Bud Vases

Bud Vases

     This is a reminder:  the glassblowing portion of my blog, is a refresher for my students who has had my glassblowing class or someone who has glassblown before.  If you have not glassblown, I suggest you take a few beginner lessons.
 

Set Up:

-         14 mm  Pyrex tubing

-         Colors (Pyrex)

-         # 3 tip

-         Matches/mats/towel/glass cutter

-         Blow tube

-         Flaring tool or end of a file

See last Mondays lesson (11 June 2012) on the blow tube and test tube making.

  Remember:  Hot glass looks the same as cold glass!!  Don't burn the top of your bench, put your hot glass on the ceramic mats. 
     DO ALL YOUR WORK OUTSIDE THE FLAME!!!!  Use the flame to soften your glass.  Keep your glass rotating in the flame, for even heating.
 

Bud Vases (14 mm tubing & encased rod):

-         Make a test tube, including the flare

-         Dab the flare w/small amounts of color, and reheat it to fuse the glass.

o       To make a point/pen at the end of your colored glass, heat the tip of the colored glass, remove it from the flame, touch it with a cold piece of glass and pull.  This is drawing out your glass.

-         Using a pointed tool (file end/tweezers – don’t apply these to the heat!!), make a frilly edge.

o       Heat the edge, remove from heat, push one edge down and out.

-         Attach handle using colored rod.

-         Anneal handle joint, using a cooler flame (turn down the oxygen) and sooting (blanketing) up the join.  This causes the glass to cool slower.

-         Once cool, remove soot with a tissue and hang on edge of something.

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