if your glassblowing in an enclosed space you want very good ventilation. also try not to break the bubbles when you blow out holes. better to blow the hole in the flame. the glass as you can see is extremely light and will collect in your lungs. i enjoyed your video. have fun!
You're doing it quite well for a beginner. Well done. Few corrections in hope it will help you in the future. 1) The procedure is called _flameworking_ , not glassblowing. Glassblowing is forming glass vessels and tubes using the melt as a starting material. Steel tube, dipping into the melt and rolling/blowing. Flameworkers use already fabricated elements such as bulbs and tubes. 2) When you're cutting the scored glass, do *one* strong score 2/3 of the circumference. Do not score several times, scoring over the score, in circles. Just one strong, sharp score. 3) Wet the score with cold water immediately after scoring. Water seeps in the cracks and increases the stress a lot, which helps with formation of a straight crack. Apply the glowing bead of glass on the wet score. Works perfectly, almost always. 4) When annealing, wait until the glass glow subsides and use a bushy, diffused, sooty flame. You're using oxygenated flame which is still very hot. Don't worry about soot, it won't be baked in the glass surface unless it's glowing hot. After cooling wipe it away with a soft cloth. 5) Leave the hot objects to cool down in a position where air convection won't produce fast and uneven cooling. For example, tube with its end sealed shut should be put upright, not at an angle or horizontally. 6) Rotate, rotate, rotate. When making a pause, decrease oxygen and rotate in cooler flame. Practice rotation. If you can't do circles in one direction only, go forward and backward but be fast when changing direction so that the points heated during the direction change don't get more time in flame. Practice is very important. 7) Microbubbles are not an issue for annealed glass. They are nearly always present and a good indicator the piece has been handmade. 8) Always ignite fuel, then add oxygen. Don't ignite mixtures. It's a good habit. 9) I hope the glass rod you used to seal the hole was the same type of glass. Glass rods are usually soda lime and is incompatible with pyrex. All in all, you did a magnificent job with this.
Thanks for the kind words and great tips! I learned many of them since I made the video but there are still a few I didn’t know. Especially that the microbubbles aren’t an issue in annealed glass. Yes, the glass rod I used to seal the hole is the same borosilicate glass my tubes are made from.
Yes, at first it seems weird. They are even light enough to float away in a warm air current. It's not a good practice to make them, because you could breathe them in. Glass wool is also very flexible. You can knit a blanket out of glass fibers.
A trick for cleanly breaking the glass, either by hand or through shock, is to coat the score line with water, or something lighter(i.e. isoprop). The capillary effect will act in your favor and "damage" the score further by pushing it apart, making it snap easier. And to look at stress, recycle an old LCD monitor to make a polariscope :)
I did wet the glass with water before breaking it by hand. Never tried it when using the heat shock method. I will try it. Sadly i don't have an old LCD monitor. But I bought a sheet of polarisation foil to make the stress visible.
You did a great job for a “beginner” quite impressive, as one of the other commenters suggested a vent fan is really a good idea, also you will want to have a bowl of water near by to help snap melted glass off your rods and to have a place to put that nasty super thin glass, it can not be stressed enough about how bad that is, I’m am the furthest thing from a safety guy but that’s a big deal. It’s also handy for putting out fires and to just have a place to toss hot scraps. Oh and you might want to switch to a sparker or a zippo instead of a butane lighter, trust me you will pop that thing and while it’s not super dangerous with a small lighter it gets exciting. And the torch you are using is a Carlisle Mini CC it is a fantastic torch, I have one if you hook up high pressure O2 you can do quite large pieces. I just shot a video about how I am using mine now as an auxiliary torch yesterday, but I haven’t posted it yet. Keep up the good work
Thanks a lot for the advice. And thanks for letting me know what the burner is called! I only have a 5 l/min oxygen concentrator. I feel like this is holding me back from working with larger pieces or being able to properly heat two sections I want to join at once. I appreciate you advice regarding the vent fan. Unfortunately I simply do not have the space for something like that. But I always have the windows open when working with the glass. Blowing those thin glass bubbles was a bad habit it seems. I stopped doing it and rarely get thin glass pieces anymore. Thanks for your tips!
Very nice! I've started trying my hand at making some small pieces of glassware myself today. I suck at it and everything ends up cracking but I'm not giving up, this is way too cool of an activity for me to stop :)
Interesting video, it is very nice you show and explain the details and equipment. I look forward to see you distill the cesium. Do you intend to sell the cesium? I think with your equipment you can make a business and earn back the cost. GL.
Thank you! I do not plan on selling the cesium. There are pretty strict regulations regarding the selling and shipping of hazardous materials. The shipping would probably cost more than the cesium itself. And I do not feel comfortable selling a potentially dangerous element to people.
Great video and amazing to watch you work! When ever I’m trying to break glass, after scoring I will give it a couple of taps on the score line with the back end of a screwdriver so those stresses/cracks are deepened within the glass so it breaks cleaner - I don’t know if this is something you have tried? :)
I bought an oxygen concentrator, unfortunately it doesnt really provide the flow that I want for oxy propane flame. Its okay but I wish it was better. Could I use an empty gas tank like a capacitor in a circuit ?
Yes, it is possible to use an additional tank as a reservoir. There are quite a few videos on TH-cam about those systems. But the specialized oxygen compressors are pretty expensive. There are also people that use a regular air compressor and tank. But you have to make sure everything is absolutely oil/grease free. Otherwise you risk explosions/fire. Pressurized oxygen is no joke. I would not recommend it. And I also don't think a tank at those lower pressure will last you long when using your torch.
@@AdvancedTinkering I have a dentist silent compressor, I guess with a bunch of solenoid valves, timing circuitry and tubes filled with zeolite I could make my own O2 concentrator, will need to deal with any oil from the compressor.
@@AdvancedTinkering I ordered some 22mm borosilicate tube yesterday after seeing your video on making kf flanges. I have a diffusion pump and oil, I hope to one day get use from it. Tbo it's finding and not knowing the right parts and fittings that slows progress. That and always having several projects on the go
Es kommt natürlich immer sehr darauf an, ob man die Dinge gebraucht kauft und zu welchem Preis. Mit Sauerstoffkonzentrator, Propanflasche und Brenner liegt man gebraucht vermutlich so um die 400 Euro.
Why didn’t you just bed the tubing instead of making all of those joints? You could have been done so much faster with a stronger product. Bending a Z shape and then adding one joint and you would have what you wanted.
I have tried that but was never successful in bending the tubes while keeping a consistent wall thickness. My torch is not large enough to heat a large enough area of the glass which leads to kinks when bending it.
If you want to see my using the still to distill the cesium: th-cam.com/video/budLy8ll8Bw/w-d-xo.html
I would love to get some links from you to get tools and materials to get started with scientific glass blowing
if your glassblowing in an enclosed space you want very good ventilation. also try not to break the bubbles when you blow out holes. better to blow the hole in the flame. the glass as you can see is extremely light and will collect in your lungs. i enjoyed your video. have fun!
You're doing it quite well for a beginner. Well done.
Few corrections in hope it will help you in the future.
1) The procedure is called _flameworking_ , not glassblowing. Glassblowing is forming glass vessels and tubes using the melt as a starting material. Steel tube, dipping into the melt and rolling/blowing. Flameworkers use already fabricated elements such as bulbs and tubes.
2) When you're cutting the scored glass, do *one* strong score 2/3 of the circumference. Do not score several times, scoring over the score, in circles. Just one strong, sharp score.
3) Wet the score with cold water immediately after scoring. Water seeps in the cracks and increases the stress a lot, which helps with formation of a straight crack. Apply the glowing bead of glass on the wet score. Works perfectly, almost always.
4) When annealing, wait until the glass glow subsides and use a bushy, diffused, sooty flame. You're using oxygenated flame which is still very hot. Don't worry about soot, it won't be baked in the glass surface unless it's glowing hot. After cooling wipe it away with a soft cloth.
5) Leave the hot objects to cool down in a position where air convection won't produce fast and uneven cooling. For example, tube with its end sealed shut should be put upright, not at an angle or horizontally.
6) Rotate, rotate, rotate. When making a pause, decrease oxygen and rotate in cooler flame. Practice rotation. If you can't do circles in one direction only, go forward and backward but be fast when changing direction so that the points heated during the direction change don't get more time in flame. Practice is very important.
7) Microbubbles are not an issue for annealed glass. They are nearly always present and a good indicator the piece has been handmade.
8) Always ignite fuel, then add oxygen. Don't ignite mixtures. It's a good habit.
9) I hope the glass rod you used to seal the hole was the same type of glass. Glass rods are usually soda lime and is incompatible with pyrex.
All in all, you did a magnificent job with this.
Thanks for the kind words and great tips! I learned many of them since I made the video but there are still a few I didn’t know. Especially that the microbubbles aren’t an issue in annealed glass.
Yes, the glass rod I used to seal the hole is the same borosilicate glass my tubes are made from.
This is such a great encouraging and productive advice we need more of on the Internet!
Half of that comment wasn't true or it was blown out of proportion
I would never have guessed that such thin glass bubbles would be flexible like that!
Yes, at first it seems weird. They are even light enough to float away in a warm air current. It's not a good practice to make them, because you could breathe them in.
Glass wool is also very flexible. You can knit a blanket out of glass fibers.
A trick for cleanly breaking the glass, either by hand or through shock, is to coat the score line with water, or something lighter(i.e. isoprop). The capillary effect will act in your favor and "damage" the score further by pushing it apart, making it snap easier.
And to look at stress, recycle an old LCD monitor to make a polariscope :)
I did wet the glass with water before breaking it by hand. Never tried it when using the heat shock method. I will try it.
Sadly i don't have an old LCD monitor. But I bought a sheet of polarisation foil to make the stress visible.
I'm guessing that's better than average for the first try. I was watching in between sets of my workout and it was calming to watch.
Awesome to see you do this.
You did a great job for a “beginner” quite impressive, as one of the other commenters suggested a vent fan is really a good idea, also you will want to have a bowl of water near by to help snap melted glass off your rods and to have a place to put that nasty super thin glass, it can not be stressed enough about how bad that is, I’m am the furthest thing from a safety guy but that’s a big deal.
It’s also handy for putting out fires and to just have a place to toss hot scraps.
Oh and you might want to switch to a sparker or a zippo instead of a butane lighter, trust me you will pop that thing and while it’s not super dangerous with a small lighter it gets exciting.
And the torch you are using is a Carlisle Mini CC it is a fantastic torch, I have one if you hook up high pressure O2 you can do quite large pieces.
I just shot a video about how I am using mine now as an auxiliary torch yesterday, but I haven’t posted it yet.
Keep up the good work
Thanks a lot for the advice. And thanks for letting me know what the burner is called! I only have a 5 l/min oxygen concentrator. I feel like this is holding me back from working with larger pieces or being able to properly heat two sections I want to join at once.
I appreciate you advice regarding the vent fan. Unfortunately I simply do not have the space for something like that. But I always have the windows open when working with the glass. Blowing those thin glass bubbles was a bad habit it seems. I stopped doing it and rarely get thin glass pieces anymore.
Thanks for your tips!
Very nice! I've started trying my hand at making some small pieces of glassware myself today. I suck at it and everything ends up cracking but I'm not giving up, this is way too cool of an activity for me to stop :)
That was great! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you alot!
I’ve always wanted to try that. This was almost as good Tks.
Joaaa sowas sehe ich gerne. Mehr davon.
great job!
Thanks!
This is dope !! Hell yeah
Interesting video, it is very nice you show and explain the details and equipment. I look forward to see you distill the cesium. Do you intend to sell the cesium? I think with your equipment you can make a business and earn back the cost. GL.
Thank you!
I do not plan on selling the cesium. There are pretty strict regulations regarding the selling and shipping of hazardous materials. The shipping would probably cost more than the cesium itself. And I do not feel comfortable selling a potentially dangerous element to people.
Endlich Bildung
Great video and amazing to watch you work! When ever I’m trying to break glass, after scoring I will give it a couple of taps on the score line with the back end of a screwdriver so those stresses/cracks are deepened within the glass so it breaks cleaner - I don’t know if this is something you have tried? :)
Tap from the opposite side
I bought an oxygen concentrator, unfortunately it doesnt really provide the flow that I want for oxy propane flame. Its okay but I wish it was better. Could I use an empty gas tank like a capacitor in a circuit ?
Yes, it is possible to use an additional tank as a reservoir. There are quite a few videos on TH-cam about those systems. But the specialized oxygen compressors are pretty expensive. There are also people that use a regular air compressor and tank. But you have to make sure everything is absolutely oil/grease free. Otherwise you risk explosions/fire. Pressurized oxygen is no joke. I would not recommend it.
And I also don't think a tank at those lower pressure will last you long when using your torch.
@@AdvancedTinkering I have a dentist silent compressor, I guess with a bunch of solenoid valves, timing circuitry and tubes filled with zeolite I could make my own O2 concentrator, will need to deal with any oil from the compressor.
@@AdvancedTinkering might just look out for a secondary bedside O2 concentrator, running two should give me the control and higher flow that I want
@@AdvancedTinkering I ordered some 22mm borosilicate tube yesterday after seeing your video on making kf flanges. I have a diffusion pump and oil, I hope to one day get use from it. Tbo it's finding and not knowing the right parts and fittings that slows progress. That and always having several projects on the go
how much did you pay for the oxygen concentrator?
I bought it used for 200 €.
@@AdvancedTinkering oh very nice, I have to keep looking around then!
Was kostet so ein Setup? Für Ampullen reicht mein Bunsenbrenner aber ohne Sauerstoff ist richtige Bearbeitung nicht wirklich möglich.
Es kommt natürlich immer sehr darauf an, ob man die Dinge gebraucht kauft und zu welchem Preis. Mit Sauerstoffkonzentrator, Propanflasche und Brenner liegt man gebraucht vermutlich so um die 400 Euro.
Where do you get your boro. 3 glass from?
From a local store. I haven't found a good shop online yet.
nice
Why didn’t you just bed the tubing instead of making all of those joints? You could have been done so much faster with a stronger product. Bending a Z shape and then adding one joint and you would have what you wanted.
I have tried that but was never successful in bending the tubes while keeping a consistent wall thickness. My torch is not large enough to heat a large enough area of the glass which leads to kinks when bending it.
Seems like a ton of wasted glass