A while back I abandoned my old website in favor of the blog format. A few days later, one of my friends told me how much she liked that I told about how lampwork beads were made on my site. Well, that page no longer exists, so I thought I'd do a series of posts on my studio, then a series on how I make my lampwork beads.
In this post, I will introduce you to the basics of my own studio setup.
First, I have a torch. It is a special flameworking torch. It is called a Mini CC, is solid brass, and is made by Carlisle Machine Works. There are several torch manufacturers for flameworking and the price of a surface mix torch can run from under $200 to $2,000 and beyond.
Most flameworking torches require two things to run.. gas and oxygen. These two chemicals ignite and burn at the tip of the torch, which is why they are called surface mix torches. For natural gas, any plumber can pipe a gas terminal close to the torch setup. For propane, the tank must remain outside the house and run to the torch using a hose. I use natural gas because it is cleaner and I never have to worry about running out.
For oxygen, many lampworkers use recycled and/or "boosted" medical-type oxygen concentrators. Some use oxygen generators, tanked oxygen, or even liquid oxygen. Generally, the more pure the oxygen, the better the result. However, I use one (sometimes two) very powerful oxygen concentrators that cost approximately $500 each. For me, oxygen concentrators provide an unlimited and safe supply of oxygen, although the purity is not quite as high as I would like.
When the gas and oxygen combust they create carbon dioxide, and since all of the gas may not completely burn at the torch, every flameworker must have some type of ventilation and replacement air solution. Good ventilation is also important to remove harmful elements, such as heavy metals that are sent into the air when burning different types of glass, or using different techniques. I spent a lot of time researching my requirements and hired sheet metal workers to construct and install a safe workstation including an intake air vent and a squirrel cage fan to suck the air in my workstation away from me. By enclosing my workstation I am "trapping" the toxins the best I can for extraction. The sides of the workstation also help to prevent "exploding" hot bits of glass rods from traveling all over my torch room. (The tip of a glass rod may explode if there is air trapped in it when you introduce it into the flame.)
In this post, I will introduce you to the basics of my own studio setup.
First, I have a torch. It is a special flameworking torch. It is called a Mini CC, is solid brass, and is made by Carlisle Machine Works. There are several torch manufacturers for flameworking and the price of a surface mix torch can run from under $200 to $2,000 and beyond.
Most flameworking torches require two things to run.. gas and oxygen. These two chemicals ignite and burn at the tip of the torch, which is why they are called surface mix torches. For natural gas, any plumber can pipe a gas terminal close to the torch setup. For propane, the tank must remain outside the house and run to the torch using a hose. I use natural gas because it is cleaner and I never have to worry about running out.
For oxygen, many lampworkers use recycled and/or "boosted" medical-type oxygen concentrators. Some use oxygen generators, tanked oxygen, or even liquid oxygen. Generally, the more pure the oxygen, the better the result. However, I use one (sometimes two) very powerful oxygen concentrators that cost approximately $500 each. For me, oxygen concentrators provide an unlimited and safe supply of oxygen, although the purity is not quite as high as I would like.
When the gas and oxygen combust they create carbon dioxide, and since all of the gas may not completely burn at the torch, every flameworker must have some type of ventilation and replacement air solution. Good ventilation is also important to remove harmful elements, such as heavy metals that are sent into the air when burning different types of glass, or using different techniques. I spent a lot of time researching my requirements and hired sheet metal workers to construct and install a safe workstation including an intake air vent and a squirrel cage fan to suck the air in my workstation away from me. By enclosing my workstation I am "trapping" the toxins the best I can for extraction. The sides of the workstation also help to prevent "exploding" hot bits of glass rods from traveling all over my torch room. (The tip of a glass rod may explode if there is air trapped in it when you introduce it into the flame.)
1 comment:
very informative. thanks.
I'd like to see a close up of the ventilation box, and read details of the fan. Thanks.
My system is adequate but could be improved.
Carol
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