Bubbly glass

[anfrank]

Hi Everyone, all comments gratefully received
after my donut v round query I now find I am in more of a predicament - I seem to be regressing rather than progressing with lampworking so am feeling rather deflated but wonder if anyone can comment on bubbles in the glass please?   I bought an oxycon from someone who was retiring but I am wondering if the oxycon should have retired too    It has 60,00 hours on the clock - is that too much to use now do you think?  I cannot get the black bubble above 3 on the oxycon scale and it should I believe be near 4 or 5 ?  I now seem to be getting bubbles in my beads and they are cracking when coming off the mandrels?  Is it me doing something wrong or could it be the oxygen somehow (she says desperately!). 
A 

[Yeske]

Do you mean 60 or 6000 hours? (the latter would seem a bit much)

If it is 60, I think the oxycon should work just fine.. I've been lampworking for at least 60 hours and I can't imagine that one has to buy a new oxycon every half year? However, I don't know much about the subject since I'm working on a hothead, haha. Hopefully the others will be able to help you

[helbels]

Turn the knob on your oxycon right round to the fully open position, then back again by 3/4 turn.

Then turn the oxycon on and let it warm up for 20 minutes or so.  Give the black bubble a hard tap (sometimes it can get stuck), then turn the oxy on at your torch and watch the black bubble rise up.  You want it somewhere around the 4 mark, but 3 is actually also possible.

Oxycons can have loads of hours on them, so don't worry about that (they are designed to run 24/7 for years for someone with breathing problems).

I don't think the bubbles have anything to do with the oxygen - what glass are you using?   As you are new to lampworking, you may just be trapping a lot of air in the bead while you are working.   Are they breaking after they have been in the kiln, or are you using annealing bubbles?  What size beads are you trying to make?

[Jane C ♫]

From what I was told, oxycons need to be left to run for a while. If you're just turning them on for half an hour and then off again, it's not good for them.

You may be able to get it serviced - Tufnells will do certain makes & models - or they may be able to give you some hints on how to get the best out of it. Good luck!

[anfrank]

Hi Everyone and thank you so much for responding.
It says 60,000 hours on the clock, so that's a bit worrying!  Maybe I need to get a new one?  I didn't realise there was a clock on them until after I'd bought it :-(
I started lampworking at the end of August and have done about an hour a day since then so very new at it.   I bought a whole load of stuff from someone who had retired and was v grateful that he gave me a run through of all the safety aspects etc so am really glad about that, but now am worried that the oxycon is giving up on me?  Why do bubbles appear in beads - is it the way I am putting the glass on the mandrel do you think?  I don't have a kiln yet so used fibre blanket for a few days and that was fine but then I got Japanese annealing bubbles and it all seems to be going wrong now - don't know whether to blame the oxycon, the bubbles or just me!!    If I put beads in the bubbles too soon they are indented with bubble shapes, if I put them in too late they crack - how do you know when to submerge them?  I am only trying to do basic spacer/donuts at the mo (I can't so rounds as you know!!) 

[helbels]

As I said before, 60,000 hours isn't necessarily a problem.

With the bubbles you need to wait until the glow is gone, then pop the bead in.  If you are only making donuts, they shouldn't be cracking.

What glass are you using?

[anfrank]

Hmm, having re-read your posts I think I am going at this all wrong -I am certainly not letting the oxycon run for any significant time but just putting  it on, doing an hour of work and then turning it off.  So maybe this is not helping things.  Trouble is I can only work like this, grabbing the odd half hour or so when I can - do you think I will wreck my oxycon doing this? ( If it is not already done for!!)

[Redhotsal]

60000 hours is quite a long time - actually about 30 years - so I very much doubt that is the real figure - is one of the figures a different colour? if so , that could be a tenth of an hour which would mean 6000 hours in reality - or about 3 years continous running........., But, one of mine is about 12 years old and still going. Does your torch look good - mostly blue flame with "candles" at the bottom about 8mm long. Or is it "bushy" - very long candles with fuzzy ends? If the latter then you have oxygen trouble, if not then you are okay, oxygen - wise. After this time I wouldnt' really expect the oxycon to be at it's peak efficiency - though you shoudl still be able to make good beads even with 3l/min.

Bubbles in your beads could mean you are not heating up your mandrel fully before making the bead.

|If your beads are nicely coloured, but are cracking it sounds as if you are putting them in your cooling bubbles/vermiculite/kiln too slowly - they may have cracked before you put them in there. Don't make beads, then let them cool and then give them a quick heat in the flame as that will certainly crack them before they go into the bubbles.

If you were doing ok with a fibre blanket before you changed to bubbles then my advice would be to stow the bubbles and go back to the blanket!

how about posting a picture of the beads and that will show us a better picture of what's going on? It doesn't sounds to me that your oxycon is the problem, but to be honest, without a picture it is hard to say.....

[Redhotsal]

Okay - posted after reading your last post - so, no, turning your oxycon on and off frequently won't hurt it. I doubt your oxycon is the problem. Turn on the oxycon and expect it to be "normal" after about three minutes. So the odd half hour of work is okay - won't hurt it. I really wouldn't worry about your oxycon, it sounds ok.

Maybe you would benefit from saving up for a lesson from someone or from finding someone close to you who would be prepared to spend a couple of hours just getting you through the basics, just to restore your confidence?

[flame n fuse]

I agree with Helbels and Red Hot Sal.

[anfrank]

Thank you once again, for sound and welcome advice.  I lose heart and then feel encouraged by help from people who have no need to even bother to respond - it is so kind of you - thank you!  And your advice is so thoughtful and comprehensive.  I will have a good look at the candles and monitor the thrusting into the bubbles - I only gave up on the blanket as I gave the last batch a little 'pat' as I put each into their blankety bed, only to discover I had pancaked them in doing so  Doh....!

[anfrank]

Hi All
Thank you for posting and helping - v good to hear and I will be seeking out some classes - many thanks 

[flame n fuse]

let us know how you get on with the flow rate on the oxycon. If it stays low, you might need to clean the filter and check for leaks both outside and inside the oxycon (and there is an excellent description somewhere here by Tan about how to get into an oxycon)

[Trudi]

Good luck x

[June]

Roughly where abouts are you based?