Geeze, how many times do we have to tell you?

This isn’t rocket science, people!

I just called the welding supply shop that we got ALL of the equipment from (except the HH)…the brand spanking new tank, the brand spanking new hoses and proper fittings that were required to run the torch and spoke with THE owner…who has been in business for 40 years now. They are the best known and most respected welding supply here in the Tampa area. I told him the size of our shop/warehouse, the size of the office box, the size of the exhaust fan in the warehouse and in the office. He knows what torch is being used and what size tank and lines are running.

According to him (and I *think* that he might know what he’s talking about), it is NOT illegal [to keep propane inside]. They are used every day in many shops for all kinds of applications. He said the only time he’s seen any ‘rules’ about using one is in the situation of a jeweler in a mall or retail shop. And as for the insurance thing, he said that would be like telling someone they could not use their gas barbecue….that if something happened they would not cover it. Myth busted…..

Glass is a (pick one)

Amorphous solid
Liquid
Huh?

Like many materials, glass has different forms, depending on temperature. It can be solid, it can be liquid, and at high enough temperatures, it will break down to its constituent components and turn into a gaseous state.

I like to think of glass as being similar to water. Because of its lower temperature transitions, we can easily see water in all three states: solid, liquid, and gas. At temperatures of 32 F and below, water is a solid. At temperatures between 32 and 212 it is liquid. At temperatures above 212 it is in a gaseous state (vapor).

I’ve never understood why people have to think glass is any different.

And no, glass does not move, or at least in any time frame that humans can see. Perhaps molecular movement may occur over tens of millions of years, but if anyone ever tells you that the reason old glass is thicker at the bottom is because the glass flowed that way is full of crap. Old glass was usually poured out in molds, and the installers always put the thickest part of the pane at the bottom simply because it was easier to handle that way.

You gotta love these little gems…

On WetCanvas there is a thread from back in 2005 about flame annealing, a topic which was dispensed with in several of my blog entries. From out of nowhere, this little gem showed up a couple of days ago:

I make miniature marbles and beads, everything I do miniature is flame annealed. All it really mean is heating the glass to a uniform temperature, once it is heated to a uniform temperature it is annealed, uniform cooling is a seperate issue really regardless of if it’s annealed in a kiln or in the flame. That’s my two cents but I’ve been flame annealing for ten years.