DH glass - pictures of flames, please?

[sparrow]

Right, that's it! Is there anybody who can get loads of pretty colours from DH glass out of a HH on bulk who'd be willing to take pictures of a) the flame the use for shaping and b) the flame they use for striking, please? I'm trying and trying and trying, and getting quite exasperated! The best result so far was with Psyche on a gravity bead, so it got heated and heated and heated, then the colours were just the way I liked them, so I left it. I can get golds and greeny/brown, but blue completely eludes me (even on Kronos, Electra & Nyx, and the blinking RODS are blue). Help, anybody?

[garishglobes]

I'm not good at photos, so here's a line drawing, with apologies for its naffness!

Basically, the best I can do for the reducing glasses is to work the bead as usual  and then reduce in the bottom part of the flame, right just above the collar. It sometimes takes a while to hit the right spot, but usually after a couple of goes through I find it.
I have just put a kitchen foil collar on the hothead, which I just lift up when I want it to cover the air holes. Its a bit scary and it gets a bit hot, but it really works!

[turnedlight]

I have had worse results from dh ever since I went bulk.. (not that they were all that marvellous before!).. don't really know why. I do get nice pale greeny colours from aion over ivory, and you can get most of them to go mirror like from reducing, but no matter how hot I get it, and how quickly I chill it, I still can't get any colours. My Dad made a brass collar with a handle so I can cover the holes, and it's very effective - so it must be me!

[sparrow]

Wow, thanks for the drawing! I've got a foil collar too, which I sometimes in frustration crunch around the torch even if it's on. I'm glad I'm not the only one with problems - I'll give it one more go, and then I'll lock my DH glass away until I can afford a grown-up torch! 

[turnedlight]

No - don't let me put you off - I've been moaning about this, and loads of people have said that it is perfectly possible on bulk on a hothead.. I hope you do keep trying - maybe you could help me!! I was worried about using up my dh, but I read it helps to apply thinly, so I made some stringers from it, and experiment with those.

Below is what I got from aion on ivory.

[garishglobes]

That is so pretty!
Do you find the flame much cooler now that you are using bulk? I had a 0-2 bar regulator when I switched (low pressure) and got a much cooler, more mellow altogether flame. I then got a plumber to swap it to a high-pressure one, and would swear that it is now hotter than Mapp! It is certainly comparable..
Is it worth bearing in mind that the Hot Head is generally a bit reducing anyway, and particularly (I've been told) on bulk propane? I find with Aion I don't need to make an effort to reduce it at all, or it goes yucky grey. Just heating it is enough.. Also Kronos seems to over-reduce quite quickly.

[sparrow]

Thanks for sharing, that is pretty! I'll try again on Monday, or maybe tomorrow, if I'm good and get my paper finished!