dirt" was showing up most and where it was just barely visible?
#5
Looking For..... / Re: cabochon mandrels
Last post by Dietmar - December 09, 2023, 12:14:13 PM
Hi Bez,

you might think about ordering them at a local welders shop or in a steel construction company custom made. Chose the diameter of the handle from the typical TIG filler rods. If there is rod material availlable in the diameter of the heads go for it. They just need to weld the handle to the head and cut a section off the head material rod. Later they need to grind the end flat and bevel the edges.

An other idea is looking for stainless steel chopsticks with flat ends.
#6
Common Problems / Re: dirty glass
Last post by petrahergarden - December 02, 2023, 02:19:05 PM
i have this problem since i changed from an Mini CC burner with 1 5 liter concentrator to a Bethlehem burner with 2 5-liter concentrators, i get dirty glas, i am not sure what makes this problem, the gas bottle is new and full, anyone an idea?
#7
Float Glass / Re: Float Glass that won’t mel...
Last post by oliver90owner - November 15, 2023, 05:57:13 AM
Two things to start with.

Is the kiln really reaching those temperatures and is the program on Celsius or Fahrenheit?
#8
Float Glass / Float Glass that won’t melt!
Last post by Flowers - November 13, 2023, 06:47:52 AM
Hi everyone
I am trying to fuse some small shards of glass from a drinking glass to soften the edges into a tack fuse.  I have tried three different schedules and every time I open the kiln the glass looks exactly the same as it went in, nothing has happened!
Could anyone please help me with a fusing schedule for this. I am literally guessing each time and at the moment I have it in the kiln (Hobbyfuser 3) on the following schedule

250. 638   10
300. 775   30
Full 900.  40
Full 561.  1.00
66.  450.  0.00
End

Thank you so much for helping me
#9
Looking For..... / Re: 2mm mandreks
Last post by BeeBeads - November 11, 2023, 01:09:58 PM
That's what I use too. I trim them to the length I need and file the cut end to smooth it.
Much cheaper than buying mandrels and they last for absolutely ages.