Blow tube swivels

Red Dragon · July 29, 2013, 09:12:47 PM

Anyone know if there is a UK supplier of glass blowing swivels (right angle /straight) for glass blowing, or have we got to resort to buying from the US

??

Red Dragon · July 29, 2013, 10:14:35 PM

Sorted ................ Found Gpe Scientific supply glassblowing equipment in Uk..... here is the link if anyone is interested for a blowhose assembly.
http://www.gpescientific.co.uk/view-categories.php?catID=167&mastercatID=6

Barnacle Bay · July 29, 2013, 10:27:01 PM

I would love to know how one would use this contraption - obviously way beyound my brain cell count

Red Dragon · July 29, 2013, 10:30:49 PM

Quote from: Barnacle Bay on July 29, 2013, 10:27:01 PM
I would love to know how one would use this contraption - obviously way beyound my brain cell count

Check this out then:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjLV6PQHn9U

Barnacle Bay · July 29, 2013, 10:49:10 PM

Excellent video - Don't know what to say really - gobsmacked! Apart from I tink I need to look deeper into glass blowing

Hence My little Blow pipe mandrel is winging its way to me

Ok - we all have to start somewhere

Thank you ever so much Red dragon, much appreciated

Lou
XX

Steampunkglass · July 30, 2013, 11:23:34 AM

I'll book mark that one! You could also try http://www.sign-tec.co.uk/ who do mostly neon tube stuff, but also supply tools, burners, and lots of other interesting 'tube' related bits and bobs

Barnacle Bay · July 30, 2013, 11:47:08 AM

At a local glass works that I visited, they use glass called Glasma 705 for blowing?

Ian Pearson · July 30, 2013, 12:07:06 PM

"Blow tubes" common for lathe work More used in USA than UK for bench work though

Ian

Red Dragon · July 30, 2013, 03:34:20 PM

Thanks all

qwirkyglass · July 30, 2013, 10:02:39 PM

hi Barnacle bay,

Glasma is a furnace glass blowing glass rather than a torch glass blowing glass, (as far as i know) if that makes any sense. Im sure it could be worked on a torch, but you would have to get someone to pull it into canes/ tubes for you to then anneal and work with.

Hi Red Dragon,

do you find that the tubing on your blow tube keeps collapsing and kinking? As i have a different type of tube on mine for the hotshop and its a pain in the butt as it ties its own knots around the iron, and well, any thing in reach really.

Red Dragon · July 30, 2013, 10:33:48 PM

Quote from: qwirkyglass on July 30, 2013, 10:02:39 PM

Hi Red Dragon,

do you find that the tubing on your blow tube keeps collapsing and kinking? As i have a different type of tube on mine for the hotshop and its a pain in the butt as it ties its own knots around the iron, and well, any thing in reach really.

I have not got any blow tube yet still waiting for it to be delivered!!
Then I shall have a play?

MadelineBunyan · July 30, 2013, 10:45:57 PM

Quote from: qwirkyglass on July 30, 2013, 10:02:39 PM
Glasma is a furnace glass blowing glass rather than a torch glass blowing glass, (as far as i know) if that makes any sense. Im sure it could be worked on a torch, but you would have to get someone to pull it into canes/ tubes for you to then anneal and work with.

we tried that at college , it was scummy scum scum in the flame

the blowhose assembly creates as many problems as it solves in my opinion. its quite heavy and clunky, makes turning the blowpipe difficult, I tend to find I can only make one thing with it before my hand needs a break. and its is squiggly spaghetti when you try to put it down.

however, you can keep your work horizontal and see whats going on whilst you are blowing, and also block the end when needed and still turn your work. so as the video shows, good for trickier connections and things.

this said, I've not blown anything much other than shards recently so the hose isn't neccessary.

Ian Pearson · July 31, 2013, 12:28:37 PM

Swivels can be made of glass. An inner and outer. one piece of rubber tube fixes to the outer and the glass item you want to blow into. Fix another length of ruber tubing on the outter section and that goes into your mouth to blow down. You can twiste/turn the glass without getting the blow hose in knots

Ian

melofello · August 01, 2013, 06:00:36 PM

I have a blow hose and swivel, I got it from ABR a US store when I was ordering glass from them. Crazy how things can be cheaper from them even with shipping and import tax. Admittedly that's mostly because they sell odds as well as first quality where as we only see 1sts here in the UK it seems. Anyway it was cheap so I bought it just to try it out. Its a brass swivel that came with 2 different size rubber adapters for attaching it to my blow hose/ handle and then a length or rubber tube with a plastic mouth piece on the end

I have found it useful for some applications, for example when making pipes it makes it easier to get the bowl hole in the right place whilst still keeping the hole I pop nice and small with no need to shrink the hole down after. It also came in handy recently when making an encalmo section where I was able to keep the same steady rotation whilst blowing into it. However these are things that practice would allow you to do without a blow hose.

From discussions on some of the pipe forums in the US it seems that some prefer to use a blow hose as they feel it helps to speed up their work when doing things such as production spoon pipes. Their margins are so tight that the extra minuted really do add up and start to cost them. Not the life for me but got to respect the dedication.

I did have a few issues with the hose kinking and such at first. To minimise this I first get the rubber adapter attaching the swivel to my blowtube as far onto the blow tube as I can, if there is too much of the adapter not held straight by being on the tube then it can kink under the weight of the swivel. Second I loop the hose round my neck, the length between the swivel and where it goes across your neck should only be as long as it needs to be, its the slack in the hose that lets it kink. The hose I have didn't kink that much without these tips but I used a friends on his lathe and the hose had a thinner wall thickness and was more prone to kinking so that's worth considering if you are having issues.

Barnacle Bay · August 01, 2013, 06:11:50 PM

Quote hi Barnacle bay,

Glasma is a furnace glass blowing glass rather than a torch glass blowing glass, (as far as i know) if that makes any sense. Im sure it could be worked on a torch, but you would have to get someone to pull it into canes/ tubes for you to then anneal and work with. Quote

My Dad has a small gas furnace he used to use for Blacksmithing - I wonder if It could be modified to take a smelting pot

Oops sorry Red Dragon I don't want to hijack this post but some very wise folks on this topic