All credit for this blog entry goes to Bethlehem Burners. This is from their website. Helpful Tips from Bethlehem Tip # 1: Do not use force when cleaning your torch. Using extra force when cleaning your hypo tubes may cause internal damage to the torch. Such as scraping or breaking the hypo tubes which can lead to internal premixing. Only use gentle strokes and only use smooth wires. Cleaning wires with barbs or deep ridges on them will scrape and scratch the inside of the torch hypo tubes, weakening them over time. If you cannot clear an obstruction with the cleaning wires provided, please call us for assistance. (610) 838-7034 Tip # 2: Heat Tint Bethlehem Burners uses 303 stainless steel for the burner faceplates and torch barrels. Stainless steel develops a tint or coloring when the metal is exposed to heat and air. Heat tint found at the face and around the front of the torch barrel is to be expected and will darken with continued use. This discoloring is normal and purely cosmetic. Tip # 3: Removing Heat Tint Removing heat tint is not required maintenance for proper torch use. If the flame worker would like to remove the heat tint, simply rub a plastic dish-scrubbing pad (Scotch Brite) in a circular motion, until the heat tint has been removed. DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL. Steel wool will scratch the metal of the torch. Tip # 4: DO NOT SHOCK YOUR TORCH. Placing a hot torch face in cold water to “shock” trapped glass free from the torch will weaken the torches connection sites. Metal expands and contrasts when heated and cooled, therefore any connection site on the torch formed by fusing metals together, will become weakened if the metals have been heated and then cooled rapidly (shocked). Tip # 5: Do not use wires to remove glass Do not use the provided wires to remove glass. If glass becomes lodged inside the torch ports, please contact Bethlehem Apparatus for expert advice on how to remove the glass. (610) 838-7034 Tip # 6: Ask us about your torch! If you find yourself questioning what to do about your torch, give us a call and we will be glad to help! (610) 838-7034 TORCH CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS The working life of a Bethlehem torch is greatly enhanced when properly cleaned. Removal of carbon deposits on the face of the burner will prevent hot spots and deliver a clean particle free flame. Our new Stainless steel torches (Alpha, Bravo, Champion) have more oxygen ports in proportion to gas ports. This prevents carbon build-up; therefore these models do not require cleanings as often as our previous models. Step 1. Shutoff torch and allow cooling down for 10 minutes. Step 2. Gently brush the torch face in a back and forth and up and down motion for about 6 minutes. Step 3. Clean gas & oxygen ports with the two wires provided. Using the small wire for the smaller oxygen ports and the larger wire for the larger gas ports, located on the front face of the torch. The pentagon shaped center fire has 6 thin walled stainless steel hypo tubes. The hypo tubes deliver gas and the surrounding ports deliver the oxygen. NEVER USE COPPER, GLASS STRINGERS, TOOTH PICKS, OR ANY OBJECT THAT CAN BREAK AND CLOG THE PORT. Step 4. Turn on the torch with a lot of gas and oxygen and hit the underside of the torch with the supplied wooden dowel (never use a hard object to jar out any dust and carbon that may have entered the gas and or the oxygen ports during steps 1 and 2. Step 5. Shutoff torch and allow cooling for 10 minutes. Step 6. Brush torch face again, same as step 2. Step 7. Turn on torch with a lot of gas and oxygen and hit the underside of the torch to jar out any dust and carbon that may have entered the gas or oxygen ports during the brushing and wire cleaning cycle. Step 8. Shutoff torch, torch is now all clean and ready for your next days work.

Shifty and CFL are two terms to describe the same thing — a pallet of glass that changes color based on the light that it is under. CFL stands for “compact fluorescent light.” The glass changes its apparent color in fluorescent lighting. The first CFL/shifty glass was done by Glass Alchemy in 2014, with the color Serum. Next, came Terps. These are a bit tough to get, but other CFLs are available:

Check our hot glass section for availability.

When we set up our flame room in our new location, we put a lot of thought into how we would get gas and oxygen to the burners. We ended up with piped-in gas and oxygen concentrators and think it is a great system. We started with hot head torches and MAPP gas. This was a great beginner setup and we had a great time with it. We then took a big step and became Bethlehem dealers! Below are the Alpha and Bravo glassworking torch models. With this system, we used 3-gallon propane tanks and some used medical oxygen generators. An issue we encountered with this system was having to make frequent runs to get more propane — and, of course, the propane would run out at the worst times. Another issue we encountered was that the used medical generators did not last. People tend to give up on these generators when they have a lot of hours on them. When we moved, we looked at oxygen tanks. That solution sounded like a nightmare to me — the tanks must be allowed to bleed, so you are losing oxygen all the time. It is a time-consuming process to get the tanks refilled, and just having oxygen under pressure seemed to be a scary concept. We went the concentrator route and have not regretted it. These rebuilt machines are like new and have enough power to run the Bravos — and that is a lot! We sell oxygen generators but only for store pickup as they are difficult to ship. A concentrator works by taking air from the room and compresses it. It then delivers air to where you direct it — in our case, to a bench burner. In a five-step process, the concentrator:

1. takes air from the room
2. compresses the oxygen
3. takes out the nitrogen
4. adjusts the way the air is delivered and
5. delivers it.

The concentrator takes oxygen out of the room, so you must allow air to get back in by means of some sort of ventilation. We have our vented out through the ceiling and also have a door on each end as well as a vent toward the floor into the next room so there are plenty of ways to get air in. I posed the question on the Facebook group Lampwork Tips, Techniques, & Questions. One person said the removal of the oxygen from the room is about as problematic as all the people in the room using up oxygen by breathing!

Thank you to Bethlehem Burners for this Blog! If you landed here, you must be interested in buying your first lampworking torch! It’s an exciting time and you’ll want to feel confident in your purchase. In part one of our Lampworking Torch Buyer’s Guide, we’ll address concerns about buying a less expensive torch versus a more top of the line torch for beginner skills. They say: “Your first lampworking torch should be cheap and something you can destroy while learning.” Bethlehem Burner’s says: While this advice definitely has merit, a beginning lampworker should also keep in mind what type of torch they hope to use once they move past their “beginner’s torch.” For example, there are different style torches that produce different style flames. These different style flames affect the way glass reacts in the flame, which in turn affects the way the glass should be manipulated in the flame to produce the desired effect. Modern lampworking, using both soft and borosilicate glass, involves the use of a lot of color. Fuel mixture ratios and flame velocity affect the chemical composition of each glass color differently. This means flames produced by one torch will affect a glass color differently than the flames of another torch. If a lampworker learns to lampwork on one style of torch, they will need to adapt a lot of their glass techniques when they switch to a new torch style. This transition can be very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. In order to make this transition as smooth as possible, it is best to choose a new torch that produces flames similar to the flames produced by the torch they learned on. So, while, “your first torch should be cheap and something you can destroy while learning,” isn’t necessarily wrong, it isn’t your only option. Kate Hayes, VP and resident torch expert at Bethlehem Burners weighs in on the topic: “Get a smaller version of your dream torch. Choose your first center fire style wisely, because the transition from premix center fire to surface mix center fire is the hardest and most expensive transition to make,” suggests Hayes. Stained Glass Express is a proud distributor for Bethlehem Burners. Click here to see the burners we have in stock. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/flameworking_glassblowing/annealers-bench-burners-accessories/ We are always happen to order in other Bethlehem products for you.

For a few years now, Stained Glass Express has been offering 33 coe glass. We are still learning and still adding product. One of the growing stock is our 33 coe tubes and rods. We stock Simax tubes and rods made by Schott. This is a high- quality borosilicate glass. The main ingredients are silica and boron. Boro has a high heat resistance and a low thermal expansion. (thus the low coe number). Simax works best in high heat and is commonly used in lab equipment, industrial equipment and cookware. However, in our art world it is a favorite because it creates smoot, transparent and strong beautiful pieces. For Simax to work at it’s full potential it must be annealed properly. Annealing is the process of eliminating internal thermal stress. This stress comes from one area of the glass getting hotter than a neighboring area and will later develop cracks. Usually it is annealed at 1050 F for about one hour and then cooled slowly. If you cool too quickly it will crack. Of course, this can vary depending on the thickness of the glass and other variables. You can use Simax glass with other 33 coe glass like Glass Alchemy, Golden Gate, imported, Momkas, Northstar, Tautman and others. We have not put simax on our website but if you talk to us and allow us to cut it to fit a box (or are willing to pay for oversized we will ship it. Our colored rods are on the site. https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/flameworking_glassblowing/33-coe/ In the art world the top item made is tobacco pipes, but also ornaments, pendants and other wonderful works of art! Sign up for one of our torch room classes and learn this art! https://www.stainedglassexpress.com/skins/common/images/TorchRoomClassesSchedule.pdf

A THOUSAND CRANES

Info from Glass Art Magazine and Wikipedia

Japanese legend is that if you fold 1000 cranes you will be granted a wish by the gods. The crane is a symbol of happiness and eternal youth so some believe that the 1000 origami paper cranes will bring you long life or recovery from illness or injury. In Japan the cranes which are strung together are very popular as wedding themes.

GERM’S 1000 CRANES PROJECT

Jeremy Grant-Levine (aka Germ) in 2018 is glass blowing 1000 cranes. Jeremy is being back by $92,000 Kickstarter campaign. This project will take 250 pounds of glass and approximately two miles of wire, totaling $20,000 in materials. When complete the work will on display at the Arch Enemy Arts gallery in Philadelphia. Jeremy is based in Philadelphia and has been flameworking glass pipes for over 13 years. He has exhibited at galleries in Philadelphia, Seattle, New York, Miami and Tel Aviv.

Though not really new, because it has been around since the 19th century, bead making is gaining momentum very quickly. One method is to buy an inexpensive hot head torch like you see being used in the pictures above. This is easily something you can do at home. Hot Head is sku 15613. Or our newest addition is a Bench Burner. Sku 16035. You are able to do more with this one, but it is more expensive and you need an oxygen generator to go with it.

Lampworking is also called flame working or torch working or bead making. All those words make sense to the process except Lampworking which is the official name of the process. So, I looked it up. It is called lampworking because way back when this process started they did it by oil-fueled lamps while blowing air into the flame through a pipe. So there you go! This type of glasswork is where a torch is primarily used to melt the glass. Once it is molten, it is formed by shaping with tools and hand movements. Lampworking is different from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a furnace called a glory hole as the primary heat source. The methods today use torches that burn propane or natural gas for the fuel. It is mixed with air or pure oxygen as the oxidizer. MAPP gas in portable canisters can be used.